Moving History - a guide to UK film and television archives in the public sector

Scottish Screen Archive - The Collection

The Scottish Screen Archive holds over 20,000 film and video items, mainly non-fiction, comprising documentary, newsreel, short films, educational, advertising and promotional films, amateur, professional and television broadcast productions. The collection covers and illustrates all aspects of Scottish social history and reflects ways in which Scotland and her people have been portrayed in film since 1896, both by indigenous and visiting film makers and more recently by the broadcasting sector and burgeoning Scottish film industry. In addition the archive collects written and photographic materials relating to the development of cinema exhibition and film production in Scotland since the turn of the twentieth century along with publicity materials and ephemera related to film in Scotland.

Places

The archive contains film from all over mainland Scotland and the Scottish islands. Areas of Scotland that feature strongly in the collection include films of West Central Scotland and its industrial heartland, such as Glasgow and the Clyde area, and the cluster of counties around Glasgow including Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. Also featured well in the collection are areas around Dundee, Aberdeen, the Western Isles and St Kilda. Geographically, the collection presents two contrasting images of Scotland, the rural and remote communities and the industrial and inner city life. The archive tends to have more material on the urban and industrial landscapes of Scotland but still has a strong and important collection of films of the rural and remote areas of Scotland. The archive also has a small collection of mostly amateur travel films featuring other parts of the world.

Film from the Scottish islands of the Hebrides, Shetland, and Orkney feature well in the collection and tourism and travel promotional films have highlighted the natural beauty of the Scottish islands.

'St Kilda, Britain's Loneliest Isle' (1920s)
captures rare footage of the people of this remote community. Amateurs film makers later recorded the preparation for the island's evacuation in 1930
'Over the Sea to Skye' (1961)
sponsored by the Sky Tourist Association the film follows a hiker travelling through Skye
'lona, Dove Across the Water' (1982)
the last film produced by the Films of Scotland Committee, was a tribute to the tranquillity of island life

Subjects and periods

Films in the Scottish Screen Archive collection touch on every sphere of Scottish life and strongly feature images of industrial and urban Scotland, rural and island life, images of the landscape and architecture, issues of housing and education, family and community living, municipal, political and corporate perspectives, and changing patterns of work and leisure. The collection covers key moments in Scottish history from the birth of cinema through world wars to the present day, though the bulk of the collection dates from around the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The archive holds films commissioned or made by local authorities, film production companies, educational and charitable organisations, corporate bodies, amateur film makers and groups. Sponsored films made for corporate, governmental and other organisations form the major part of the collection. Some highlights and examples from the collection include:

Early film and cinema - The archive has a small collection of important film material from the turn of the twentieth century, capturing moments in Scottish political, scientific and public history through images made in the earliest days of film and cinema.

'The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots' (1895)
the archive has recently acquired a copy of this Edison film dramatising the execution of Mary Queen of Scots. This film represents the first ever portrayal of Scotland on film
'X-Ray Experiments' (1896)
the earliest film held in the collection made in Scotland. Filmed by Dr John Macintyre at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, showing his early experiments in X-ray photography
'Queen Victoria at Balmoral' (1896)
rare film of Queen Victoria at Balmoral
'The Gordon Highlanders' (1899)
film of the regiment as it departed Aberdeen en route for the Boer War

War-time - The earliest film in the archive relating to war time shows the Gordon Highlanders departing Aberdeen, shortly afterward to be despatched to the Boer War in 1899. The collection also holds some film dating from the First World War including film of army training camps, prisoners of war returning to Scotland and the unveiling of war memorials. The archive's collection relating to the Second World War includes films, many in colour, that illustrate the civilian and home front experience in wartime in the 1940s. These include civil defence, municipal films, and amateur footage on issues such as making do with rations the women's land army, and arms manufacture. Ministry of Information propaganda films promoting Scottish industry and services, and encouraging good health and the war effort are also held in the collection. Other military related activities on film held in the collection include for example passing out parades, troop displays in Edinburgh for the tourists, and film of the territorial army in the 1930s.

'ARP: A Reminder for Peace' (1939/40)
amateur film by Frank Marshall illustrating the impact of the war on his family
'Power for the Highlands', and 'Highland Doctor' both from 1943
propaganda films from the Ministry of Information

Rural life - Agriculture, fishing and rural industries constitute a major element of Scottish working life and are strongly represented in films in the collection. The archive includes material on fishing and farming ranging from commercial practices to small scale subsistence, as well as illustrating the rural life and landscape of Scotland. The collection holds amateur, government sponsored and documentary film from around the Scottish mainland and islands and includes many films which illustrate traditional skills, techniques and crafts used by croft farmers and fishermen such as sheep farming, peat cutting, fishing for herring, thatching, spinning, and tweed making. Many such films feature a way of life and work that has all but disappeared.

'The Rugged Island' (1933)
this Jenny Gilbertson film features crofters and fishermen on Shetland
'Fishing Fleet' (1940)
this amateur film illustrates a day in the life of the Lossiemouth herring fleet
'Western Isles' (1942)
made by the British Council includes footage of the making of Harris tweed
'Eriskay - a poem of remote lives' (1935)
an amateur film showing island crofting life, tweed making practices and other rural skills

Work and industry - The history of industries that have been key to the development of Scotland are illustrated in many films in the archive. These films include documentaries, commercial films, advertising and other items on the heavy industries such as ship building on the Clyde in its heyday and in decline, iron and steel production, the development of the oil industry in the North Sea, locomotive manufacturing in the heart of the industry in Glasgow, coal and mining, machinery manufacturing, and other engineering, manufacturing, and commercial enterprises in Scotland.

'Birth of a Sewing Machine' (1934)
made by Singer Sewing Machine co. following the production line
'World of Steel' and 'Romance of Engineering' (both 1938)
both made for the 1938 Empire Exhibition promoting Scottish industry
'Seawards the Great Ships' (1960)
film about the flourishing ship building industry on the Clyde

Home, family and communities - Amateur films within the archive's collection provide a unique insight into family, home and community life in Scotland through the filming of everyday life, activities and special events. Family footage features celebrations such as birthdays and weddings or feature holidays and outings. Other kinds of films in the archive collection illustrate aspects of family and community life, such as educational and propaganda films illustrating the domestic ideal or different perspectives on community life in both rural and urban contexts.

'At Marywell From Harvest to Tatties' (1956/7)
a woman's home movie of her family's first year of occupancy on an Aberdeenshire farm
'A day in the Home' (1951)
a domestic science film promoting household health and cleanliness through stereotyped images of the perfect home
'Let Glasgow Flourish' (1950s)
the Dawn Cine Group's film portrays inner city community issues in a more critical light
'Clyde Film' (1980s)
Glasgow youths reflect on life in a run down housing community

Recent material - The archive's most recent material features the Gaelic language television collection which is regularly deposited with the archive through an agreement with the Gaelic Broadcasting Committee (CCG). The archive also automatically receives any commercially produced Scottish based film that has received lottery funding. The archive is currently stepping up its proactive collecting activities and although it does not currently commission new material, it does encourage film makers to continue to record images of Scottish national importance for posterity. For example the archive in 2002 approached local cine clubs about recording the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations in Scotland.

Production types

The Scottish Screen Archive holds material produced from many kinds of film-making sources and made for many different purposes. Examples of production types in the archive include amongst others; amateur films, films sponsored by government and corporate bodies, newsreel and local topical films made to bring news and local stories to the public before the age of television, educational films for schools, fiction films for entertainment as well as television news and programmes.

Amateur film - The archive holds many films from what was a thriving amateur film making community in Scotland. The Scottish Amateur Film Festival provided a showcase for amateur film production in Scotland from the 1930s to the 1980s, and the Scottish Association of Amateur Cinematographers formed an umbrella group for a number of Scottish cine film enthusiast clubs. These groups made an extraordinary variety of fiction, documentary and political films. In addition, many amateur film makers pursued their hobby outside the formal structures of the Association, filming family holidays, the workplace, trips abroad and special occasions.

'Scotland Salutes the Queen' (1953)
in 1953 Scottish cine club members pooled resources to film the Queen's first post Coronation visit to Scotland producing a 93 minute film of the celebrations
'Scotland's Last Tram' (1962)
amateur film recorded in Glasgow for posterity the last tram journey in Scotland
'The Coming of the Camerons' (1944)
a film about a female postwoman receiving trousers as part of her uniform, by award winning amateur film maker Frank Marshall
'A Cragsman's Day' (1946)
about Rock climbing on the "Cobbler", this film was awarded first prize in the 1948 Scottish Amateur Film Festival
'Glasgow May Day' (1937)
this footage made by amateur film makers 'Glasgow Clarion Club Film Society' in the 30s, follows a march for 'fallen comrades' in the Spanish Civil War

Sponsored films - Sponsored films form the majority of items in the archive's collection. These consist of films commissioned by government departments and local councils, as well as private companies and organisations and made by film production companies such as the Films of Scotland Committee and Scottish Film Productions who later became Thames and Clyde productions. The Films Of Scotland Committee was set up in 1937 and commissioned by the Scottish Office to produce a series of films portraying a modern Scotland at the Empire Exhibition in Glasgow in 1938. The Committee went on to make over 160 films on Scottish subjects encouraged by government and funded by a variety of public and private sponsors. (For further details see the Scottish Film Monograph 'To Speak Its Pride the work of the Films of Scotland Committee 1938 - 1982' published by the Scottish Film Council 1996.) Scottish local authorities sponsored film productions to promote local services in public health, child welfare, housing and education, the earliest dating from the 1920s. Glasgow Corporation also commissioned a number of films from the 30s to the 70s and covered issues such as the re-development of Glasgow.

'The Face of Scotland' (1938)
one of the films commissioned by the Films of Scotland Committee for the Empire Exhibition in 1938, promoting aspects of Scottish life, industry, history and landscape
'Travelpass, Its Just The Ticket' (1970s)
the Highland and Islands Development Board commissioned this promotional film in the 70s, entertainingly advertising the joys of using an all Scotland travelpass
'Men and Women of Tomorrow' (1925), 'Standing At the Gate' (1942) and 'Our Three R's' (1961)
all films commissioned by Scottish local authorities promoting their educational services
'Progress Report No.2' (1948)
Glasgow Corporation commissioned a number of post war 'Progress Report' films promoting its housing development work

Corporate and promotional films - The manufacturing, retail and service trades commissioned Scottish production units to make promotional films for cinema screening and training films for their own staff. Films in the collection include companies in the butchery trade, metal products industry, newspaper business, light bulb manufacturers, retail firms and a local laundry firm amongst many others.

'Dundee Courier: Production of a Great Daily Newspaper' (1911)
film following the newspaper production from reporting and editing to printing
'Out for Value' (1931)
lsaac Benzie's department store of Aberdeen commissioned this story of a family day out in the store
'Story of a Shabby Suit' (1931)
promotional film showing how a suit can be revitalised at Glasgow's Castlebank Laundry
'Counter Courtesy' (1947)
the Scottish Co-Operative Wholesale Society ran a library of staff training, product advertising and promotional films from their Glasgow headquarters dating from 1927 to 1969. Counter Courtesy shows how to be a model counter assistant

Newsreel and local topical films - Many early film production companies and cinema owners made local 'topical' films or newsreels of events and local scenes around the turn of the twentieth century and in the first few decades. The majority of such films in the archive range from the 1920s and 1930s although there are a few that carry through up to the 1960s. Popular topics for cinema owner's films were gala days, sports meetings, outings and in the aftermath of the Great War unveiling of war memorials. Shown a few days later in the local picture house these 'topicals' would draw in audiences eager to see if they could spot themselves on screen. The Archive has over three hundred of this type of film, dating from around 1912. Some local events such as the 'crowning of the herring queen', the 'Riding of the Marches' and other festivals and galas were filmed year after year.

'Lochgelly OAP's Outing' (1928)
annual charabanc outing for local elderly residents in the village
'A Glimpse of the Camperdown Works, Dundee' (1912)
film of workers leaving the Camperdown Jute Mill in Dundee
'Paisley Children's Happy Hunting Ground' (1929)
this film of the audience of children queuing for the cinema was commissioned by the proprietor of the New Alex Cinema in Paisley to promote the arrival of the first 'talkie'
'Dumfries Guid Nychburris Day' (filmed annually from 1932 up to 1959)

Educational films - The production of films for classroom teaching flourished in Scotland from the 1930s onward. The Scottish Central Film Library distributed educational films from 1939 up to 1995. The Scottish Educational Film Association which later became Educational Films of Scotland produced titles for teaching across the spectrum of the curriculum. Educational film production units also included Campbell Harper and Scottish Films who generally produced film in Scotland for the Scottish market, and Elder-Dalrymple Films who sold films for UK wide distribution.

'Village Blacksmith' (1956) and 'Charles Rennie Mackintosh' (1965)
both made by the Scottish Educational Film Association
'Cape to Cairo' films (1937 to 1939)
Elder-Dalrymple Films undertook a Cape to Cairo expedition in 1937 making a series of short educational films about African village life, the animal population and the geography of the continent

Fiction - At present the Archive's collection covers mainly non-fiction film but does hold a good collection of fiction film made by Scottish amateur film makers as well as in recent years receiving prints of any new Scottish based Lottery funded features. To view contemporary Scottish and Scottish themed television and feature film productions a video library is available separately from the Scottish Screen Information department. Fiction from the amateur and independent sector in Scotland is however, well represented in the Scottish Screen Archive collection. The Scottish Amateur Film Festival showcased many amateur fiction films from individuals and cine groups.

'Hair' (1933)
an epic fiction film by the amateur group 'The Meteor Film Producing Society'
'Chick's Day' (1950)
Fiction film by the Scottish avant-garde amateur cinematographer Enrico Cocozza
'Race to Nowhere' (1967)
espionage and adventure as an atomic reactor blows up
'29 Seconds to Zero' (1978) and 'The Loch Ness Monster Movie' (1984)
both films by Ian Rintoul with imaginative use of special effects.

Television - Television collections held by the archive include material from Grampian and Scottish TV, and also incorporates Gaelic language broadcasts, dating from 1993. The Grampian collection mainly dates from the 60s to the 80s, the Scottish TV collection includes a variety of films from different dates and includes local news, current affairs, sport and some light entertainment programmes. There are currently no viewing copies for the TV collection and due to copyright restrictions there is very limited access to the TV material at this time. The contemporary Gaelic broadcasts collection however, includes over 2000 titles at present and all are accessible to researchers wishing to view these. There are subtitles in English on some of the tapes in the collection but not all. These tapes cover issues such as Scottish music and folklore, current affairs, religion and the arts as well as featuring the language itself.

Key film-makers

Jenny Gilbertson was a pioneering woman film maker who became a leading figure in documentary film within Scotland. Encouraged by eminent documentary film maker John Grierson, Jenny Gilbertson made several films chronicling the daily lives of the Shetlanders in the 30s and 60s, tackling issues such as emigration, working the land and wildlife including 'Rugged Island' (1933)
Enrico Cocozza represents an important amateur film maker for the collection. Cocozza was an Italian Scot who made surreal films on an amateur basis but always had aspirations to become an 'auteur'. His films were made to a very high standard despite using basic equipment and amateur actors from his home town of Wishaw including 'Chick's Day' (1950).
Frank Marshall was a prolific amateur film maker who made over 80 films and like Cocozza won several awards at the Scottish Amateur Film Festival. He made family films and built stories around them, filmed travelogues, fiction, animation films, comedy and documentary films. He filmed to an exceptionally high standard using good editing and production skills. During world war two he also made films for the government war effort. His films include 'The Coming of the Camerons' (1944).

Other film makers of significance to the collection include:

Bill Forsyth, the director of 'Gregory's Girl' who made documentary films before his rise to fame
Paul Robello, Scotland's first cameraman who made films in 1897 in Aberdeen. He made some of the earliest surviving films in Scotland including the early newsreel style film of St Kilda made in 1920.
Margaret Tait who described herself as a 'film poet' and worked in the media of film to convey her poetic imagination and created art through techniques such as painting directly onto film stock.

Other related collections

Alongside the moving image collection, the archive holds a significant collection of other material related to the film production industry and cinema exhibition sector in Scotland since 1896. These special collections include oral history interviews, cinema memorabilia, photographs and stills, ephemera, publicity materials, scripts, posters and administrative and business records.

Collections relating to film production in Scotland include the materials from companies such as Scottish Film Productions/Thames & Clyde Films from 1933 to 1963, Films of Scotland from 1954 to 1982, and the Dawn Cine Group from 1953 to 1957.
The archive holds a collection of papers and documents relating to the film careers of documentary film makers Donald Alexander and Budge Cooper which represents a key reference source for academics researching in this area.
Cinema collections include the Glasgow Picture House Co. Ltd from 1911 to 1968, and Poole's Cinemas from 1912 to 1982.
The archive holds collections relating to film institutions such as the Scottish Film Council dating from 1934 onwards , The Edinburgh International Film Festival from 1947 onwards, and the Scottish Association of Amateur Cinematographers form 1949 to 1983.
The archive has also collected a number of oral history interviews with film production staff. These recordings were made from the late 1970s to the 1980s and contain interviews with people connected with film in Scotland back into the silent period.

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