Initial release 1963 (United Kingdom) Film series Snow Film Series | Release date 1963 (1963) | |
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Music by Sandy NelsonJohnny HawksworthDaphne Oram Nominations Academy Award for Best Short Film (Live Action), BAFTA Award for Best Short Film Similar China from the Inside, Dr Pyckle and Mr Pryde, Lovelorn Leghorn, Crowing Pains, Snowdrift at Bleath Gill | ||
Snow 1963 geoffrey jones bfi national archive
Snow is a short documentary film made by Geoffrey Jones for British Transport Films in 1962-1963. The 8-minute-long film shows the efforts of British Railways staff in coping with the 1963 United Kingdom cold wave. An example of "pure cinema", it was nominated for an Academy Award in 1965.
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The film had its origins in primary research for a documentary about the British Railways Board. Jones' test research coincided with one of the coldest winters on record, and Jones approached BTF producer Edgar Anstey with the idea to contrast the comfort of the passengers with the efforts of the railway workmen in keeping trains going in the frozen conditions. Work began on the documentary straight after gaining approval, and Jones and cameraman Wolfgang Suschitzky travelled around the country filming scenes for the rest of the winter.
The film was edited to a re-recorded version of Sandy Nelson's "Teen Beat" by Johnny Hawksworth, expanded to twice its original length by accelerating the tempo over the duration of the film. BBC Radiophonic Workshop composer Daphne Oram then added various effects to the soundtrack.