User:Mharrison98/sandbox

Martin Hill

Martin Hill is a former camera man who collects antique cameras, reels, and other various equipment. He once worked behind the camera, but decided that he would better at selling them than using them. At one point he owned the Panavision PSR 35mm that George Lucas used to film the first "Star Wars" movie with, which eventually sold for over $600,000. His collection even included cameras that filmed blockbusters such as "Gone With the Wind," "The Grapes of Wrath," and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." He also once owned the camera used for most of Charlie Chaplin's movies.

EARLY LIFE

Martin Hill got his start over fifty years ago. After he got out of the army, he and his wife, Patsy, moved into her mother's house, which was only 900 square feet. He began dealing in army surplus. Once day, he scraped together every penny they had and bought a literal ton of gun parts for $200. He cataloged and sorted all the pieces, over 36,000, and sold them to dealers. He turned a $200 investment in a $4000 one.

Hill and his childhood friend, Harry Joyner, a cinematographer in Charlotte, NC, made amateur 8mm films when they were young. In 1971, they shot a 35mm film called "Body Shop." Hill believes it was the first 35mm film shot and produced in Charlotte. The film may still be found in obscure video stores, with the name of "Dr. Gore."

COLLECTION

Soon enough, Hill was fascinated with cameras and cinematography. In 1972 he bought half of a Fort Mill, SC bowling alley to store his collection in. The other half is currently in Charlotte, NC acting a game room for Goony Golf.

The former bowling alley is messy and unorganized from the sheer amount of stuff that has been collected over the years. An old baby grand piano sits in the warehouse as well, along with film reels, random parts, lenses, tripods, and other assorted film odds and ends.

His collection includes a VistaVision camera from "The Ten Commandments," among others, most of which have "scrap" stamped on their side. Hill wants to preserve Hollywood's history, but has little support for this effort. His family and him are working with museums and studios to try and raise awareness about preserving these historical artifacts.

Hill calls the cameras "monuments to my folly," his folly being his love of movies and movie making. “You become attached to the meaning of a film, and that carries over to the camera (that made it),” says Hill. “They have historical significance, but I bought them for my enjoyment.” His favorite is the Twentieth Century Fox camera used for the Oscar-winner "How Green Was My Valley."

Over the years he has collected hundreds of cameras, but sells very few. He jokes, “It’s a sickness, a disease. On my deathbed, I’ll still be buying junk, fully aware I’ll never sell it all.”

DOCUMENTARY IN PROGRESS

Greyhawk Films, a Charlotte film and production company, are currently in the process of completing a documentary on Martin Hill. Hock and Disher, who work for Greyhawk Films, visited Hill and immediately thought his story would make a great documentary.

They began a kickstarter to raise the $6,000 necessary to complete the documentary. They reached their goal on August 21, 2011 with help from the historian Leonard Maltin who blogged about their documentary. He wrote: Would you like to see the brushes Leonardo Da Vinci used to paint the Mona Lisa, or the chisel Rodin employed to carve The Thinker? Think of these cameras in the same way, and you’ll understand why they have artistic as well as historic value.

The documentary depicts, among other things, Hill's long-time friend Mark Mervis (a professional cinematographer) cranking up and running film through the "treasure" of his camera collection a 1920's camera that Charlie Chaplin used to film most of his silent movies. Hill and his family entered the camera at an auction sponsored by Debbie Reynolds.

The documentary has had several screenings, but has not been released yet due to copyright issues.

CURRENT SITUATION

On July 3rd, 2012, Hill suffered from a stroke that paralyzed half of his body. The 78 year-old is currently living in a Harrisburg rehab center. The fate of his collection is unknown.

Sources: http://www.modernfilmfest.net/news/martin-hill-camera-man-tells-story-midland-nc-movie-camera-collector http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-dfm5k358E https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/emulsionarts/martin-hill-preserving-hollywood-history