Matthew J. Allwork Tribute

Cameraman, Managing Director and Rower for Great Britain who was committed to innovation and excellence

MATTHEW ALLWORK, who died on Wednesday March 26 2003 aged 39, was Managing Director of Aerial Camera Systems Ltd (ACS), one of the leading suppliers of specialised facilities in broadcast television and feature film production.

Matthew, a highly renowned aerial cameraman and an operator of gyro-stabilised camera systems at major sporting events around the world, died in a helicopter accident whilst filming the Dubai Endurance Horse Race in the United Arab Emirates.

Matthew Julian Allwork was born on May 23 1963, in Weybridge Surrey, the son of Peter an aerial cinematographer and founder of Aerial Camera Systems and mother Frances, Matthew was the elder brother to Samantha. He was educated at Woburn Hill School, then St. George’s College, Weybridge, Surrey, popular and good humoured he was made Head Day boy and Deputy Head boy and excelled at Cricket and Rowing from an early age. 
  With his Rowing he gained the reputation of being ‘a very confidant winner, even against some well known and tough opposition.’ Easter 1981 Matthew raced at Nottingham at the National Junior Trials and was the first St. George’s oarsman to be selected for the Junior National Squad. Matthew was then selected for the Great Britain team to compete in the World Junior Rowing Championships in Bulgaria. In his last year at St. George’s, Matthew was awarded the S.G.C. Society Prize for contribution to school life.

Matthew went up to the University of London to study Law and soon joined the University of London Boat Club where he rowed at the U23 Internationals and won a silver medal for Great Britain, endorsing the ethos of UL to train hard and play hard. Whilst at the University of London, Matthew had the unique opportunity to join his Father as part of the aerial photography unit on Out of Africa, Matthew enjoyed the experience which proved to a turning point in his life in more ways than one, for after much deliberation he decided to leave University of London and to join his Father permanently at Aerial Camera Systems (ACS). It was also on Out of Africa that Matthew met Suzy Parkinson, a make up assistant on the film, whom he later married.

Matthew not only followed in his Father’s footsteps but he took the ball and ran with it and combining his passion for sport and the technical expertise he had learnt at the company turned to the televising of sport beginning with the Seoul Olympics, followed by the Winter Olympics at Lillehammer where they covered the ice hockey, downhill and cross country skiing.  A true innovator Matthew filmed or devised a way to film almost every competitive sport: football, athletics, cricket, bobsleigh, skiing, horse racing and Formula 1. It was widely known in the film and television industry that Matthew had a ‘never say never’ attitude with regard to the camera and was committed to finding new and exciting ways to move the camera to catch the action at it’s most exciting. In 1990 he took over the running of Aerial Camera Systems (ACS) from his Father.

When Matthew wasn’t working he was never far from a television set, always monitoring any job that ACS were working on and mobile at the ready he was always swift to call should there be a problem or equally to give praise. Matthew was also an avid Arsenal supporter and always enjoyed to go and watch them when they played at home.

Dedicated to his work, Matthew had extraordinary drive,

enormous energy and a genuine  infectious enthusiasm that he put into everything he did. He was a great team builder and handpicked the Management and Operations team that he has developed over recent years to his exceptional and award-winning standards of service and technical ability. Matthew also understood the value of teamwork and it’s importance when working as part of the vast organisation like the Olympics.

When it came to camerawork Matthew  always had a strong clear vision of what he wanted to achieve coupled with his unparalleled sense of anticipation, evidence of his work can be seen in countless commercials such as NIKE - Running Man, Singapore Airlines, P&O Ferries, Disneyland Paris and the Euro 96 Opening Title, television broadcasts, sports programmes and feature films such as View to a Kill, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Having worked with gyrostabilised camera systems since they were introduced in the mid eighties, Matthew had an indepth knowledge of what could be achieved with these camera systems, that coupled with an acute eye for composition and experience in flying, in knowing exactly where to position the helicopter to achieve the desired shot made Matthew unique, where the movement of the helicopter and the movement of the camera became one.

Matthew revolutionised the way racing is televised, he wanted to bring the punter closer to the race than had ever been imagined and with the use of a gyro-stabilised camera fixed to the top of a camera tracking vehicle, the airship and most recently the tethered blimp he achieved it. Channel 4 Racing’s Executive Producer Andrew Franklin speaking at the funeral said that ‘Matthew had invented the Jockeycam for them, a small camera mounted inside a Jockey’s hat, and if he’d have been let loose on ‘Song’s of Praise’ it wouldn’t have been long before Matthew would have come up with the ‘Priestcam’!’

Matthew had an tremendous sense of humour and made many friends and colleagues around the world and amongst his many awards were Emmy's for the Sydney 2000 Olympics and for the Janet Jackson Special - Janet: The Velvet Rope in Madison Square Garden and the Royal Television Society Award for product innovation in televised sport Wirecam for Channel 4 Racing at Cheltenham and the BAFTA received by Channel 4 for its coverage of the Epsom Derby 1998.

A devout Roman Catholic, whose faith was a haven to him in the stress filled world of film and television, Matthew’s funeral was held with full requiem mass on Thursday April 10th at St. George's College Chapel, Weybridge.

In 1990 Matthew Allwork married Suzy Parkinson. She survives him with their young son and daughter.