Content processing business re:fine has collaborated with production company Nitrate Films to unlock unseen footage of the last ever UK Sex Pistol’s gig. The material, from the 1977 Huddersfield gig, will form part of the documentary Christmas with the Pistols, produced by Nitrate Films, to be shown on Boxing Day on BBC4.
re:fine encoded and restored the unseen content from D2 and Betacam SP tape to the highest quality file possible, ready for use in the edit. The documentary is now in the final stages of quality control at re:fine prior to delivery to the BBC. Auteur director Julien Temple will present a look at the traditions and transgressions of Christmas, including footage of the Sex Pistols celebrating Christmas at their last gig in England on Christmas Day 1977.
“We have worked with re:fine for a number of years now, on past projects like Oil City Confidential and Glastopia,” said Temple. “I am pleased to say their involvement has grown on each production, from services such as mastering, quality control and duplication through to DVD authoring and re-versioning. On Never Mind the Baubles, we are using re:fine for all technical services including editing and mastering of our independent production for delivery to the BBC.”
The audience at The Sex Pistols’ benefit gig included a group of striking firefighters’ children, and Temple shows the band cutting a Christmas cake and handing out presents to the group. Archive footage reveals how the UK experienced Christmas in the seventies, while interviews with each band member recalls the zeitgeist and the concert itself.
Chris Parry, sales director at re:fine added: “We have enjoyed a great relationship with Nitrate Films over the years and worked with them on many stand out titles. It was a real privilege to be the first to see and preserve this unseen Sex Pistols footage and help Julien to deliver another fascinating documentary.”
www.refine-group.com
