Ken Morse
Encyclopedia
Ken Morse is often described as Britain's leading rostrum camera
operator. He is believed to be the most credited cameraman in history. His name is synonymous with his profession, so often does he (or Ken Morse Ltd, the company that bears his name) appear in the credit
s of television
documentaries
shown worldwide.
Morse joined the film industry in the 1960s, working originally in stop motion
animation
before moving to the rostrum camera. The British Academy (Bafta) presented him with a Lifetime Achievement award to recognise his contributions to the industry over nearly forty years. He is based in Shepherd's Bush
, London
.
Morse is well-known enough outside his profession to have been mentioned in several British sketch shows
: The Fast Show
listed his name in a spoof set of credits; and Big Train
included a sketch about a rostrum cameraman driven mad by always being overshadowed by Ken Morse. The one-off comedy special Clinton: His Struggle with Dirt
(produced by Armando Iannucci
) credited "Rostrum Camera" to "Not Ken Morse".
Rostrum camera
A rostrum camera is a specially designed camera used in television production and filmmaking to animate a still picture or object. It consists of a moving lower platform on which the article to be filmed is placed, while the camera is placed above on a column. Many visual effects can be created...
operator. He is believed to be the most credited cameraman in history. His name is synonymous with his profession, so often does he (or Ken Morse Ltd, the company that bears his name) appear in the credit
Credit (creative arts)
In general, the term credit in the artistic or intellectual sense refers to an acknowledgement of those who contributed to a work, whether through ideas or in a more direct sense.-Credit in the arts:...
s of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
shown worldwide.
Morse joined the film industry in the 1960s, working originally in stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
before moving to the rostrum camera. The British Academy (Bafta) presented him with a Lifetime Achievement award to recognise his contributions to the industry over nearly forty years. He is based in Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush
-Commerce:Commercial activity in Shepherd's Bush is now focused on the Westfield shopping centre next to Shepherd's Bush Central line station and on the many small shops which run along the northern side of the Green....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Morse is well-known enough outside his profession to have been mentioned in several British sketch shows
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
: The Fast Show
The Fast Show
The Fast Show, known as Brilliant in the US, was a BBC comedy sketch show programme that ran for three series from 1994 to 1997 with a special Last Fast Show Ever in 2000. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Mark Williams, John Thomson, Arabella Weir and...
listed his name in a spoof set of credits; and Big Train
Big Train
Big Train is a surreal British television comedy sketch show created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, writers of the successful sitcom Father Ted...
included a sketch about a rostrum cameraman driven mad by always being overshadowed by Ken Morse. The one-off comedy special Clinton: His Struggle with Dirt
Clinton: His Struggle with Dirt
Clinton: His Struggle with Dirt was a one-off satire, written and narrated by Armando Iannucci in a similar style to his later shows, notably Time Trumpet. Purporting to be a documentary from the future, it cast actors as older versions of genuine people, , to present a comic spin on the Lewinsky...
(produced by Armando Iannucci
Armando Iannucci
Armando Giovanni Iannucci is a Scottish comedian, satirist, writer, director, performer and radio producer. Born in Glasgow, he studied at Oxford University and left graduate work on a PhD about John Milton to pursue a career in comedy....
) credited "Rostrum Camera" to "Not Ken Morse".