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Looking for Photographs and Films of Birmingham in 30s-70s for a Short Film

B

BLISSJG

New Member
Hello,

My partner and I are working on a short film about the Midlands Arts Centre for their 60th Anniversary. We don't have much budget to play with, so we're struggling to get archive without paying hundreds of pounds in licensing fees.

I have looked through your forums and I see you really like sharing images! Unfortunately I can't go through these and pick images out for use, as I need to be 100% sure that the copyright belongs to the individual who has supplied these, so they can give express permission for use and be credited in the film.

I would really appreciate it if people who have collections of images and video, taken by themselves or their families, could offer to help me out. I'm still working on a rough cut at the moment, but once I have finished the narrative, I should be able to provide a description of images and film I am looking for. Some examples of descriptions - Hockley in 1930s/40s, back-to-backs, Balsall Heath, the MAC.

Do let me know if you have any memories of the MAC too!

Thank you so much for your help - I hope we will be able to put together a list within a week or two, and I will post it on this thread.
 
I have memories of MAC's dance classes in the 1980s. There was a wonderful teacher who later went to work at the university (she was doing an MA there while teaching us). I have never found a better teacher. During one of her classes, Wayne Sleep, who was appearing in something at the Hippodrome, walked through at the back. Of course we couldn't see as we were facing the front, but she practically fainted!
 
I remember the MAC first from going to music events they had in the outside arena back in the late 60's and 70's mainly Midland's bands.
John Peel was there one time comparing, it looked as if it was going to rain that afternoon so he said to us that everyone should 'think positively' .... it worked, the sun came out :grinning:

I've been to plays outside too, the arena was not the most comfortable of places to sit!
I used to go to the cinema there too - a good place to see films that were not on at the mainstream cinemas.
In the 90's I also worked in the MAC art department occasionally on a casual basis.

Great place, I'm sure if I hadn't moved to London I would still be going there.
 
If you go to https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/birmingham-1969-73.23229/ , this thread is of photos I took of birmingham around the 1970s, though exact dates are not available. As long as the images are properly credited to me (unlike the BBC who was happy to recently use some of my images of spaghetti junction without accrediting them !!) . You are welcome to use any for your project. They include Balsall Heath
 
MAC was a real boost to the Birmingham Arts scene. I watched the Arena Theatre being constructed by European volunteers as a 60s child. As an amateur I performed bit parts in Shakespeare there with MDCC, a Moseley Drama Group. Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth being highlights. We put on productions in the studio theatre inside. Performing outside was always a gamble with the weather. I did a figurative sculpture life class from models using clay, plaster of Paris and also cast my own life mask breathing through straws up my nose. A chap in the group got a job with a stone mason enabling him to carve marble. A great experience for me in exploring the arts and I could see how things were made. MAC then was focussed on children and young people.
 
I think most of my photos will be too "late" for you - although some are from the 70's - particularly those of Snow Hill Station, Newtown and some of the Jewellery Quarter. If they are of any use you are very welcome to use any of the photos I have posted so long as they are credited.
 
Hello BLISSJG. I expect you've already been in touch with Highbury Little Theatre in Sheffield Road, Sutton Coldfield but if not, John English and his wife, Mollie, were instrumental in setting up the MAC so maybe the theatre has something that would be of use to you. Steve Bowyer was the chairman up until Covid struck (haven't been since) but I've always found him extremely helpful.
 
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