AP Films

AP Films or APF, later becoming Century 21 Productions, was a British independent film production company of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. The company became world-famous with its imaginative children's action-adventure marionette shows - most notably Thunderbirds - produced for British independent broadcasting companies Associated-Rediffusion, Granada, ABC Weekend TV and ATV. At its height the company employed over 200 staffGerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography by Simon Archer and Stan Nicholls, p120; ISBN 0-09-978141-7.

Beginnings

Established in 1957 by by editor-director Gerry Anderson and cinematographer Arthur Provis, following the liquidation of their employer Polytechnic Films, AP Films (for Anderson Provis FilmsGerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography by Simon Archer and Stan Nicholls, p29; ISBN 0-09-978141-7) was set up (according to a previous draft of this article possibly as Pentagon Productions, initially). They took with them producer Reg Hill, cinematographer John Read and secretary Sylvia Thamm (who would later become Anderson's second wife). Anderson was already an experienced editor and director, and Provis a cinematographer. The company was created with the intention of becoming a conventional film production house.

With work not forthcoming and funds running low, APF were approached with the offer of collaboration with children's author Roberta Leigh and her colleague Suzanne Warner to produce the children's puppet programme The Adventures of Twizzle for Associated-Rediffusion. With some reluctance, the company took on the commission and the programme was such a success that it immediately led to a further collaboration with Leigh for the first series of Torchy the Battery Boy also for Associated-Rediffusion, after which Arthur Provis left the company amicably in 1959 following disagreements with Anderson over future strategyGerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography by Simon Archer and Stan Nicholls, p40; ISBN 0-09-978141-7. APF then went on to make its first wholly independent production of Four Feather Falls, a puppet western created by Barry Gray (better known for his musical contributions to the company's productions), for Granada Television.

In 1960 APF made a live-action thriller feature film entitled Crossroads to Crime for Anglo-Amalgamated, and a series of television advertisements for a London travel company.

Success

Returning to puppets, but with a change in direction and the adoption of a technique synchronising their mouths to the recorded dialogue (dubbed "Supermarionation" by Anderson) resulted in the company's best known productions - a succession of futuristic sci-fi action adventure shows, all made for ATV. Supercar screened in 1960-61, Fireball XL5 (1962), Stingray (1964) — the first British children's TV series to be made in colour — and Thunderbirds (1964-66), which was, by far, their most famous and successful production. After the completion of Fireball XL5, ATV owner Lew Grade had purchased the company, becoming managing director, with the Andersons, Hill and Read remaining as directors.

Century 21

Immediately following completion and the first television screening of Thunderbirds in 1965 AP Films was renamed Century 21 Productions to align it with its growing merchandising sister companies Century 21 Merchandising, Century 21 Toys and Century 21 MusicGerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography by Simon Archer and Stan Nicholls, p111; ISBN 0-09-978141-7.

All of the Century 21 company's productions featured an opening title sequence of a red dart piercing a series of concentric white circles against a blue background. This was accompanied by a typical Barry Gray string glissando and the caption "A Gerry Anderson Century 21 Television (or Cinema) Production". This sequence was first seen on the two Thunderbirds feature films (Thunderbirds are GO - premiering December 12, 1966Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography by Simon Archer and Stan Nicholls, p117; ISBN 0-09-978141-7 - and Thunderbird 6), and two more Supermationation series for ATV, Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons (1967-68) and Joe 90 in 1968.Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography by Simon Archer and Stan Nicholls, pp139-140; ISBN 0-09-978141-7

In 1969, the company made its last puppet series, the rarely seen The Secret Service (which mixed live action with puppetry), after which the puppet studios closed, and the merchandising and publication businesses contracted rapidly.

This was followed by the live-action feature film Doppelganger (aka Journey To The Far Side of the Sun) which was nominated for an Academy Award for special effects and was followed by its first, and only, live action TV series, UFO (1970), which proved to be its last production. A second series of UFO was planned, but the project failed to progress beyond substantial pre-production work.

End of the line

On completion of their contracted tenure stemming from the Lew Grade buy-out, Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson, and John Read went on to form another company called Group 3 Productions, which continued their close relationship with Grade.

Other notable figures

Although most notable for its link with the Andersons, the company features other notable figures in its history.

Barry Gray composed and arranged the scores for all Anderson's independent productions up to and including the first series of 1999 in 1975.

Derek Meddings joined the staff in the earliest days as a special effects assistant, painting miniatures on scenery, but would go on to become special effects director, developing significant advances in miniature special effects technology. Before his death in 1995 he would rise to become one of the film industry's premier special effects experts (contributing to several Bond films, the Superman films, and many others).

2nd Unit director Brian Johnson would also go on to become a leading special effects talent in Hollywood.

Christine Glanville, already an experienced puppeteer joined the expanding company in early days to supervise puppet operations, progressing into production management toward the end of the company's existence.

References