Finding New Audiences

Food for thought A comfortable cinema seating around 200 in tiered, soft, comfortable seats. A full house, with people being turned away. Wouldn't any filmmaker love to show their films in these circumstances?

That was Daphne Barbieri's experience when some of her films were featured at the annual 'Dundee on Film' Archive Night in December 2007, an event organised by the Dundee Archives. The theme for this event was Food and Drink, inspired by a very popular meeting of archive members earlier in the year that had triggered people's memories of shops, particularly food shopping. At that meeting, several people (including a baker, a grocer and a fishmonger) spoke about and showed slides and old footage of the early days of their businesses. For the Archive Night, however, the emphasis was more on modern times. Iain Flett , the Archivist, asked Daphne if he could show five of her films. The evening opened and closed with silent films showing a mixture of historic and everyday events in Dundee in the 30s, 50s and 60s. Daphne's films formed the meat (sorry - couldn't resist) of the evening, illustrating five innovative small businesses, and they were a resounding success.

The films have now been placed in the Local History section of the Dundee Archives, and copies have also been sent to the Scottish Screen Archives.

Ian Flett knew about Daphne's films because she had contacted him when looking for information about Keiller’s Jam-making in Dundee. (She was making a film entitled “The Three J’s”. Dundee used to be known as the city of the three J’s - Jute, Jam and Journalism. She received archive footage of the jute processing from Janet McBain of Scottish Archives, but there was very little available about Keiller’s, which closed in the late 1980s.)

Her films on food and drink came about by accident, and were not planned as a theme. She enjoys making documentaries and is always on the lookout for local subjects. She likes hearing about small interesting businesses, and is often given ideas by people she meets. She then approaches the business, and asks the Managing Director if he, or she, would allow her to make a film. So far she has met with very good response.

To begin, she is shown round the business and sees all the processes involved and then arranges a day for filming. The filming usually takes two to six hours, depending on the amount to cover. When editing starts, she may have to return for another shot or two. She writes the script as she edits. If she wants music on the soundtrack, she spends some time listening to discs while driving. She has the process of producing these films down to a fine art, and can complete one in as little as a fortnight.

She gives presentations to many groups such as Rotary, Probus, Guilds, WRI etc. and finds that these documentaries about local businesses are very popular.

As part of the archives, her films should now find many new audiences.

These are the films shown at the Archive night:

STARRY ROCK Since 1833 a well known business in Kirriemuir in Angus has been making rock. The recipe has been handed down to the present-day owners. There are five flavours: Fruit, Horehound, Clove, Cinnamon and Peppermint. During the making of the last three, the mixture is slung on a hook and pulled and twisted to give a slightly striped appearance. The rolled-out mixture is fed through a machine that shapes the humbugs, or cut into rock stick lengths before being sold in the adjoining shop.

THE DUNDEE PEH This has been a well known delicacy in Dundee and baked by Wallace’s for almost 140 years. The production of the pies is shown. They are much enjoyed by football fans, at half time, when watching major matches on large screen TV in their local pubs.

	FIT O THE TOUN Smokies are sent throughout the country, but unless the haddock is smoked in Arbroath, they cannot be called “Arbroath smokies”. At the start of the film haddock is finned, gutted, skinned and prepared for customers, then one man cleans and smokes the special haddock in the smokehouse. One can almost smell the smokies when they are ready!
	FROM LITTLE ACORNS.... Oak leaves are picked by a small group of people in September, taken to the winery where they are washed, mixed with various ingredients, left to ferment, strained, then racked off into bottles. They are then sold in the shop of Cairn o’ Mohr. The winery was started by Ron and Judith Gillies well over 20 years ago, and they have been producing many different wines commercially for over 15 years.
	A CUT ABOVE THE REST A very innovative small business in a village in Angus, that has won over 90 awards now for their recipes and excellent meat. Many interesting ways of producing meat are shown, and cooking times are given too. There are only three full time butchers and one part-timer, but it is an extremely busy shop.

- Jan Watterson

Page updated on 31 May 2008

Authors' views are not necessarily those of The Institute of Amateur Cinematographers

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