130:. Ultimately, the BBC concluded that a television image was not covered by existing copyright law and replied to Cura giving him permission to proceed but to "only photograph the television image of individual artists who have instructed you to do so prior to their television appearance, and that you do not give or sell the photographs to anyone other than the artist in question". Cura often ignored this restriction, however, frequently sending tele-snaps to artists on spec in the hope of attracting business from them. Many of his clients were BBC programme makers who found his photographs useful records of their work.
122:, combined his twin passions of photography and electronics and began to experiment with developing a camera that could take pictures from a television screen. He eventually came up with a mechanism that took half-frame 18×24 mm images on 35 mm film (i.e. the same format as in 35 mm motion picture cameras), at a speed of 1/25th of a second.
223:. His widow offered her late husband's collection of tele-snaps to the BBC but was turned down. It is believed that they were subsequently destroyed. However, many copies of tele-snaps survive on broadcasters' production files and in the private collections of many of the artists and technicians whose work Cura photographed.
216:" as well as a wide range of newspapers and periodicals. However, when Cura raised the prices for his service in 1964, the BBC ordered a review of the tele-snap service, which at this stage was costing them £1,300 per annum, and, with many programmes now routinely recorded on film or video, the business began to decline.
437:"Emily told us that when John died she got in touch with the BBC and said, "I've got a garage full of photos, do you want them?" and an executive said, "We're moving forward, Mrs Cura, not backwards." Emily told us she was so upset that she destroyed the lot." – Teddie Beverley, quoted in Lewisohn,
252:
Tele-snaps have been used to reconstruct lost television shows by marrying up the tele-snaps with audio recordings of missing shows to create a slide-show backed by the programme's soundtrack. Most notably, this technique has been employed, on an amateur, not-for-profit basis, by some enthusiasts of
133:
In 1951, Cura came once again to the attention of the BBC's lawyers when he requested that he be allowed to photograph entire BBC productions, writing that his service "enables you to have a permanent pictorial record for valuable reference in years to come, of series which have a brief life of an
360:
for its DVD release in 2006. Since at the time of release no soundtrack for the missing episodes of this serial exists, this reconstruction is backed by music used in the serial with on-screen captions employed to narrate the story. (the full soundtrack of the partially-existing episode 7 was
165:
in 1955. A second television set was purchased and a second camera constructed to enable Cura to photograph both channels. Cura also enjoyed success with two best-selling books on improving television reception and correcting picture faults, which were illustrated with his tele-snaps. He also
125:
Once satisfied with his process, Cura wrote to the BBC on 11 September 1947 enclosing samples of his work and requesting permission to exploit the images commercially. Cura's request caused considerable consternation in the BBC's legal department who were concerned about
240:
were developed in the 1950s. Even after the technology for recording programmes had become the norm, it was a common practice, due to a combination of the costs of storage and restrictions on broadcasting repeats, for UK broadcasters to
57:, at an exposure of 1/25th of a second. Generally around 70–80 tele-snaps were taken of each programme. They were mostly purchased by actors and directors to use as records and examples of their work before the prevalence of
231:
In the early days of television, the means of making recordings of television programmes were limited and programmes were, in the main, transmitted live. This began to change as techniques for recording programmes onto film
134:
hour or so and are then lost forever". The BBC had also been contacted by several newspapers at this time, looking for permission to use Cura's tele-snaps—especially after it transpired that Cura had taken the only image of
915:
910:
338:(with the surviving parts represented by the original episodes and surviving footage) have also been included in the subsequent DVD releases of the animated versions.
49:, England; 9 April 1902 – 21 April 1969). From 1947 until 1968, Cura ran a business selling the 250,000-plus tele-snaps he took. The photographs were snapped in
875:
827:
299:
for the MP3 CD release of that story in 2005. This reconstruction was later included in the DVD release of an animated version of the serial in 2016.
728:
180:. By 1959, Cura claimed to have taken over 250,000 tele-snaps and that sets of his tele-snaps had been "presented to and graciously accepted by the
676:
593:
562:
785:
151:
246:
65:
259:, which has nearly a hundred missing episodes. Some professional reconstructions using tele-snaps have also been created, including:
483:
890:
650:
147:
85:
895:
885:
143:
531:
500:
98:
From an early age, Cura had been interested in electronics and photography, developing a reputation among his family as a "
880:
158:
regarding the issue. Although a revised
Copyright Bill was enacted in 1956, it did little to curtail Cura's activities.
905:
900:
135:
69:
452:
193:
161:
Cura's business was at its peak in the mid-fifties, his business having doubled overnight following the launch of
242:
366:
245:
programmes after transmission. As a result, John Cura's tele-snaps are often the only surviving record of many
623:
701:
347:
328:
295:
68:
of their appearance. From the 1990s onwards, tele-snaps have often been used by groups of fans to recreate
334:
185:
58:
736:
76:, creating "reconstructions" by marrying the images to fan-recorded off-air soundtracks of the episodes.
601:
189:
181:
168:
316:
139:
90:
570:
37:) were off-screen photographs of British television broadcasts, taken and sold commercially by
793:
479:
310:
220:
219:
John Cura continued to take tele-snaps right up within a few months of his death in 1969 from
213:
205:
50:
304:
282:
269:
177:
111:
356:
322:
209:
155:
119:
759:
852:
201:
197:
107:
99:
354:
A condensed reconstruction of the missing episodes of the 1961 science fiction serial
869:
814:
539:
508:
233:
370:
have been included as extras on the Region 2 DVDs of the series released by
Optimum.
819:
Nothing at the End of the Lane. The
Magazine of Doctor Who Research and Restoration
46:
162:
115:
54:
476:
Missing
Believed Wiped. Searching for the lost treasures of British Television
255:
173:
677:"'The Macra Terror' DVD and Blu-Ray cover art and special features revealed"
237:
127:
84:
17:
42:
263:
A brief (15-minute) reconstruction of episodes two and three of the
83:
364:
Narrated reconstructions of episodes from the first season of
103:
817:(June 2005). "John Cura – Photographer of the Lost Archive".
702:"'The Faceless Ones' cover art and special features revealed"
651:"The Power of the Daleks DVD artwork and extras unveiled"
341:
A condensed (30-minute) reconstruction of the seven-part
860:
172:. Celebrity clients of the tele-snaps service included
530:
Robinson, Bruce; Franks, Robert, eds. (11 July 1998).
499:
Robinson, Bruce; Franks, Robert, eds. (10 May 1998).
302:
Similar full reconstructions of all four episodes of
276:A full reconstruction of the final episode of the
247:lost programmes from the early years of television
478:. London: British Film Institute. pp. 5–10.
166:appeared on the BBC's television panel game show
727:Roberts, Steve; Ayres, Mark (15 November 2005).
592:Roberts, Steve; Montagu, Ralph (November 2000).
27:British television photos produced by John Cura
351:for the DVD release, "The Beginning", in 2006.
64:For many early programmes tele-snaps are the
8:
916:1968 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
426:John Cura – Photographer of the Lost Archive
413:John Cura – Photographer of the Lost Archive
400:John Cura – Photographer of the Lost Archive
88:A sequence of tele-snaps from the missing
911:1947 establishments in the United Kingdom
532:"History of the Reconstructions Part II"
624:"Doctor Who: News: Power of the Daleks"
501:"History of the Reconstructions Part I"
379:
286:for its VHS videotape release in 2000.
273:for its VHS videotape release in 1998.
649:McEwan, Cameron K (26 October 2016).
7:
110:following the hiatus imposed by the
451:Henderson, Andy (20 January 2007).
253:the British science fiction series
760:"The Andromeda Anthology – Review"
758:Couzens, Gary (2 September 2006).
474:Fiddy, Dick (2001). "Background".
25:
828:"John Cura: Snapshots of History"
876:Television in the United Kingdom
561:Roberts, Steve (7 August 1998).
194:Queen Juliana of the Netherlands
146:. The BBC made petitions to the
826:Lewisohn, Mark (28 June 2022).
439:John Cura: Snapshots of History
388:John Cura: Snapshots of History
41:(born Alberto Giovanni Cura in
675:Dee, Christel (2 March 2019).
628:BBC – Official Doctor Who site
1:
821:. No. 2. pp. 11–20.
289:A full reconstruction of the
102:inventor". In June 1946, the
786:"The Avengers Reconstructed"
729:"The Beginning – DVD Boxset"
332:and episodes 1 & 3-7 of
733:Doctor Who Restoration Team
598:Doctor Who Restoration Team
567:Doctor Who Restoration Team
932:
308:, episodes 2,4,5 and 6 of
857:episodes using tele-snaps
790:The Avengers Declassified
455:. Lost British Television
453:"The First TV Recordings"
361:subsequently recovered).
154:overhauled to give them
891:Television preservation
832:Copyright Literacy Blog
594:"'The Cybermen' Boxset"
329:The Power of the Daleks
296:The Power of the Daleks
138:'s boat sinking during
59:videocassette recorders
335:The Evil of the Daleks
326:, all six episodes of
314:, all six episodes of
184:; Their Majesties the
95:
51:half of a normal frame
896:Lost television shows
886:Television technology
227:Cultural significance
140:that year's Boat Race
94:episode "The Prophet"
87:
66:only surviving record
881:Photography by genre
853:Photonovels of lost
542:on 27 September 2007
538:(13). Archived from
511:on 27 September 2007
507:(12). Archived from
148:Houses of Parliament
739:on 30 December 2006
604:on 20 November 2007
573:on 21 November 2007
142:between Oxford and
906:1947 introductions
901:British inventions
813:Bignell, Richard;
563:"The Ice Warriors"
317:Fury from the Deep
108:television service
96:
91:Out of the Unknown
796:on 14 August 2011
708:. 8 February 2020
311:The Faceless Ones
214:Eleanor Roosevelt
206:Winston Churchill
114:. Cura, recently
16:(Redirected from
923:
842:
840:
838:
822:
806:
805:
803:
801:
792:. Archived from
781:
775:
774:
772:
770:
755:
749:
748:
746:
744:
735:. Archived from
724:
718:
717:
715:
713:
698:
692:
691:
689:
687:
672:
666:
665:
663:
661:
646:
640:
639:
637:
635:
620:
614:
613:
611:
609:
600:. Archived from
589:
583:
582:
580:
578:
569:. Archived from
558:
552:
551:
549:
547:
536:The Disused Yeti
527:
521:
520:
518:
516:
505:The Disused Yeti
496:
490:
489:
471:
465:
464:
462:
460:
448:
442:
435:
429:
422:
416:
409:
403:
396:
390:
384:
305:The Macra Terror
283:The Tenth Planet
270:The Ice Warriors
178:Beverley Sisters
112:Second World War
33:(often known as
21:
931:
930:
926:
925:
924:
922:
921:
920:
866:
865:
849:
836:
834:
825:
812:
809:
799:
797:
783:
782:
778:
768:
766:
757:
756:
752:
742:
740:
726:
725:
721:
711:
709:
700:
699:
695:
685:
683:
674:
673:
669:
659:
657:
648:
647:
643:
633:
631:
622:
621:
617:
607:
605:
591:
590:
586:
576:
574:
560:
559:
555:
545:
543:
529:
528:
524:
514:
512:
498:
497:
493:
486:
473:
472:
468:
458:
456:
450:
449:
445:
436:
432:
423:
419:
410:
406:
397:
393:
385:
381:
377:
357:A for Andromeda
323:The Web of Fear
320:, episode 3 of
229:
210:Charles Chaplin
196:; Ex-president
186:King of Denmark
169:What's My Line?
156:legal certainty
82:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
929:
927:
919:
918:
913:
908:
903:
898:
893:
888:
883:
878:
868:
867:
864:
863:
848:
847:External links
845:
844:
843:
823:
815:Lewisohn, Mark
808:
807:
776:
750:
719:
693:
667:
641:
615:
584:
553:
522:
491:
484:
466:
443:
430:
417:
404:
391:
378:
376:
373:
372:
371:
362:
352:
339:
300:
287:
274:
236:) and, later,
228:
225:
190:King of Norway
152:Copyright Acts
100:Heath Robinson
81:
78:
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
928:
917:
914:
912:
909:
907:
904:
902:
899:
897:
894:
892:
889:
887:
884:
882:
879:
877:
874:
873:
871:
862:
858:
856:
851:
850:
846:
833:
829:
824:
820:
816:
811:
810:
795:
791:
787:
784:Hayes, Alan.
780:
777:
765:
761:
754:
751:
738:
734:
730:
723:
720:
707:
703:
697:
694:
682:
678:
671:
668:
656:
652:
645:
642:
630:. 8 June 2005
629:
625:
619:
616:
603:
599:
595:
588:
585:
572:
568:
564:
557:
554:
541:
537:
533:
526:
523:
510:
506:
502:
495:
492:
487:
485:0-85170-866-8
481:
477:
470:
467:
454:
447:
444:
440:
434:
431:
427:
421:
418:
414:
408:
405:
401:
395:
392:
389:
383:
380:
374:
369:
368:
363:
359:
358:
353:
350:
349:
344:
340:
337:
336:
331:
330:
325:
324:
319:
318:
313:
312:
307:
306:
301:
298:
297:
292:
288:
285:
284:
279:
275:
272:
271:
266:
262:
261:
260:
258:
257:
250:
248:
244:
239:
235:
234:telerecording
226:
224:
222:
217:
215:
211:
207:
203:
199:
195:
191:
187:
183:
179:
175:
171:
170:
164:
159:
157:
153:
149:
145:
141:
137:
131:
129:
123:
121:
117:
113:
109:
105:
101:
93:
92:
86:
79:
77:
75:
73:
67:
62:
60:
56:
52:
48:
44:
40:
36:
32:
19:
854:
835:. Retrieved
831:
818:
798:. Retrieved
794:the original
789:
779:
767:. Retrieved
763:
753:
741:. Retrieved
737:the original
732:
722:
710:. Retrieved
705:
696:
684:. Retrieved
680:
670:
658:. Retrieved
654:
644:
632:. Retrieved
627:
618:
606:. Retrieved
602:the original
597:
587:
575:. Retrieved
571:the original
566:
556:
544:. Retrieved
540:the original
535:
525:
513:. Retrieved
509:the original
504:
494:
475:
469:
457:. Retrieved
446:
438:
433:
425:
420:
412:
407:
399:
394:
387:
382:
367:The Avengers
365:
355:
346:
342:
333:
327:
321:
315:
309:
303:
294:
290:
281:
277:
268:
264:
254:
251:
230:
221:colon cancer
218:
182:Royal Family
167:
160:
150:to have the
132:
124:
106:resumed its
97:
89:
71:
63:
47:South London
38:
34:
30:
29:
712:14 February
686:14 February
660:14 February
202:Earl Attlee
200:of France;
188:; the late
116:demobilised
870:Categories
855:Doctor Who
706:Doctor Who
681:Doctor Who
655:Doctor Who
386:Lewisohn,
375:References
348:Marco Polo
343:Doctor Who
291:Doctor Who
278:Doctor Who
265:Doctor Who
256:Doctor Who
174:Benny Hill
72:Doctor Who
31:Tele-snaps
764:DVD Times
424:Bignell,
411:Bignell,
398:Bignell,
238:videotape
144:Cambridge
128:copyright
118:from the
55:35mm film
39:John Cura
35:telesnaps
18:John Cura
769:18 March
743:18 March
634:18 March
608:18 March
577:18 March
546:20 March
515:20 March
459:22 March
428:, p. 14.
415:, p. 13.
402:, p. 12.
176:and the
74:episodes
859:at the
837:21 July
345:serial
293:serial
280:serial
267:serial
80:History
43:Clapham
800:29 May
482:
212:; Mrs
204:; Sir
198:Auriol
136:Oxford
208:; Mr
70:lost
839:2022
802:2011
771:2007
745:2007
714:2021
688:2021
662:2021
636:2007
610:2007
579:2007
548:2007
517:2007
480:ISBN
461:2007
243:wipe
861:BBC
163:ITV
120:RAF
104:BBC
53:of
872::
830:.
788:.
762:.
731:.
704:.
679:.
653:.
626:.
596:.
565:.
534:.
503:.
249:.
192:;
61:.
45:,
841:.
804:.
773:.
747:.
716:.
690:.
664:.
638:.
612:.
581:.
550:.
519:.
488:.
463:.
441:.
232:(
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
