7. Sherlock Jr & the BFI Award 1965

J.G.: You very often use gags which couldn't be managed except in films. For instance the scene in Sherlock Jr. where you are dreaming yourself into the picture, and the scenery keeps changing. How did you get the idea of this scene?

That was the reason for making the whole picture. Just that one situation: that a motion picture projectionist in a theatre goes to sleep and visualises himself getting mixed up with the characters on the screen. All right, then my job was to transform those characters on the screen into my (the projectionist's) characters at home, and then I've got my plot. Now to make it work was another thing; and after that picture was made every cameraman in Hollywood spent more than one night watching it and trying to figure out just how we got some of those scenes.

J.G.: How did you actually do the sequence where you are near a tree. and then you are on a rock in the middle of the ocean. Was it some kind of back projection ?

No, that hadn't been invented then. We call it processing, but back projection is correct. But it hadn't been invented. We used measuring instruments for that sequence. When I stood on that rock I was going to jump into the ocean, but as I jumped the sea changed to something else. As I looked down I held still for a moment, and we ended that scene. Then we brought out tape-measures, put a cross-bar in front of the camera to square it off, and measured me from two angles. That made sure that I was in exactly the same spot as far as the camera was concerned. We also used surveyor's instruments to get me the same height, so that when we changed the scene and I went back on the set I was in exactly the same place as in the first shot. Then the cameraman just starts to crank and I jump; and when I jump I hit something else. I don't remember what I hit, but I hit something. This was all done just by changing the sets. But I on the screen never changed.

British Film Institute Award 1965

The British Film Institute's Annual Award, the Sutherland Trophy, goes to the maker of "the most original and imaginitive film introduced by the National Film Theatre during the year." The 1965 award has been made to Jean-Luc Godard for Pierrot le Fou, first shown during the 1965 London Festival. Godard could well have recieved this Award any time during the last three years, but Pierrot le Fou opens new directions even in his dazzling and controversial career.

Coupled with the main award is a special mention to Buster Keaton, whose rediscovered Seven Chances, and new films The Railrodder and Film, have brightened the year. Keaton's star shines undimmed; and the National Film Theatre, which in its early days first showed The General and The Navigator to small but devoted audiences, now knows that a Keaton film means packed houses and wild enthusiasm. We take some pride in this, but the credit is all Keaton's: and this award goes to Buster because he is there.