Metadata
WORK ID: YFA 2491 (Master Record)
| Title | Year | Date |
| ACTION STATIONS/SALVATION ARMY/TIMOTHY TAYLORS | 1975 | 1975-01-01 |
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Details
Original Format: 16mm Colour: Colour Sound: Sound Duration: 19 mins Credits: trinity and all saints Subject: Religion Industry |
| Summary This film is made up of three separate documentary films made by students at Trinity and All Saints College in Leeds in association with the Audio Visual Unit at Leeds University. The first film is about an environmental group getting publicity through Radio Leeds; the second is about two Salvation Army hostels in Leeds that help the homeless and w ... |
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Description
This film is made up of three separate documentary films made by students at Trinity and All Saints College in Leeds in association with the Audio Visual Unit at Leeds University. The first film is about an environmental group getting publicity through Radio Leeds; the second is about two Salvation Army hostels in Leeds that help the homeless and women requiring help; and the third is about the process of brewing beer at Timothy Taylor's Brewery in Keighley.
The first film begins with...
This film is made up of three separate documentary films made by students at Trinity and All Saints College in Leeds in association with the Audio Visual Unit at Leeds University. The first film is about an environmental group getting publicity through Radio Leeds; the second is about two Salvation Army hostels in Leeds that help the homeless and women requiring help; and the third is about the process of brewing beer at Timothy Taylor's Brewery in Keighley.
The first film begins with an announcement from Radio Leeds, before a woman presenter explains the problems that 'action groups' have in getting their message across to the public. The film switches to four members of an anti-pollution group discussing the best way to communicate the issue of environmental pollution and its negative effect to the public. Various suggestions are put forward, including one to use the local radio. This suggestion gets criticised at first but then they decide to go to Radio Leeds for advice. At the BBC Radio Leeds they ask if they can use the station to promote a forthcoming event, and a reporter takes them outside near a busy road for an interview. The organiser of the group answers questions on the group and its activities. They then switch to editing, showing how the audio tape is edited. After hearing an excerpt from T Rex's 'Easy Action', the edited interview is then broadcast.
Credits: Special thanks to Carol Davies and BBC Radio Leeds
Production Team: Ann Gray, Donna Humphrey et al.
The next film begins with the Blood and Fire symbol of the Salvation Army. A Major in the Army answers the phone and is then interviewed about the Salvation Army. He explains that it goes where there is most need, to the less affluent of society. As he explains the work for the homeless the film shows one of their shelters, with dormitories and a canteen where users are served dinner. He explains that they also offer a counselling service, which is seen in action as one of the Salvation Army's counsellors questions a user about the tablets he is taking and whether he has attended St Mark's Alcoholic Unit. As the film shows users in the TV room, he also explains that they provide clean clothing.
The film then switches to the Women's Hostel in Leeds; for women with children who have either run away from abuse from partners or have ended up in financial hardship due to divorce. Here women sit in a dormitory with their children. A worker explains their work and the dissatisfaction with the facilities at the existing Mount Cross Centre, with insufficient rooms and nowhere for families to prepare their own food. Hostel workers play with some of the children. A woman makes a birthday cake in the kitchen and a user is interviewed, stating that without the Salvation Army there would be a lot of people sleeping out.
The final film starts with the symbol for Timothy Taylor, Maltsters and Brewerers. With the singing of a song in praise of Timothy Taylor's in the background, a man holding a pint explains that he is at their brewery in Keighley to explain the brewing process. As we see the brewery in the snow, a narrator explains that it buys the best malt, hops and sugar available. The different stages of the process are shown, from the mashing to the brewing, checking the gravity and the ph. level. The brewery takes its water from an artesian well underneath the brewery, which makes it unique. After racking in metal containers, the beer stands for 72 hours to settle. The film ends with the presenter having a drink and recommending Timothy Taylor's.
Context
This is one of a collection of films with the YFA made by cameraman and director John Murray. At the time John headed the Film Unit at Leeds University, for which he made many documentary type films - see also Huddersfield International Club Opening Night (1969).
The film was actually made by students from All Saints College for men, which was originally a Roman Catholic teacher training college which expanded its syllabus in the 1970s and merged with its sister college Trinity in 1980...
This is one of a collection of films with the YFA made by cameraman and director John Murray. At the time John headed the Film Unit at Leeds University, for which he made many documentary type films - see also Huddersfield International Club Opening Night (1969).
The film was actually made by students from All Saints College for men, which was originally a Roman Catholic teacher training college which expanded its syllabus in the 1970s and merged with its sister college Trinity in 1980 (more recently becoming a university). Members of the Film Unit at Leeds University, including John, taught a practical part of their media /film course. They provided the crew- camera operator, sound recordist, with John as general advisor and editor. John explains that, “The students had to budget, write, research, and direct (more or less). In this case they thought up the project and also hoped that it would involve free beer but they were wrong- the whole thing had to be shot in a day including travel. It was shot on 16mm reversal Ektachrome stock and no copies were made – we just used the original with double-headed projection (i.e. the 16mm magnetic sound track was separate but synchronized).” It isn’t known who the presenter is. The brewery of Timothy Taylor was started by, coincidently, a former taylor from Bingley by that name, setting up in Cook Lane, Keighley in 1858. Within five years he moved to the present Knowle Spring Brewery, close to his father-in-law's house, Knowle Spring House (now known as the Green Gables). Before that, in 1859, Timothy Taylor bought his first pub, the Volunteers in Keighley. It is now the only surviving family brewery in West Yorkshire. The brewery has become famous for its cask conditioned (or ‘real’) ales, as shown in the film, using top quality ingredients and the water from a nearby spring. For more on Timothy Taylors visit their website. The so-called big six brewers – Whitbread, Scottish and Newcastle, Bass Charrington, Allied Breweries, Courage Imperial and Watneys, producing about 80% of all beer (now four with the same market share) – introduced pasteurised beer in pressurised metal kegs in the 1960s, which kept for much longer and was easier to maintain than what came to be called ‘real ale’. The results weren’t to everyone’s taste, and especially not to four men – Michael Hardman, Jim Makin, Bill Mellor and Graham Lees – who, back in 1970, came up with the idea for CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale), leading to its founding the following year. By the time that this film was made in 1975, it had close on 30,000 members and held its first beer festival in September of that year at Covent Garden. The previous year saw the publication of its first Good Beer Guide, which has continued annually ever since. There is no doubt that it was this campaign, now numbering some 125,000 members, which rescued cask conditioned beer from near oblivion. The presenter in this film may well have been one of those first members, who quickly gained a, undeserved, reputation for being bearded duffle coat know-it-alls. On his blog on cask ale Alex Hall notes one reaction to CAMRA by Richard Boston in The Guardian, also in 1975 (12 September): “CAMRA has sometimes taken itself too seriously and at times shown the fervour of religious fanaticism — one of its leading members used to speak of “spreading the gospel of CAMRA”. Some individual members have emerged as bores of Olympic standard.” To mark the 40th anniversary of CAMRA an enjoyable film was made (with the rather unimaginative title of The History of CAMRA) by David Rust. For more on the history of beer and the fate of pubs see the Context for Weekend Nights (1999) and Melbourne Yorkshire Beer Advert (1934). Timothy Taylor was one of the few that weathered the storm, when so much real ale went out of business. Thanks very much to the efforts of CAMRA there are now many micro-breweries producing real ale. Timothy Taylor has expanded, installing a new fermentation house and three multipurpose fermenting, maturation and storage vessels in 2000, and a new malt silo and a second mill in 2002. They have won over 70 national and international awards in the last 70 years. Their outstanding Landlord is many beer connoisseurs favourite tipple. (with thanks to John Murray) References Frank Baillie, The Beer Drinker’s Companion, David and Charles, Newton Abbot, 1973. H A Monckton, A History of English Ale and Beer, The Bodley Head, London, 1966, The Brewery History Society Timothy Taylor Alex Hall, cask ale Boak and Bailey’s Beer Blog Draught beer Whatever Happened to The Big Six? |
