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Letterhead's History - Ken Burns style

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

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Raymond Chapman
Posts: 345
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 5:50 pm
Location: Temple. Texas

Letterhead's History - Ken Burns style

Post by Raymond Chapman »

In one of my weaker moments I came up with the idea of putting together a video history of the Letterheads. I have a Canon XL2 video camera and Adobe Premier Pro editing software, along with a few other bells and whistles.

As I travel around the country I will be doing interviews with folks in our business, both old timers and new comers. As time will allow I hope to put it all together in a Ken Burns type history of the Letterhead movement.

If you have any old photos or VHS tapes of early meets or just anything that might be of interest to future generations I would appreciate you allowing me to copy them. I can transfer VHS to DVD and can scan photos and combine them with motion. All materials would be returned to you in their original condition along with your materials on a DVD. Please document the materials with as much information as you can.

If you want to video yourself with any comments or reflections that would be great also. I know that there were some VHS tapes of some of the earlier gatherings and it would be extremely helpful to have some of those to copy. We can all see what we looked like thirty years ago.

Thanks in advance for your assistance. This is not a money making project, but just something to pass along once I leave this place.
DAVE SMITH
Posts: 1213
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2004 11:12 am
Location: ENGLAND

Post by DAVE SMITH »

Sounds like a great idea Ray. I have plenty of videos of Rick and Lola at Fine Gold from 1990 onwards and some of Peter Millichamps meet here in the UK back in 95.
When you get 5 minutes end me your address Ray.

Dave
Mike Jackson
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Post by Mike Jackson »

Hi Raymond,
Sounds like a great idea and you sound like the perfect person to pull it off!
Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson / co-administrator
Golden Era Studios
Vintage Ornamental Clip art
Jackson Hole, WY

Photography site:
Teton Images
Jackson Hole photography blog:
Best of the Tetons
Raymond Chapman
Posts: 345
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 5:50 pm
Location: Temple. Texas

Well, duh.

Post by Raymond Chapman »

I guess it would help if you had an address to send this stuff to.

Chapman Design Studio
1907 Ramcon Drive
Temple, TX 76504

Thanks Mike. If I read between the lines very carefully, I can almost see "If he's dumb enough to tackle a job like this".
Mike Jackson
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Post by Mike Jackson »

Raymond, I should have double spaced my earlier comments so anyone could fill in their own "between the lines" comments. It's nice to know you are willing!

Mike
Mike Jackson / co-administrator
Golden Era Studios
Vintage Ornamental Clip art
Jackson Hole, WY

Photography site:
Teton Images
Jackson Hole photography blog:
Best of the Tetons
Doug Bernhardt
Posts: 1077
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 9:29 am
Location: Ottawa Canada
Contact:

Post by Doug Bernhardt »

Ray.....you should get in touch with Tommy Siebert. A great guy and huge letterhead. He has a pile of "video"footage. He must have been at Rick and Lola's a hundred times and have seen large amounts of video footage he took at their and other events over the years. I'm not sure if you have seen this but he was "the Man" behind the camera when Rick was interviewed by Eddie Wieber some years back. A great tour through Fine Gold from that late period.
Raymond Chapman
Posts: 345
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 5:50 pm
Location: Temple. Texas

Post by Raymond Chapman »

Thanks Doug. Do have any contact information on him?
Dan Seese
Posts: 324
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Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Post by Dan Seese »

Raymond,

I just sent you an email with Tom's contact info.

I recall a few years ago that Noel saw Ken Burns in an airport. He introduced himself and described to him the nature of the letterhead movement and the potential for a great documentary, thinking surely he would be ignited with the passion and be ready to take it up as his next project.

Well, apparently Mr. Burns got sidetracked with documenting Jazz and World War 2. Won't he be surprised when he finds that you'll have beat him to the greatest treasure of all - The Letterheads.

Thanks for being . . . well, you can read between the lines.

Dan
Doug Bernhardt
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Location: Ottawa Canada
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Post by Doug Bernhardt »

Hey Guys.....I heard that one from Noel also although my memory was of them sitting together on a plane. I think the response from Ken to Noels suggestion was something like "if I had a nickel for everytime someone suggests a good subject" Maybe Noel will enlighten us although I'm thinking he forgot how to use a computer.
Mike Jackson
Site Admin
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Post by Mike Jackson »

https://handletteringforum.com/forum ... ith+knecht

Steven Vigeant started what he called the Letterhead Inverview Project (LIP) and was making posts here in May of 2007. He seems to have abandoned the project, but maybe not. At any rate, he probably has some good information stored up already.


Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson / co-administrator
Golden Era Studios
Vintage Ornamental Clip art
Jackson Hole, WY

Photography site:
Teton Images
Jackson Hole photography blog:
Best of the Tetons
Raymond Chapman
Posts: 345
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 5:50 pm
Location: Temple. Texas

Lost in Cyberspace?

Post by Raymond Chapman »

Dan...evidently your email did not make it to Texas. I emailed you about the miscommunication, but that must have been lost also.

Can you please email me Tom's contact information again? Thanks.
Steven Vigeant
Posts: 55
Joined: Fri Jun 04, 2004 12:07 am
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In it for the long haul

Post by Steven Vigeant »

I'll never catch up to the Cal Ripkens of the sign world I've read on this post, but I'm excited to hear about the project Ray. I go through long droughts on the boards sometimes, but thankfully Larry clued me into the buzz. I have 20 hours of tapes or so and it's just a beginning. I'm planning on adding to that over time forever. I would be happy to write up a little inventory of what I have. 45 minutes with Gary Anderson etc, which would be a start. I'd be willing to type up some requested parts. I have transcribed the whole Keith Knecht hour that I have which was a blast and I can e-mail that Word file to you, but if you want to come up with some assignments for me over a time, such as doing phone interviews with certain people, or better yet specific shop visits if the time is right. My dream would be to do a couple day tour of the Rockies for example with the tape running 12 hours a day, but the phone is more realistic for now. Or if a certain meet is going to be crawling with lettervets I could plan on being there specifically to get some audio tape or even video I guess.
Count me in. Don't forget that Judi Smith has that list of all the attendees of most of the first meets that is actually kept up to some extent. And there is a ST special 20th anniversary issue that has a very solid chronology of a great number of meets. I could scan that for you if you don't have it.
Thanks, Steve
oatis
Posts: 66
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2004 12:33 am

Post by oatis »

Hey, Raymond!

I will peruse the archives. I know I have a good shot of the first glass gilding meeting, held at Rick Flores' Rustic Sign Studio in Denver ca. winter of 1975, when the club was about one month old. There are any number of significant, (and only mildly embarrassing) pictures in that envelope. Now where is that envelope?

I also have a 1981 video tape from a local Colorado arts program called "Season Ticket" with Letterheads material. Spliced onto THAT tape is also the local Boise news feature filmed at Noel's Studio at the first BBQ--June of '82.

This is an auspicious project: I support you in getting it going!

Mark
Raymond Chapman
Posts: 345
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 5:50 pm
Location: Temple. Texas

Thanks Mark

Post by Raymond Chapman »

Mark, if you could share any of that with me (providing you can find it) it would be greatly appreciated. I can copy whatever you have and return it unharmed.

Pass the word along....if anyone has photos or video of those "early days" I would really like to copy them. I can convert VHS to DVD and will return your tapes along with a copy of your material on a DVD.

This is going to be fun. Hope I live long enough to finish it.
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