Rare Camera Auctions

Click here to see the auction. Currently $2001.00.

Mitchell NC camera N° 305manufactured in 1945 and delivered to England, where it remained for all of its working life.It was the main camera of Wally Veeverswho was head of the Effects Department at Shepperton Studios, where I bought it many years ago.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0891764/His nameplate is still on the case.Veevers was heavily involved in the effects work on Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove and 2001: A Space Odyssey.This camera was actually used by Stanley Kubrick in the making of both films.The picture above is from the DVD of the documentary “Stanley Kubrick, A Life in Pictures”and shows him peering into the finder of this very camera.I took a picture of the camera as it looks today, in exactly the same position.The paint chips and green dot on the viewfinder tube superimpose exactly.Interestingly there are very few cameras that have even a partial list of projects they worked on.Almost all records have been lost, so having any information at all on any camera is historical treasure of the rarest kind.Signed authentification is even rarer. As years went by, this camera’s historical importance became more and more obvious.In 2003 I asked 3 technicians who actually worked with Veevers and Kubrick to sign a certificate of origin.The list of films on which this camera was used includes several all-time greats that are now part of movie history.In addition to the two films mentioned above, some of the highlights are:A King in New York (Charlie Chaplin, 1957), The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Longest Day (1962),Lord Jim (1965), Battle of Britain (1968), The Last Valley (1970), Diamonds are Forever (1971),The Man Who Would Be King (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Superman (1978),Excalibur (1981)… and the list contains more amazing titles.Before Veevers, the camera belonged to W. Percy Day (1878-1965), as Day’s grand-daughter acknowledged.Wally Veevers was Poppa Day’s assistant at Shepperton Studios and became Director of Special Effects himself when the Master retired.It is only recently that I realized how immmensely important this amazing man was.Poppa Day was an artist and film pioneer whose film career started in 1919. He then became a Wizard in the fields of special effects, matte-painting, etc,Things to Come, The Four Feathers, Wuthering Heights, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Thief of Bagdad,How Green Was My Valley, Colonel Blimp, A Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus, The Third Man, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman …… are just some of the films which Pop Day worked on.So this camera was certainly used on some of these films, from 1945 on. Day was also stepfather of another matte-painting legend: Peter Ellenshaw, father of Harrison Ellenshaw.To know more about Pop Day, have a look at these links:http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0206622/http://www.walterpercyday.org/(On the subject of matte-paintings, I recommend the wonderful bookby Craig Barron and Mark Cotta-Vaz “The Invisible Art” – a whole chapter is devoted to WPD)-The package comprises the following:Mitchell NC camera body and movement marked #305,Matching original rackover base and BNCR single lens-mount,Matching camera motor door marked NC305Matching camera case-Mitchell Viewfinder, marked NC305Wide-Angle attachment mounted on viewfinderMitchell 110V AC/DC Motor #1289 and power cableMitchell Matte-Box #1310 and rodsMitchell 400′ magazineSome bits and small partsMatching accessory case-Additional 1000′ magazine NC-type, #7937-Cooke Series II and III lenses, from 18mm to 75mm (6), BNCR-mounted by Moores* & Griffin Co. Ltd.Case marked Moores & Griffin Co. Ltd.-Mitchell (baby) tripod with large top-Moy Geared Head-Mitchell follow-focus* Roy Moores was a camera engineer employed by Technicolor for many years (that’s why he isn’t credited in many films in imdb for example).He was a specialist for the Vistavision and Technirama processes (he actually provided the Vistavision cameras for process shots on the first Star Wars)and worked with Hitchcock on The Man Who Knew Too Much, and on big epics like Spartacus, El Cid, The Fall of the Roman Empire.Then he continued as a Front Projection specialist on films like The Battle of Britain, the James Bond films, Aliens, etc. etc.Condition:Camera body and motor are in perfect working condition.The follow-focus device’s gears fall a little too short to catch the gears on the BNCR lenses,so we never used it (it usually wasn’t used for SFX work) but it can be adjusted.The lenses are in top condition, without scratches or fungus.The 40mm has some dust particles – could be cleaned.The Moy head works at all speeds but is in poor condition.A Mitchell friction head can be provided instead if desired.Other accessories show normal signs of wear.Documentation:Certificate of ownership by Wally Veevers and list of films, signed by 3 BSC technicians and current owner.2 photos showing Mitchell NC 305 shooting “Guns of Navarone” with inscriptions on the back.-There are certainly not many objects so heavily charged with movie history …When I bought this camera many years ago, I did not quite realize its importance.The goal was to shoot a feature film with it. We last used it 3 years ago and it worked perfectly.This camera is physical evidence of movie and mechanical craftsmanship of the “golden age”…. As a piece of cinema memorabilia, it certainly goes beyond the wildest dreams.Auction starts at $2001Shipping costs is indicative and will depend on buyer’s location and requirements. Payment will have to be made via bank transfer.