Telekinema

Telekinema. A pioneering widescreen and 3D film projection system developed for the Festival of Britain in 1951. Conceived by filmmaker and technologist Raymond Spottiswoode, it was housed in a specially designed cinema on the South Bank site. The installation aimed to showcase the future of cinematic spectacle, combining large-format imagery with stereoscopic depth to create an immersive audience experience.

History

The Telekinema was commissioned as a central attraction for the Festival of Britain, a national exhibition intended to promote British recovery and innovation following World War II. The project was overseen by the Festival Office with Gerald Barry as director-general, and the architectural design for the building was created by Wells Coates. The technical development was led by Raymond Spottiswoode of the Film Producers Guild, who collaborated with engineers from J. Arthur Rank's Rank Organisation and researchers from the British Film Institute. Its premiere coincided with the festival's opening, attracting visitors alongside other modernist landmarks like the Skylon and the Dome of Discovery. Following the festival's closure, the structure was repurposed as the National Film Theatre, cementing its place in the history of British visual culture.

Technology

The system employed dual 35 mm film projectors manufactured by RCA to achieve its effects. For widescreen presentations, the projectors were fitted with anamorphic lenses based on the Hypergonar system invented by Henri Chrétien, producing an aspect ratio similar to later CinemaScope formats. For stereoscopic 3D films, the two projectors displayed left-eye and right-eye images simultaneously onto a special metallic silver screen. Audience members wore lightweight polarized glasses with filters made by Polaroid Corporation to perceive the three-dimensional effect. The projection booth was notably advanced, featuring sophisticated cooling systems to manage the heat generated by the powerful carbon arc lamps, and the auditorium's acoustics were designed by experts from the BBC.

Film presentations

The program featured specially commissioned films that demonstrated the system's capabilities. Notable widescreen productions included *The Black Swan*, a travelogue of the Isle of Wight, and *A Word in Your Eye*, a documentary. The stereoscopic offerings were particularly popular, featuring shorts such as *Around Is Around*, an abstract animation by Norman McLaren of the National Film Board of Canada, and *Royal River*, a colour film documenting the Pageant of the Thames. These films were accompanied by a demonstration reel, *The Telekinema*, which explained the technology. Programs changed throughout the festival's run, with shows often selling out due to the novelty of the experience.

Cultural impact

As a focal point of the Festival of Britain, the Telekinema was presented as a symbol of postwar optimism and British technological prowess. It received extensive coverage in publications like The Times and Picture Post, and was visited by dignitaries including members of the Royal Family and politicians from the Attlee ministry. The experience influenced contemporary filmmakers and technicians, providing early practical research into widescreen and stereoscopic techniques that would be commercialized in the following decade by Hollywood studios during the battle with television. Its location on the South Bank helped establish the area as a permanent centre for the arts, preceding the construction of the Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Gallery.

Legacy

After the festival, the building was saved from demolition and reopened in 1952 as the National Film Theatre under the auspices of the British Film Institute, with its first season opened by Laurence Olivier. The NFT later became a cornerstone of the BFI Southbank complex. The technical experiments conducted for the Telekinema contributed directly to the development of later projection standards, influencing figures within the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. While the specific dual-projector system was not widely adopted, its pioneering integration of widescreen and 3D foreshadowed numerous cycles of cinematic innovation, from Cinerama to contemporary IMAX and digital stereoscopy. The original structure was finally demolished in 1957 to make way for the NFT's successor, but its role as a catalyst for audiovisual culture endures.

Category:Film and video technology Category:1951 in film Category:Festival of Britain Category:3D film