Day 119 - 02 May 95 - Page 10

     
     1        Someone can look later if they want.
     2
     3   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, now that we know who the managers at the
     4        two stores were at the time of the film, we can find out
     5        the dates when the lady was there, I expect.
     6
     7   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That is what you wanted shown at this stage,
     8        was it?
     9
    10   MR. MORRIS:  Yes, thank you.
    11
    12                   (The video recording concluded)
    13
    14   MR. MORRIS (To the witness):  Mr. Nicholson, were you aware of
    15        that film being made at the time it was made, that it was
    16        being made with McDonald's co-operation?
    17        A.  I knew that a film was being made.  I was never
    18        involved in it, but I knew that a film was being made with
    19        our help and co-operation, yes.
    20
    Q.   The scenes that were shot inside the stores ---
    22        A.  Yes.
    23
    24   Q.   -- the Strand and Croydon stores, in general, were they
    25        accurate scenes?  First of all, were they accurate?  They
    26        were not faked?  Did they ring true to you as ----
    27        A.  Let me give you my honest reaction when the film first
    28        started.  I thought that it had been speeded up a little
    29        behind the counter; I really did.  I have worked in
    30        Croydon.  I have asked to work in Croydon as part of my
    31        development at McDonald's because it was, arguably, the
    32        busiest store, the Strand and Croydon, arguably, the
    33        busiest stores in the country.
    34
    35        Those shots that you saw where the people were rushing
    36        about, were crowded in, were clearly taken at lunch time,
    37        and the maker of the film has switched from breakfast
    38        programme to lunch-time, back to breakfast programme to
    39        late in the evening.  It is not -- there is no continuity
    40        there.  This was one shot where Almas Antennah was handling
         fruit pies in the middle of a scene showing a breakfast
    42        programme.  We do not sell food products in the breakfast
    43        programme.  So, the picture was jumbled.
    44
    45        That is my honest reaction, but I will say this, they are
    46        very, very busy stores.  I went there for four days,
    47        attempted to work on the grill and at the request of the
    48        crew people was moved into the lobby because I was slowing
    49        things up.  It really is a very fast store.  Adrenalin
    50        flows and, in my opinion, the crew enjoy themselves.  That 
    51        is the way they like working, but that is not typical of a 
    52        McDonald's restaurant. 
    53
    54        An average restaurant will be much, much slower and much,
    55        much more controlled.  Very, very few restaurants have the
    56        communications equipment.  That is simply because of the
    57        size of the store and the tremendous volume that it has.
    58
    59   Q.   But, as far as those two stores are concerned, apart from
    60        your concern that the opening shot may have possibly been