I am sorry to inform you that Alan Lake died yesterday morning at 7.30 am in hospital at Barraba in western NSW.
Alan was born in 1934 in Sydney, New South Wales. He was an editor and production manager, known for BMX Bandits (1983), Turkey Shoot (1982) and Dead End Drive-In (1986).
I first met Alan at Supreme Sound Studios in 1961 where I gained the position of Optical Effects printer, taking over from Mike Thornhill. Alan was in charge of the Editing at Supreme and ran it with strict control like a battle ship commander. He worked with some of the guys from the Shell film unit like Max Lemon and Tim Wellburn.
The next time I met Alan was in 1978 when he had started Film Production Services (FPS) and was making heaps of great Australian films. He introduced me to Nicole Kidman, a kid in BMX Bandits directed by Brian Trenchant Smith. He was a great luncheon buddy of Johnny Leake.
I sold him Kem editing machines for Billy Anderson to use on Peter Weir’s productions which were edited at FPS. One of his up and coming editors in those days was Lee Smith, who has gone on to such success as an editor on Hollywood features.
In the later years after closing FPS he edited films for my company, Filmwest in Singapore and Australia.
I filmed his wedding to Dorothea and it was grand occasion with guys like Lee Smith and other well-known filmmakers.
Allan was a great supporter of the Australian film industry and he proposed me for membership and urged me to join the Cinema Pioneers, which I did.
I last saw Alan at his 70th birthday party in Barraba and spoke to him just before Christmas of the same year.
I was informed of Alan’s passing by his young brother John Lake formerly of Atlab fame who was equally a good mate. I didn’t know they were brothers for long time.
Jon Noble ACS
