1984 and all that

When I first read George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’, the year in question seemed far into the future. I was in my teens. It would be 23 years later in 1984 that we would be asked to make props for the film staring John Hurt and Richard Burton. There is an inherent problem making a film set in the future, that is written in the past, and is being filmed in the year the events in the novel are taking place. Where does it exist in time? The decision was made to place the film’s look in 1948, the year the book was written, and Allan Cameron, the production designer, did an excellent job in creating the feel of the period. The first thing we were asked to make were the ‘speakwrite’ machines – an apparatus that typed, as it was dictated into. There was to be an original ‘hero’ machine and many others, to be seen in each of the many rows of booths in the Ministry of Truth, one of which Winston Smith is seen working in. The machine was in two parts and the finish had to look like Bakelite, an early plastic.

The Speakwrite machines

The ‘hero’ was made in wood and then used as a pattern to vacuum form the rest of the machines. (See link below) They were then painted in a ginger brown, veined with black before being sprayed lightly with ash blond hair-spray colouring and then varnished. We were also asked to make the elaborate on/off switch that is underneath the television screen in O’Brien’s (Richard Burton) office. (See link below) One of the privileges enjoyed by him, but denied to most living in Airstrip One – formally Great Britain – is to be able to turn off the intrusive and ever present stream of propaganda. It was set into the symbol ‘Ingsoc’ -English Socialism in newspeak.

Barry on the set in O’Brien’s ofice.

The on/off switch set into the Ingsoc logo

The chrome effect was achieved from a spray can. It had not been long on the market and although it gave a very good effect, the finish was very fragile and if touched would mark easily.

The on/off switch in O’Brien’s office

Luckily the stage where it was filmed was only a short walk from our workshop so we were able to touch it up once it was in place. One of the props that caused us a problem was the glass paperweight that had a piece or coral set into it. Dick had made a mould of the required shape and cast it in clear resin with a small piece of coral inside. It looked good but the resin acted as a magnifying glass and enlarged the coral so it almost filled the paper-weight. The production wanted to do a shot through it, so asked if the piece of coral could be made smaller.

The first paperweight with the largest peice of coral.

We did several more in reducing sizes until it was small enough for their purposes.

A CONTRIBUTION FROM LOUISE The prop I was most involved with was the message pencil in which Winston receives a note from Julia. It had to be hollow and made from card with a spiral construction, so that it could be unwound. How to make them? I knew that Tampax tampons were made of two different diameter cardboard tubes, the inner and outer facilitating the movement of the tampon. I sent David, our buyer, to buy various sizes of Tampax. The outer of the super-size was perfect as it fitted the graphic pencil we were using, but we needed it to be longer and without the dimples. I rang Tampax and was passed on to a very helpful gentleman who arranged for me to collect the tubes in their original length and totally smooth. Problem solved, and they were supplied free of charge. A solid graphite pencil just fitted inside the top of the tube, leaving a perfect space for the rolled paper message, we sealed the end with a plug of graphite. In all we made 12 complete pencils and supplied many extra tubes. We also made another version with a chrome tube that was used by O’Brien.

Two of manyIngsoc badges made for the film

The film was released in October in the middle of the miners strike. Arthur Scargill could have been forgiven for feeling he was the reincarnation of Emmanuel Goldstein, the book’s enemy of the state. A month later ‘The Killing Fields’ was released. We made many passports for the film – British, American, French, Australian and Swiss. The film portrayed life under the Khmer Rouge, that like North Korea in the present day, seemed to be imitating the art of George Orwell. I read ‘Nineteen eighty-four’ twice as a teenager and although I loved the book and Orwell’s clean and immaculate prose, I have always been frustrated that Winston Smith loved Big Brother at the end. As an argumentative nineteen year old I even felt betrayed, as Julia had been betrayed. I imagine George Orwell would now feel even more betrayed that his legacy has been reduced to two television shows. In ‘Room 101’ (another show we worked on for many years) you could throw away your pet hates – never mind your greatest fears – rather than having to face them, and the less said about ‘Big Brother’ the better. YouTube trailer for the film ‘1984’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52wis_sLT1I Winston Smith in O’Brien’s office showing the on/off switch and the chrome pen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqkPNLb-90c ‘Speakwrite’ machines in use by Winston in the Ministry of Truth https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts=1421914688&x-yt-cl=84503534&v=oe9I0QhV08w A link to a page explaining vacuum forming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_forming NB Hair Spray – We always used a water-based hair spray to subtly alter the feel and colour of a prop. To make it durable it normally had to be varnished over unless used on a very absorbent material such as paper or fabric. When it was stopped being manufactured there was a huge gap in the market and this was filled by a firm producing much the same thing under the name of ‘Dirty Down’. It did fill a need but we always regretted not producing it first.