Engineer Bill Vinten, the son of William Vinten who founded the eponymous camera support equipment firm, passed away on Sunday 8 November.

Vinten, who was born in 1920, worked as a cinematographer during World War II with the Royal Navy Film Unit.

Following the war, Vinten joined at J Arthur Rank’s Gate Studios before returning to the family firm.

While at Vinten he was responsible for designing the first camera pedestal that allowed a cameramen to track and jib simultaneously without losing sight of the viewfinder.

He also designed the Vinten MKIII. Launched in 1958, it was the first pan and tilt head to meet the BBC’s specifications for manoeuvrability.

Recalling the MKIII’s launch, Vinten later said: “The moment I knew this was a breakthrough came when Marconi stopped work on their own pan and tilt head.

“They had already spent large amounts of time and money developing a torque-bar head, but I took the prototype MKIII to them and the research director said to the mechanical designer, ‘well, you can forget that one’.”

By the time the company was successfully floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1972 Vinten held the role of future projects director. 

He worked for the company for more than 40 years, retiring from executive duties to became a non-executive director in 1982, a position he retained until 1992. 

Bill Vinten interview

“Bill’s incredible dedication to our business spanned a long life of service that continued well beyond retirement,” said Vitec Group chief executive Stephen Bird.

“The Vinten name remains one of the most respected in the camera support industry with over 240,000 units in circulation. We are truly indebted to this remarkable and lovely man.”

In 2010, the Guild of Television Cameramen (GTC) gave Vinten its TICA award for fostering and improving the art and craft of the professional television cameraman.

At the time, GTC chairman Graeme McAlpine praised Vinten’s “innovative products” which he said had “undoubtedly changed the world of broadcasting. The family and the company have provided cameras and cameramen with 100 fantastic years of support”.

Vinten’s burial will be a private family affair, with a more public celebration of his life planned for December. 

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