Note: this is a QuickTime
movie, and is about 1 Megabyte in size... it may
take some time to download. Martin is currently revising
his website, but keep checking at www.martinhill.com If you'd like to get in touch with him please email me,
and I'll pass your information along. Back to
CELY
Main Page URL:
http://www.cely.com/martin.html
In the mid-eighties, I
had the pleasure of working with a terrific crew at
WYFF-TV's
PM MAGAZINE unit. Over the 3 years I was
Associate Producer/Unit Manager, we won top spot
nearly every ratings period in both the Neilson and
Arbitron books - and this was against Jeopardy!
with a Wheel of Fortune lead-in... a tough time
slot!
The reason for much of our success was our mission.
As set forth by Station Manager Bill Wheless, our
PM Magazine unit was to provide a quality, local
alternative to nationally syndicated programming -
something to give viewers a sense of "ownership" in
their area, their station, and their show...
We executed this mission with excellent equipment
(we were one of the first PM Magazine units to use
the new BetaCam format), superb crew people
& producers and two of the most personable and
talented hosts anyone has ever had the opportunity
to work with... Jennifer Mills and Marc
Bailey.
My mission was more specific. Most PM Magazine
units consisted of TV News personel working in
between assignments. Bill gave me the task of
producing a show with a glossier, more "Hollywood"
look. We use more reflectors, lights and grip
equipment than other units, designed special PM
Magazine vans to hold the equipment and provide
comfortable space for the crew, and used so-called
EFP rather than ENG shooting
techniques. This meant that we spent three and a
half days each week just shooting our "wraps" -
PM/Evening magazine terminology for the story
intros & outros - while most crews did all
theirs in only one day.
Most of my contribution resulted from my film
production background... and much of that is a
direct result of my association with William
Martin Hill of Charlotte, North Carolina. Like
many other aspiring film-makers in the Southeast, I
got much of my equipment from Martin - every bit of
it rated: "MINT - (will clean better)". His
knowledge of the tools af the trade is
incalculable, and his camera collection probably
exceeds that of the ASC
Museum.
I don't see Martin as much as I used to - but
that's my loss... I still treasure his friendship.
Martin and his lovely wife Patsy still live and
work near the Charlotte area, and if you ever need
to know anything about Mitchell cameras, the
"pancake" Akeley or if you're in the market for a
load of Brute arcs, you know who to call. Just tell
him Don sent you.
In 1986, I was able to visit Martin with PM
Magazine co-host Jennifer Mills and produced the
following story. It is compressed here, but I think
you'll get the gist of it... enjoy a few minutes
with one of the greatest story tellers you'll ever
meet... Martin Hill.
PM
Magazine Looks Back: Martin Hill