Basic Films

Commissioned by the Festival of Britain to show the similarities and contrasts between 1851 and 1951, by means of the Great Exhibition and the Festival.

Birthright, which presents the work of the Family Planning Association, is a valuable record of the organisation of contraception and fertility services before the introduction of the contraceptive pill. But, more than this, in its filmmaking style it conveys much about the social attitudes of this era, and the spirit in which those services were conceived and delivered.

A refugee family comes to terms with living in the UK and adjusting to a new language and culture.

Promotional film for the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children).

Captures life in rural Oxfordshire in the mid-1940s.

This BBC documentary film shows, for the first time anywhere, the actual events of both sides of a genuine industrial conflict. The dispute is shown exactly as it happened; there was no preparation or rehearsal.

Documentary on town planning in which an architect looks at the history of Dunfermline, Scotland and its possible future development.

Part of BFI collection "A Day in the Life."

Two farming brothers take a chance on a sick cow and send cattle that have been in contact with it to market.

The story of Jimmy, who conscientiously takes the National Cycling Proficiency Scheme test, and Leslie, who suffers a series of mishaps through his own negligence.

See how Sally Jenkins and her driver, Thomas, run Hertfordshire's mobile library service with military precision.

An appeal on behalf of the NSPCC.

Daily life and activity at London Airport, including the organisation behind the scenes.

The inner-workings of local paper the Hertford Mercury are revealed by young, fresh-thinking reporter Peter Gibbs on his hunt for a regional scoop.

Wintry snowfall in a factory yard contrasts with the furnaces burning within. This film follows the eye of the firm's accountant as he traces waste and excess about the works. The concerns for fuel efficiency and reducing pollution are all about economy, even when the narration talks of coal heating up the atmosphere. Among the wastrels are the workers, who are shooed away from a warming stove.

A day in the life of a Post Office counter clerk showing the complexities of his duties and the problems that arise.

Four examples of the kind of carelessness that leads to fires in this country frequently.

A BAFTA special award nominated documentary looking at the formation of the coalfields; explanation of the appearance of coal seams at different levels; modern methods of assessing and locating quality of new coal deposits. (Part of the "Coal-mining as a Craft" series)

The boom of the clothing industry brought great work for female machinists. This film presents how new recruits were hired and then trained to use the sewing machine in the workshop, or in one example, how not to manage recruits.