Founder Derek Simmonds

Derann Vaults

A Derann Story

  • Introduction

    Introduction

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    by

    Ged Jones

    I’m so pleased (and proud), to welcome you to the Derann Vaults website! Following the loss of my  Facebook group of the same name I was very lucky to receive the offer of a website from good friend and ally Eivind Mork. So here after many months of hard work from Eivind and limited input…

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  • Radio

    Radio

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    by

    Ged Jones

    Even as far back as early as 1977 Derek was always finding new ways to promote Derann and in doing so he established its name in the minds of the people of Wolverhampton and Dudley. There was an large annual weekend fete that was held in Wolverhampton’s West Park and Derann was there selling film…

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  • Kays

    Kays

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    by

    Ged Jones

    Here’s a post that came into existence due to a small jog of my memory cells, this time in the form of an advert for one of many new online mail-order catalogues that seem to be appearing in adverts on the TV. It’s something that probably only a handful will know about, unless they had…

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  • Sound

    Sound

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    by

    Ged Jones

    In March, 1978 my Father passed away. He’d survived a number of heart attacks during his final 15 years, and then one came along and just snuffed out his life. He had been a difficult man, with a violent temper and we hadn’t seen eye to eye on many issues, (if any), but he’d mellowed…

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  • Data

    Data

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    by

    Ged Jones

    Post #31 in this series outlined the printing of lists, newsletters etc and I stated that I didn’t recall a newsletter. However some deep thought, my memory has at last turned up the following facts. There was indeed a newsletter, although it wasn’t monthly and we had to record names and addresses with a typewriter.…

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  • Pazuzu

    Pazuzu

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    by

    Ged Jones

    Following my meeting with Derek on the Talbot Hotel carpark in 1974, it took several months of dropping into the shop at 171 Stourbridge Road and the increasingly regular visits to his home where Anne and his two lads would make me feel like one of the family, before I noticed that both Derek and…

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  • Lost – Part 2

    Lost – Part 2

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    by

    Ged Jones

    Many of you may have checked your bank balances on seeing many of the new titles that have appeared in the Derann sales catalogues over the years and from time to time there have been occasions where some titles have just never materialized on our shelves. However the one that most customers recall is the…

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  • Labs – Part 1

    Labs – Part 1

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    by

    Ged Jones

    Let me try to recall the production of a film in the early days of Derann. In 1976 Derann was printing in both Standard 8 and Super 8, with production of standard 8mm terminated by 1977/8. Most of our films were printed at Filmatic, a laboratory that had a reputation for variable colour and quality.…

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  • Mouse

    Mouse

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    by

    Ged Jones

    OK so this doesn’t sound much like my usual Derann posts, but It’s Christmas and if you’ll bear with me for a few minutes you’ll understand. As you know Derek and I made regular trips down to London where we’d head to Wardour Street, Dean Street, Brewer Street, Golden Square and the surrounding area. It…

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  • Nearly

    Nearly

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    by

    Ged Jones

    During the initial meetings with Ken Troy, our contact at EMI, gave us a number of 16mm rental catalogues and reams of photocopied lists to take away and go through in our own time, in order to make a list of possible titles for release on Super 8. As many of you are aware that…

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