Trade test colour films
Encyclopedia
Trade test colour films were broadcast by the television
network BBC 2
in the early days of colour television in Britain
during intervals when no regular programming had been scheduled. The goal of these transmissions was to provide colour broadcasting in these intervals for use by television shops and engineers (the 'trade') to adjust their television sets. The earliest such transmission was made in 1956 (on the then sole BBC channel) but regular all day long films ran from autumn 1967; the last one was in August 1973. In all, 158 different films were broadcast; on average, each film was shown 90 times.
The frequent broadcasting of the films made them well known to viewers of the time. The one most frequently shown was The Captive River (1960), which was shown 525 times. The short film Giuseppina
(1959), which had won an Academy Award
, was shown 158 times and became the last trade test colour transmission on August 24, 1973. Other frequently broadcast films included The Home Made Car
(1963), The North Sea Quest
(BP, 1967), Overhaul
(1957), Crown of Glass
(1967), Roads to Roam
(1967), The Small Propeller
(BP, 1967), The Cattle Carters (BP, 1962) - with a theme song sung by Frank Ifield
, Prospect for Plastics (1962), Evoluon
(1968) and Cantagallo. A number of these films were produced by the oil company BP
, including We've Come a Long Way
(1951), The Shadow of Progress
, Newspaper Run, and Skyhook
. Other films included; Paint (produced by Shell
), Study in Steel (produced by British Steel
), Algerian Pipeline (Constructors John Brown Ltd
), The Captive River
(Shell), Ride The White Horses
(Ford Film Unit
), Something Nice To Eat (the Gas Council), It's The Tube That Makes The Colour
(Mullard
), On The Safe Side (1967, UKAEA
), Oil Underground (1960, Shell) and Transport Ability (UKAEA). Another film, Birth of a Rainbow (1967), about Trout
farms, was made by the New Zealand National Film Unit, while Network (1962) was made by the AEI
, and No Claim Bonus
(1963) was made by the COI
. The Gold Miners was made by Films of Africa, and A Journey into the Weald of Kent
(1959) and Beauty in Trust were made by the National Benzole
Company with narrations by Sir John Betjeman
.
The trade test colour films are among the subjects of interest of the Test Card Circle, an organization devoted to studying and preserving the test card
s used by television broadcasters. The static test cards are typically transmitted for periods before and after regular programming, originally to permit viewers to adjust their television sets.
The full range of BP Trade Test Films are available from www.bpvideolibrary.com
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
network BBC 2
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in the early days of colour television in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during intervals when no regular programming had been scheduled. The goal of these transmissions was to provide colour broadcasting in these intervals for use by television shops and engineers (the 'trade') to adjust their television sets. The earliest such transmission was made in 1956 (on the then sole BBC channel) but regular all day long films ran from autumn 1967; the last one was in August 1973. In all, 158 different films were broadcast; on average, each film was shown 90 times.
The frequent broadcasting of the films made them well known to viewers of the time. The one most frequently shown was The Captive River (1960), which was shown 525 times. The short film Giuseppina
Giuseppina
Giuseppina is a 1960 short documentary film produced by James Hill. It won the Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject. Production of the film was sponsored by the British Petroleum company , which also distributes the film...
(1959), which had won an Academy Award
Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
This is a list of films by year that have received an Oscar together with the other nominations for best documentary short subject. Following the Academy's practice, the year listed for each film is the year of release: the awards are announced and presented early in the following year.-1940s:*1941...
, was shown 158 times and became the last trade test colour transmission on August 24, 1973. Other frequently broadcast films included The Home Made Car
The Home Made Car
The Home Made Car is a short film directed by James Hill about a young man who rebuilds a vintage car and finds love. The film was nominated for an Academy Award...
(1963), The North Sea Quest
North Sea oil
North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid oil and natural gas, produced from oil reservoirs beneath the North Sea.In the oil industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian Sea and the area known as "West of Shetland", "the Atlantic Frontier" or "the...
(BP, 1967), Overhaul
Buses in London
The London Bus is one of London's principal icons, the archetypal red rear-entrance double-deck Routemaster being recognised worldwide. Although the Routemaster has now been largely phased out of service, with only two heritage routes still using the vehicles, the majority of buses in London are...
(1957), Crown of Glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
(1967), Roads to Roam
New Zealand State Highway network
The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
(1967), The Small Propeller
Pump-jet
A pump-jet, hydrojet, or water jet, is a marine system that creates a jet of water for propulsion. The mechanical arrangement may be a ducted propeller with nozzle, or a centrifugal pump and nozzle...
(BP, 1967), The Cattle Carters (BP, 1962) - with a theme song sung by Frank Ifield
Frank Ifield
Francis Edward Ifield is an early Australian-English easy listening and country music singer. He achieved considerable success in the early 1960s, especially in the UK Singles Chart, where he had four Number 1 hits between 1962 and 1963....
, Prospect for Plastics (1962), Evoluon
Evoluon
The Evoluon is a conference centre and former science museum erected by the electronics and electrical company Philips in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in 1966. Since its construction, it has become a landmark and a symbol for the city....
(1968) and Cantagallo. A number of these films were produced by the oil company BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
, including We've Come a Long Way
Oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...
(1951), The Shadow of Progress
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
, Newspaper Run, and Skyhook
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
. Other films included; Paint (produced by Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
), Study in Steel (produced by British Steel
British Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
), Algerian Pipeline (Constructors John Brown Ltd
John Brown & Company
John Brown and Company of Clydebank was a pre-eminent Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding firm, responsible for building many notable and world-famous ships, such as the , the , the , the , the , and the...
), The Captive River
Kariba Dam
The Kariba Dam is a hydroelectric dam in the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi river basin between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is one of the largest dams in the world, standing tall and long.- Construction :...
(Shell), Ride The White Horses
Offshore powerboat racing
Offshore powerboat racing is racing by large, specially designed ocean-going powerboats, typically point-to-point racing.Probably one of the largest, most dangerous, and most powerful racing machines of all, the extreme expense of the boats and the fuel required to participate make it an expensive...
(Ford Film Unit
Ford of Britain
Ford of Britain is a British wholly owned subsidiary of Ford of Europe, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. Its business started in 1909 and has its registered office in Brentwood, Essex...
), Something Nice To Eat (the Gas Council), It's The Tube That Makes The Colour
Color television
Color television is part of the history of television, the technology of television and practices associated with television's transmission of moving images in color video....
(Mullard
Mullard
Mullard Limited was a British manufacturer of electronic components. The Mullard Radio Valve Co. Ltd. of Southfields, London, was founded in 1920 by Captain Stanley R. Mullard, who had previously designed valves for the Admiralty before becoming managing director of the Z Electric Lamp Co. The...
), On The Safe Side (1967, UKAEA
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is a UK government research organisation responsible for the development of nuclear fusion power. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and was formerly chaired by Lady Barbara Judge CBE...
), Oil Underground (1960, Shell) and Transport Ability (UKAEA). Another film, Birth of a Rainbow (1967), about Trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
farms, was made by the New Zealand National Film Unit, while Network (1962) was made by the AEI
Associated Electrical Industries
Associated Electrical Industries was a British holding company formed in 1928 through the merger of the British Thomson-Houston Company and Metropolitan-Vickers electrical engineering companies...
, and No Claim Bonus
V bomber
The term V bomber was used for the Royal Air Force aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V-force or Bomber Command Main Force...
(1963) was made by the COI
Central Office of Information
The Central Office of Information is the UK government's marketing and communications agency. Its Chief Executive, currently Mark Lund, reports to the Minister for the Cabinet Office...
. The Gold Miners was made by Films of Africa, and A Journey into the Weald of Kent
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
(1959) and Beauty in Trust were made by the National Benzole
National Benzole
National Benzole was a petroleum brand used in the United Kingdom from 1919 to the 1960s. In 1934 the company acquired Power Petroleum. In the early 1960s it was renamed as simply National.- Foundation :...
Company with narrations by Sir John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
.
The trade test colour films are among the subjects of interest of the Test Card Circle, an organization devoted to studying and preserving the test card
Test card
A test card, also known as a test pattern in North America and Australia, is a television test signal, typically broadcast at times when the transmitter is active but no program is being broadcast...
s used by television broadcasters. The static test cards are typically transmitted for periods before and after regular programming, originally to permit viewers to adjust their television sets.
BBC 2 daily schedule
According to the BBC Written Archive Centre, the following is an example of a typical day on BBC 2 in the late 1960s when the only scheduled programme during the day was Play School at 11 am:- 09.00 Colour Testcard F
- 10.00 Service Information For The Television Trade
- 10.03 Colour Testcard F
- 10.30 The Colour Receiver Installation Film
- 10.43 TRADE TEST COLOUR FILM followed by Colour Testcard F
- 11.00 PLAY SCHOOL followed by Colour Testcard F
- 11.30 Service Information For The Television Trade
- 11.33 TRADE TEST COLOUR FILM followed by Colour Testcard F
- 12.10 The Colour Receiver Installation Film
- 12.23 Colour Testcard F
- 14.30 Service Information For The Television Trade
- 14.33 TRADE TEST COLOUR FILM followed by Colour Testcard F
- 15.10 The Colour Receiver Installation Film
- 15.23 Colour Testcard F
- 15.30 TRADE TEST COLOUR FILM followed by Colour Testcard F
- 16.30 TRADE TEST COLOUR FILM followed by Colour Testcard F
- 17.30 TRADE TEST COLOUR FILM followed by Colour Testcard F
- 18.30 TRADE TEST COLOUR FILM followed by Colour Testcard F
The full range of BP Trade Test Films are available from www.bpvideolibrary.com
External links
- The Test Card Circle Details of the UK's Trade Test Transmissions including the history of the BBC and ITA Test Cards, a look at the music used and full details about the Trade Test Colour Films shown from the late fifties to 1973.
- The BP Video Library The BP Video Library has 22 of the BBC Colour Trade Test films available to view on their website and to purchase on DVD, including Guiseppina, The Home Made Car, and Cattle Carters. Several of the trade test colour films are uploaded to YouTube.
- Some other BBC Colour Trade Test films on YouTube
- List of BBC2 Trade Test Colour films