Stanley Rodwell started in the film business in 1914, at the age of about twelve, apparently as a film changer with the London Film Company. He soon moved to camera work, photographing ‘Judge Not’ (1920) and ‘The Land of Mystery’ (1920). Rodwell left the London Film Company in 1920, and photographed ‘The Money Moon’ (1920) for the Alliance Film Corporation. He joined Screen Plays before the end of the year, still claiming to be ‘perhaps the youngest cameraman in the trade.' In April 1923 ‘Rodwell’ was listed as one of the freelance cameramen who covered the wedding of the Duke of York for ‘THE ROYAL WEDDING’ in Daily Sketch Topical Budget No.609-2. He later joined British Instructional Films, for whom he photographed ‘Palaver’ (1926), ‘Mons’ (1926), ‘The Battles of the Coronel and Falkland Islands’ (1927), ‘Shooting Stars’ (1928), ‘Underground’ (1928), and ‘A Cottage on Dartmoor’ (1930). In 1931 Rodwell went to Gaumont British, and worked on a number of films including Channel Crossing (1933) and Just Smith (1933). In 1934 Rodwell joined the Shell Film Unit. In 1935 he was one of the cameramen on the British Commercial Gas Association’s ‘Dinner Hour’ (1936), and in 1936 he photographed ‘Power Unit’ (1936) and ‘Lubrication of the Petrol Engine’ (1937) for Shell. In July 1955 ‘S. Rodwell’ was credited as cameraman on ‘ALSATIAN DOG SHOW’ for British Movietone News No.1363A.
Sources
Kine Year Book 1921, p.593, ‘Stanley Rodwell’: P. Noble (ed) ‘British Film and Television Year Book 1956/57’ (London, 1956), p.263: R. Low ‘History of the British Film 1918-1929’ (1971): R. Low ‘History of the British Film 1929-1939: Documentary and Educational Films of the 1930s’ (London, 1979): NFTVA, Luke McKernan’s biographical index of Topical Budget staff.