Lookout Mountain Air Force Station
Encyclopedia
The Lookout Mountain Air Force Station (LMAFS) located on Wonderland Avenue, Los Angeles
, California
, provided in-service production of classified motion picture and still photographs to the U.S. Department of Defense
and the Atomic Energy Commission
from 1947-1969.
The 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) facility is built on 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) of land and was originally built in 1941 as a World War II
air defense center to coordinate radar installations. The studio was established in 1947 and its purpose kept secret. The studio consisted of a complete stage, 2 screening rooms, a helicopter landing pad, a bomb shelter and 17 climate controlled film vaults as well as two underground parking garages. With the latest equipment the studio could process both 35 mm
and 16 mm motion pictures
as well as optical prints
and still photographs. The nuclear tests
at Nevada Test Site
were filmed in various formats including CinemaScope
, stereophonic sound
, VistaVision
and 3-D photography
.
worked at the studio in functions such as producers, cameramen and directors. W. Donn Hayes (1893–1973), coiner of the American Cinema Editors (ACE)
title and past president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild
, worked at Lookout Mountain as his last career assignment; he had been in the film and television industries since 1916. Peter G. Kuran worked at Lookout Mountain before going on to an award-winning career involving both directing and visual effects work. In some cases, Kuran has brought footage of atomic tests developed at Lookout Mountain directly to his later work.
Field staff included photographers who were airmen assigned to the USAF 1352d Photographic Squadron, formed out of the 4881st Motion Picture Squadron in 1952. In the mid-1960s, Michael R. Potochick was the group commander.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, provided in-service production of classified motion picture and still photographs to the U.S. Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
and the Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
from 1947-1969.
The 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) facility is built on 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) of land and was originally built in 1941 as a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
air defense center to coordinate radar installations. The studio was established in 1947 and its purpose kept secret. The studio consisted of a complete stage, 2 screening rooms, a helicopter landing pad, a bomb shelter and 17 climate controlled film vaults as well as two underground parking garages. With the latest equipment the studio could process both 35 mm
135 film
The term 135 was introduced by Kodak in 1934 as a designation for cartridge film wide, specifically for still photography. It quickly grew in popularity, surpassing 120 film by the late 1960s to become the most popular photographic film format...
and 16 mm motion pictures
16 mm film
16 mm film refers to a popular, economical gauge of film used for motion pictures and non-theatrical film making. 16 mm refers to the width of the film...
as well as optical prints
Optical printer
An optical printer is a device consisting of one or more film projectors mechanically linked to a movie camera. It allows filmmakers to re-photograph one or more strips of film...
and still photographs. The nuclear tests
Nuclear testing
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness, yield and explosive capability of nuclear weapons. Throughout the twentieth century, most nations that have developed nuclear weapons have tested them...
at Nevada Test Site
Nevada Test Site
The Nevada National Security Site , previously the Nevada Test Site , is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas...
were filmed in various formats including CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
, stereophonic sound
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
, VistaVision
VistaVision
VistaVision is a higher resolution, widescreen variant of the 35mm motion picture film format which was created by engineers at Paramount Pictures in 1954....
and 3-D photography
Stereoscopy
Stereoscopy refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of these 2-D offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of 3-D depth...
.
Personnel
The studio contained staff from many prominent studios alongside its military staff. Civilian personnel from Warner Brothers, Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and RKO PicturesRKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
worked at the studio in functions such as producers, cameramen and directors. W. Donn Hayes (1893–1973), coiner of the American Cinema Editors (ACE)
American Cinema Editors
Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing itself. The society is not to be confused with an industry union, such as the I.A.T.S.E...
title and past president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild
Motion Picture Editors Guild
The Motion Picture Editors Guild is the guild that represents freelance and staff motion picture film and television editors and other post-production professionals and story analysts throughout the United States...
, worked at Lookout Mountain as his last career assignment; he had been in the film and television industries since 1916. Peter G. Kuran worked at Lookout Mountain before going on to an award-winning career involving both directing and visual effects work. In some cases, Kuran has brought footage of atomic tests developed at Lookout Mountain directly to his later work.
Field staff included photographers who were airmen assigned to the USAF 1352d Photographic Squadron, formed out of the 4881st Motion Picture Squadron in 1952. In the mid-1960s, Michael R. Potochick was the group commander.
Films
- A New Look at the H-bomb (H-bomb and Other Smash Hits). Part 1: A New look at the H-bomb; Part 2: Operation Cue; Part 3: United States Civil DefenseUnited States civil defenseUnited States civil defense refers to the use of civil defense in the history of the United States, which is the organized non-military effort to prepare Americans for military attack...
in action; Part 4: Let's face it (produced by United States Air Force Lookout Mountain Laboratory Air Photographic and Charting Service); Part 5: What you should know about biological warfare (produced in cooperation with the Federal Civil Defense Administration). Produced by Reid H. Ray Film Industries, Inc.
- Hollywood's Top Secret Film Studio (Atomic Filmmakers) (VHS) updated and rereleased on DVD in 1999 as Hollywood's Top Secret Film Studio - The Atomic Filmmakers. Directed by Peter Kuran. DVD includes the documentary Atomic Filmakers: Behind The Scenes.
- Trinity and BeyondTrinity and BeyondTrinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie is a 1995 American documentary film directed by Peter Kuran and narrated by William Shatner. Using restored archive footage, the film traces the development of nuclear weapons and their testing, from America's Trinity test of 1945 to the first Chinese...
, (1995) documentary directed by Peter Kuran.
- Nukes In Space (1999). The development of the military intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Directed by Peter Kuran.
- Atomic Journeys: Welcome to Ground Zero (1999). A tour of U.S. atomic test sites in Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Mississippi, and Alaska. Directed by Peter Kuran.
- Nuclear Rescue 911: Broken Arrows & Incidents (2001). Documentary directed by Peter Kuran.
External links
- The Center For Land Use Interpretation. Map coordinates of Lookout Mountain.
- California Literary Review. Peter Kuran. Images from How To Photograph An Atomic Bomb; some images of Lookout Mountain photographers at work
- Department of Energy Factsheet