Footsteps in the Sand, 1948

During his time at 3YB Warrnambool in the 1940s, Denzil teamed up with local photographer Alex Wilkins and others to produce a film titled “Footsteps in the Sand”. Sound for the 16mm epic was recorded directly onto acetate disc (tape recorders were not yet generally available).

The film, billed as “Warrnambools’s First Feature Film”, was shown at a “Grand Premiere” to an audience of 600 at the Warrnambool Town Hall.

In the upper photo we see Denzil recording the narration. Behind Denzil is Jack Brittain the recording engineer operating the disc recorder, then George Cox on sound effects and Alex Wilkins the cameraman and producer, presumably showing the film while the narration was being recorded. The rack of equipment with multiple knobs drives the disc cutting head.