PIFs
PIFs: Public Information Films are series of government-commissioned short films, shown during TV advertising breaks in the UK. The US equivalent is the Public Service Announcement.
The films advise the public on what to do in a multitude of situations raging from crossing the road to surviving a nuclear attack. They are sometimes thought to concern only topics related to safety, but there are PIFs on many subjects, including animal cruelty, protecting the environment, crime prevention and how to vote in an election or fill in a census form. Many of these films were aimed at children and were shown during breaks in children's programmes during holidays and on weekends. Many of them involved or were narrated by celebrities of the day.
Cultural references- A number of musical artists have been heavily influenced by the analogue, over driven sound of British PIFs, including Boards of canada and most artists on the ghost box records label, especially the advisory circle, whose album other channels directly references or sample many PIFs, including Keep warm, Keep well. Additionally, their debut album features a few reprises with suffix 'PIF'. Another example of PIFs influence in music was that of the song Charley by The Prodigy, from 1991, which heavily sampled the meows of Charley cat. The song Two Tribes by Frankie Goes To Hollywood made use of the sirens from The Protect and Survive films. The comedian Chris Morris satirised Public Information Films in the day today in an episode where there was a constitutional crisis.
History- The earliest PIFs were made during the second world war years and shown in cinemas; many were made by and starred Richard Massingham, an amateur actor who set up public relationships films Ltd when he discovered there was no specialist film company in the area. They were commissioned by the ministry of information, and Massingham's work has since gained a cult following for their quirky, often humorous tone. After the war, PIFs were produced by the central office of information, and again by private contractors, which was usually small films companies. PIFs were supplied to broadcasters free of charge for them to use whenever they wished. Their usefulness as a cost-free means to fill the gaps in fixed-duration commercial breaks left by unsold advertising airtime led to them being used regularly and extensively in the 1960s, 1970s and much of the 1980s, and consequently, within both the COI and broadcasting companies, they were typically known as fillers. They are still being produced, although the vastly reduced need for broadcasters to turn to third-party filler material to deal with unused airtime during breaks or juctions means they are now only seen rarely, usually in might time spots. Fillers are still produced and distributed by the cabinet office by the filler marketing team. The COI closed on 30th December 2011 after 65 years, and no longer makes PIFs. However, there are a few companies still distributing PIFs, such as THINK!, Fire Kills, DOE, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and National Rail. Some advertisements and Charity appeals have gained the status of honorary PIF among fans, including Cartoon Boy, a 2002 campaign about child abuse produced by the NSPCC while films such as the 1980s British gas advertisements about what to do in the event of a gas leak can be considered non-governmental PIFs. PIFs have a nostalgic cult following and a DVD was released in 2001 called Charley says: The Greatest PIF in the world, comprising the contents of two earlier VHS releases. A sequel was released in 2005. PIFs produced by the COI covered a range of subjects. Fillers listed above were for domestic consumption. However, COI films were commissioned by the British Foreign Office to supply films for overseas use.These films dealt with research and development, British products and British way of life. They were usually distributed through the diplomatic network but not always. Some films were sold commercially to overseas outlets, mostly television.
History and context- For decades P.I.Fs have been educating, persuading and warning us of hidden dangers. Local authorities had long been using P.I.Fs to spread public heath messages. The 'official' information film was shown in world war 2 which was used by the government to guide the public through difficult economic conditions that was created by the government measures to reduce public expenditure (austerity) and a life under fire. The 1960s and 1970s saw a public information 'golden age', which was hundreds of short films launched on to small screens to cajole the British public into binning litter, stop smoking, or drive safely. Children of the 70s will remember a world of dangers from roads and railway tracks to farmyards, ponds, electricity pylons and of course strangers. A legion of characters including Green Cross Code Man, Charley the cat, the thrilling spirit of dark and lonely water. https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/collection/public-information-films. This website has the above information.
P.I.Fs produced 1979- 2006: 1982- Stupid Git, John Altman. 1983- Rabies advice, Close to the edge. 1984- Right to buy. 1985- Drug misuse, Dummy, Smoker of the future.1987- Aids Monolith. 1990- Electricity Privatisation Breakfast, Fireworks the management. 1992- Crime Prevention Hyenas. 1994- Think Bubble Adult and Child. 2003- Bullying Tell someone, Internet Shopping Virtual Mall. 2004- Gimme five 5-a-day. 2005- Mental health interview, Climate change tomorrows change and todays challenge.
2. 'Rickets'- 1944. Theme: Food flashes. Message: A hard-hitting WWII Food flash warning about the dangers of rickets and how to avoid them. Snappy propaganda shorts informing viewers about food and health issues. Thoughts and feelings: I think to grab the children's attention in the 40s was to produce a short and snappy video to get them to drink their Vitamin D deficiency from a glass bottle of cod liver oil or they will end up like the boys at the start of the P.I.F because no child wants to suffer from rickets and parents wanted them to get better. At the start of the video the narrator cuts straight to the point of the P.I.F which I think will get children to drink cod liver oil. Sound and music: this P.I.F also doesn't have music but the sound creates a dangerous tone of the life threatening disease that the children have also it is advertising the most important machine that they NEED to take in order to prevent the disease. This helped carry the message out to the parents because it shows how dangerous the disease can be for children.
3. 'Coughs and Sneezes'- 1945. Theme: Health. Message: One of Richard Massingham's most famous P.I.Fs, which leads to ubiquitous mantra: "Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases". Thoughts and feelings: I think telling people how to and what their handkerchief and telling them to use it when they sneeze along with how many people they just infected by sneeze without a handkerchief will get those type of people to listen since they probably don't want any to sue them because they gave them a disease. However, I feel that this video gets dark near the end of the P.I.F because the poor guy was forced to sneezed just to show everyone else how to use a handkerchief but the guy sneezing can't stop since the narrator tipped pepper in front of him. The sneezing guy just sneezes and sneezes until his eyes start tearing up and I think that's dark because the narrator doesn't tell him to stop or help him at all and leaves him to carry on sneezing. Sound and music: the atmosphere that is created by the sound is a jokey tone at the start but then turns to a serious tone. This helps the message get across to the viewers because the can't take it as a joke but they also can, so they will make they listen and watch.
4. 'Playing with fire'- 1947. Theme: Fire safety. Message: You're asking for trouble when you play with fire and this public information film is the stuff of nightmares. This hard-hitting P.I.F effectively illustrates all manner of catastrophes and how to avoid them. Thoughts and feelings: I think for this P.I.F that the music at the start of the video is very dark and intense as the boy goes up the stairs and it brings the viewers to the next part of the of the video, which I feel is quite violent because we first see a boy being burnt by a pot of boiling water and rushed to hospital and then we see Children on the hospital beds who have probably been burnt or hurt themselves since as the narrator says 'children are very curious' and want to found out about everything they see. After that scene we see various children being burnt by either boiling water or fire and sent to hospital but we never see them on a hospital bed which makes me think that they didn't make it since they were burnt severely but when we see the empty hospital beds we hear children's screams which also makes me think that they didn't make it. I think that this P.I.F is very violent for children because other children don't want to see that happening to anyone or themselves so they will watch it and learn that curiosity can be dangerous in their age. Also this P.I.F would scare the parents into teaching their children what they shouldn't touch and make sure that they have safety gates put by fires, hot pots, etc. Sound and music: this P.I.F has music at the start which creates a dark atmosphere. However, when it gets into the video it turns from dark to really really sad and serious tone. The narrator has a repetitive tone as he says some lines more then once.
6. 'What's in a number?'- 1948. Theme: National Insurance. Message: The importance of knowing one's number is conveyed with the everyman surrealism that was the inimitable Massingham's stock-in-trade. Thought and feelings: The music in this P.I.F is funny and happy while the guy 'makes a note' of his national insurance number everywhere he goes. On the mirror, the road, on a table cloth and even on a wooden train cart. He then gets hit by a train and we hear a cartoonish bump. I think this caught people's attention because he literally writes his number everywhere but he doesn't need to at all and the narrator says why you should remember your national insurance number. Sound and music: the music created a funny and happy tone. This makes people listen because happy videos have a lot of views and people tend to listen to those type of videos more.
7. 'Copy book please'- 1949. Theme: Postal Services. Message: Return to sender? A posh postie in the shape of comedian and actor Terry Thomas instructs the public in the art of addressing an envelope "address your letters clearly and correctly". Thought and feelings: The music in the background of this P.I.F is cheerful and bright since Terry (comedian) the postman makes the video kind a funny because near the end of the video he say 'do try, please' then makes a funny face to get people to listen and learn from their postal mistakes. Sound and music: The music in this video creates a funny, happy and serious tone as the video is about addressing the letters correctly for the postmen. This helps the message get across in the video because loads of viewers like a funny P.I.F but it also has seriousness in it so they have to take it seriously.
8. 'Be a good Cyclist'- 1950. Theme: Road safety. Message: Invaluable advice for the careful cyclist in a quintessentially British Safety film. Be careful on the road. Thought and feelings: The music at the start is cheerful which would catch some people's attention because they might think it will be a bright and happy video to watch. I like how this video shows and tells people who ride bikes what is wrong when riding on the road and what is right when riding on the road and this will catch everyone's attention to listen and watch the video to learn from the mistakes they might have done. Sound and music: the music creates a happy and cheerful tone but the voice over creates a serious tone. This helps the message get across to the viewers by having a happy atmosphere as more people tend to listen to happy videos more.
9. 'Adventures of Tom, Dick and Harry'- 1953. Theme: Road Traffic. Message: School children learn that mistakes made when cycling to school aren't always forgiven. Thoughts and feelings: Since it has no sound it will catch more people's attention to watch and learn from the boys mistakes that they make while riding on their bikes to school. I think that this is the reason the person who made this P.I.F used no sound so that everyone wouldn't do the wrong thing when riding to school or work, or just anywhere. Sound and music: this P.I.F has no music and sound. This helps the message get across to the viewers by catching their attention with no music as more people have to watch it then listen.
10. 'I am a litter basket' 1959. Theme: Rubbish/ Street cleanness. Message: A heartfelt cry on behalf of the world's litter baskets and a hungry litter basket, what's more. Everyday, the people who use railway stations drop hundreds of tons of litter all over the place, while the litter baskets have to stand by, empty and starving. Thoughts and feelings: I think it is a good P.I.F and it has a lot of impact on the people because the bins are alive which in that time was not normal. The bins start to protest against the people that are throwing their food on the floor and making them starving. The P.I.F also comments on how someone made complicated machines to keep the peace when all that needed to be do was people throwing their rubbish in the bins 'someone has even invented complicated machines to keep the peace of it all' is what the main bin says. However, near the end of the video there are some school kids who come to the train station with litter in their hands and their teacher tells them to put it in the bin and when they do the bin thanks them as it gets full of litter. The bin says 'There's hope for the new generation of litter baskets' which I think represents the new generation of people because the school kids were taught to throw their rubbish in the bin. Sound and music: Sad tone for the bin but a funny tone with the sound effects in the background. This helps get the message across because they see how empty and hungry the litter basket's are and feel sorry for them but they can also have a laugh with this P.I.F from the funny sound effects.
11. 'Morecambe and Wise: Be wise Don't drink and drive'- 1963. Theme: Drink Driving. Message: Ernie tells Eric to 'be wise' and not to drive home after their Christmas party since he drank. Morecambe and Wise P.I.F was one of the earliest drink-drive campaign films. Thoughts and feelings: I think that this P.I.F is short but it gets to the point straight away with a few funny bits like when Morecambe jokes and says about the blond girl he will be looking at and how he says he doesn't need Wise because he is wise himself. There is no music to this P.I.F but if they had put some cheerful, happy and funny music and sounds this P.I.F would have been better. Sound and music: the atmosphere that is created is a funny and serious tone since Morecambe joked about the party but Wise (Ernie) was serious about him not driving back home. This will get the message across because the viewers will see the different sides of drink driving and listen.
14.'Searching'- 1974. Theme: Fire Prevention. Message: John Krish's Haunting fire prevention film prowls through a carefully designed burned-out shell of a set. Searching hits viewers hard where it hurts: their primeval parental fear of their children predeceasing them. Listen and see the signs of a fire. Thought and feelings: I feel really sad and heart broken when I watch this P.I.F because when the camera pans around the burnt house we hear the cries of the family shouting to each other. The mother's cries are heard first calling to her husband and child, then the father and lastly the most heart breaking cry is a child's shouting for their mother and father. The voices also sound lost since the family are in different rooms of the house. The breathing throughout the video, might have been another family member like the grandma or an aunt, sounds very shocked as they walk around the house and seeing the burnt out rooms. We then go to the child's bedroom were the it the most burnt room it's the most heart breaking sight to see as we go closer to the child's closet and all their clothes are burnt. Sound and music: the sound in this P.I.F is dark, sad and creepy tone as the camera shows the different rooms and we hear the cries and screams of the family. This helps the message get across as people will get it stuck in their heads since it's scary and creepy and not a lot of people like that so they make sure that it doesn't happen to them.
15. 'The Losers'- 1975. Theme: Crime prevention/ car theft. Message: Having your car nicked in one thing, but then you're branded a loser by this unsympathetic crime prevention film about car theft. Talking about adding insult to injury: it's not enough to have your car and it contents nicked, you have to be branded incompetent by a Central Office of Information film. Weather you have had something nicked your a loser because you let it get stolen. Thoughts and feelings: I think this video is very harsh to people who have had their cars stolen by calling them losers. This video caught the attention of viewers because it shows that this crime hasn't happen to just one person but to millions. It has a bit that is kind a funny, at the end we see the guy in the beginning of the video with the police officer who he tells about his stolen car and asks him for a ride on his horse and the officer just laughs at him. I think the sound is quite audible for the 70s and the narrator's voice is smooth and goes with the tempo of the video. Sound and music: In this P.I.F the sound creates a slightly funny and serious tone as the narrator goes on to tell other people's stories of being a loser. This helps the message get across as it shows that not just one person but multiply of people are losers so no one is alone which will grab the attention of the audience and it shows how to not get anything robbed.
16. 'Green Cross Code Man'- 1976. Theme: Road safety. Message: David Prowse appears as the iconic Green Cross Code Man, heaping praise on a young GXC expert. Always cross the road safely. Thoughts and feelings: I feel like the music at the start of the P.I.F has a sci-fi sound to it which goes with the video because he has a magical computer and watch that lets him help children cross the road probably. I think this video is short and catchy for children who would get bored of a long P.I.F. Sound and music: The tone of the music in this video is a sci-fi sound as it like a scientific film with the computers and Green Cross Code man be able to transport to a different place. This will get the message across to the kids because a lot of kids in those days liked sci-fi so they would watch and listen.
17. 'Apaches'- 1977. Theme: Farmyard dangers. Message: One of the most disturbing public safety films depicts six children being picked off one-by-one by deadly farming machinery. So don't play around on farms. Thoughts and feelings: I think this is most disturbing P.I.F I have seen since it shows how a boy and his friends die when playing on a farm with dangerous farm machinery. Children would watch and learn closely to this P.I.F since they don't to hurt themselves or their friends. But the most scariest thing about this video is that the kids in the P.I.F are not faced by their friends dying and just carry on playing without giving it a second thought. I like the little twist at the end when the main boy who also narrator the whole P.I.F is dead and wanted to attend his own wake but as a ghost and how the boy narrating refers back to their funnels after each child dies, which shows the children what will happen if they play on a farm. Sound and music: the sound and music creates a sad, stupid but serious tone as the kids die one by one. This helps the message get across to parents and kids because it creates the atmosphere that will be created if a parent loses their kid and if the kid misses his family after his/she is gone.
https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/collection/public-information-films. This is the website where i got my research for the P.I.Fs above and it will let you watch the videos
The films advise the public on what to do in a multitude of situations raging from crossing the road to surviving a nuclear attack. They are sometimes thought to concern only topics related to safety, but there are PIFs on many subjects, including animal cruelty, protecting the environment, crime prevention and how to vote in an election or fill in a census form. Many of these films were aimed at children and were shown during breaks in children's programmes during holidays and on weekends. Many of them involved or were narrated by celebrities of the day.
Cultural references- A number of musical artists have been heavily influenced by the analogue, over driven sound of British PIFs, including Boards of canada and most artists on the ghost box records label, especially the advisory circle, whose album other channels directly references or sample many PIFs, including Keep warm, Keep well. Additionally, their debut album features a few reprises with suffix 'PIF'. Another example of PIFs influence in music was that of the song Charley by The Prodigy, from 1991, which heavily sampled the meows of Charley cat. The song Two Tribes by Frankie Goes To Hollywood made use of the sirens from The Protect and Survive films. The comedian Chris Morris satirised Public Information Films in the day today in an episode where there was a constitutional crisis.
History- The earliest PIFs were made during the second world war years and shown in cinemas; many were made by and starred Richard Massingham, an amateur actor who set up public relationships films Ltd when he discovered there was no specialist film company in the area. They were commissioned by the ministry of information, and Massingham's work has since gained a cult following for their quirky, often humorous tone. After the war, PIFs were produced by the central office of information, and again by private contractors, which was usually small films companies. PIFs were supplied to broadcasters free of charge for them to use whenever they wished. Their usefulness as a cost-free means to fill the gaps in fixed-duration commercial breaks left by unsold advertising airtime led to them being used regularly and extensively in the 1960s, 1970s and much of the 1980s, and consequently, within both the COI and broadcasting companies, they were typically known as fillers. They are still being produced, although the vastly reduced need for broadcasters to turn to third-party filler material to deal with unused airtime during breaks or juctions means they are now only seen rarely, usually in might time spots. Fillers are still produced and distributed by the cabinet office by the filler marketing team. The COI closed on 30th December 2011 after 65 years, and no longer makes PIFs. However, there are a few companies still distributing PIFs, such as THINK!, Fire Kills, DOE, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and National Rail. Some advertisements and Charity appeals have gained the status of honorary PIF among fans, including Cartoon Boy, a 2002 campaign about child abuse produced by the NSPCC while films such as the 1980s British gas advertisements about what to do in the event of a gas leak can be considered non-governmental PIFs. PIFs have a nostalgic cult following and a DVD was released in 2001 called Charley says: The Greatest PIF in the world, comprising the contents of two earlier VHS releases. A sequel was released in 2005. PIFs produced by the COI covered a range of subjects. Fillers listed above were for domestic consumption. However, COI films were commissioned by the British Foreign Office to supply films for overseas use.These films dealt with research and development, British products and British way of life. They were usually distributed through the diplomatic network but not always. Some films were sold commercially to overseas outlets, mostly television.
History and context- For decades P.I.Fs have been educating, persuading and warning us of hidden dangers. Local authorities had long been using P.I.Fs to spread public heath messages. The 'official' information film was shown in world war 2 which was used by the government to guide the public through difficult economic conditions that was created by the government measures to reduce public expenditure (austerity) and a life under fire. The 1960s and 1970s saw a public information 'golden age', which was hundreds of short films launched on to small screens to cajole the British public into binning litter, stop smoking, or drive safely. Children of the 70s will remember a world of dangers from roads and railway tracks to farmyards, ponds, electricity pylons and of course strangers. A legion of characters including Green Cross Code Man, Charley the cat, the thrilling spirit of dark and lonely water. https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/collection/public-information-films. This website has the above information.
P.I.Fs have their roots in post war propaganda, when they were used to raise national spirits. But how do they get stuck in your head? Patrick Russell, a senior curator at the BFI, believes it is the way they were shown. Either on a 16mm projectors in schools, building an atmosphere of anticipation in the classroom or repeatedly on TV, when both advertising and daytime programming were scarce, had a powerful effect on the viewers. The liberation of education was also gathering pace at this time, and materials that stimulated children to think emotionally were replacing didactic teaching methods. "Many of the films from the 1970s work because they're so dream-like," Russell says. "They're Grimm's fairy tales, almost. They appeal to those parts of the imagination that children let run free, at a time when children's brains are developing very quickly." Many are also dominated by stretches of space and silence, creating an atmosphere very different from today's full-throttle assaults on the senses. "The amount of money for them was limited," he says, "so directors had to be inventive. This left enough space for the children to fill the gaps in themselves."
Social attitudes, culture and heritage are brilliantly conveyed, and often unintentionally revealing of long-forgotten ways of thinking, living and working. Part propaganda, part social engineering, the sometimes patronising tone often gives way to what is brilliantly lyrical filmmaking, evoking unaccustomed richness prompting nostalgia in comtempory viewers old enough to remember and disbelief from younger viewers.
Sound and Music is used in P.I.Fs to create the atmosphere of the video
Then Central Office of Information, COI, is the centre of marketing excellence for the government which provides consultancy, procurement and project management for public information films. The COI was established in 1946 a year after World War 2 ended, when the prime minster, Clement Attlee, announced the wartime ministry of information would be
closed down, but that official information services still had, ' an important and permanent part in the machinery of government' and that 'the public should be adequately informed about the many matter in which the government action directly impinges on their daily lives. The COI produce a wide range of P.I.Fs designed to inform the public on a huge range of issues that affect their daily lives like health, welfare, education and rights. The COI's vast archive of work provides unique historical insight into culture and innovation, from dealing with the issues of post-war Britain right up to the innovative campaigns. This particularly notable in the COI's responsibility for making and distributing information films for the public. These have provided information and influenced behaviour since the end of the second world war. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/films/1979to2006/filmindex2.htm. This is the website I got the above information.
P.I.Fs produced 1945- 1951: 1945-Coughs and Sneezes by Richard Massingham. 1947- Modern guide to health by Halas and Batchelor, Watch your meters by John Waterhouse, shown by request by Colin Dean. 1948- Charley in new town by Halas and Batchelor, Don't spread gems by John Krish, Pedestrian crossing by Michael Law, Pop goes the weasel, Your very good health by Halas and Batchelor, Charley's march of time by Halas and Batchelor. 1949- What a life! by Michael Law, Five pounds in notes, Berlin airlift, London airport, Charley Junior's school days by Halas and Batchelor. 1950- The wonder jet, Journey on a London bus, Men of the world by Roland Clarke, Into the blue. 1951- Festival in London by Philip Leacock, Wing to wing, Brief city by Maurice Harvey and Jacques Brunius.
P.I.Fs produced 1951- 1964: 1953- Operation Hurricane. 1956-Atomic Achievement. 1959-The British Policeman. 1960- Nigeria: The making of a nation, Suez in perspective. 1962- In the shadow of the wall, Streaked lightning. 1963- This week in Britain NO.199 'The caretaker'.1964- The blue streak rocket.
P.I.Fs produced 1964-1979: 1968- Joe and Petunia Coastguard, Keep it to yourself. 1969- Jobs for young girls. 1971- Children and disused fridges, 1971 Census, Decimal Currency the system, Joe and Petunia acceptance of the country code. 1972- Teenagers learn to swim. 1973- Broken Glass, Charley the cat series, Lonely water, Tufty under 5's ice cream van, Switch off some power. 1974- The fatal floor. 1975- Green Cross Code 1 with David Prowse series, Protect and survive action after warnings, Protect and survive Casualties, Keep Britain Tidy. 1976- Swimming with David Willkie, Children's heroes Kevin Keegan, Peach and Hammer, Rabies outbreak, SPLINK Jon Pertwee, Vandalism. 1977- TV licence Columbo. 1978- Pedal safety song, Think Bike. 1979- Play safe Frisbee.
P.I.Fs produced 1979- 2006: 1982- Stupid Git, John Altman. 1983- Rabies advice, Close to the edge. 1984- Right to buy. 1985- Drug misuse, Dummy, Smoker of the future.1987- Aids Monolith. 1990- Electricity Privatisation Breakfast, Fireworks the management. 1992- Crime Prevention Hyenas. 1994- Think Bubble Adult and Child. 2003- Bullying Tell someone, Internet Shopping Virtual Mall. 2004- Gimme five 5-a-day. 2005- Mental health interview, Climate change tomorrows change and todays challenge.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/films/1979to2006/filmindex2.htm.This website has all the information on the times the P.I.Fs were produced and what happened for them to be made.
A time line of some P.I.Fs between 1930s- 1980s:
1. 'How to fit a gas mask'- 1939. Theme: Gas attack. Message: Wartime instructions in how to fit your gas mask efficiently. Thoughts and feelings: I think this P.I.F is very for around the 30s because they were still in war and possibly had a gas attack so anyone who didn't know how to put a gas mask on would have probably watched this video very carefully and closely to make sure they didn't die of gas poisoning. Also the fact that at the end of the video the narrator told said to always keep your gas mask on you just in case and then went on to say be hopefully it won't happen. Sound and music: There is no music in this P.I.F but the sound creates a serious tone as it was a serious issue back in those days. This helped carry the message out because it made people take the P.I.F seriously. However, now a days it wouldn't be that serious which creates a calmer, funny tone which could make people think it was some kind of joke and not take it so seriously.
2. 'Rickets'- 1944. Theme: Food flashes. Message: A hard-hitting WWII Food flash warning about the dangers of rickets and how to avoid them. Snappy propaganda shorts informing viewers about food and health issues. Thoughts and feelings: I think to grab the children's attention in the 40s was to produce a short and snappy video to get them to drink their Vitamin D deficiency from a glass bottle of cod liver oil or they will end up like the boys at the start of the P.I.F because no child wants to suffer from rickets and parents wanted them to get better. At the start of the video the narrator cuts straight to the point of the P.I.F which I think will get children to drink cod liver oil. Sound and music: this P.I.F also doesn't have music but the sound creates a dangerous tone of the life threatening disease that the children have also it is advertising the most important machine that they NEED to take in order to prevent the disease. This helped carry the message out to the parents because it shows how dangerous the disease can be for children.
3. 'Coughs and Sneezes'- 1945. Theme: Health. Message: One of Richard Massingham's most famous P.I.Fs, which leads to ubiquitous mantra: "Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases". Thoughts and feelings: I think telling people how to and what their handkerchief and telling them to use it when they sneeze along with how many people they just infected by sneeze without a handkerchief will get those type of people to listen since they probably don't want any to sue them because they gave them a disease. However, I feel that this video gets dark near the end of the P.I.F because the poor guy was forced to sneezed just to show everyone else how to use a handkerchief but the guy sneezing can't stop since the narrator tipped pepper in front of him. The sneezing guy just sneezes and sneezes until his eyes start tearing up and I think that's dark because the narrator doesn't tell him to stop or help him at all and leaves him to carry on sneezing. Sound and music: the atmosphere that is created by the sound is a jokey tone at the start but then turns to a serious tone. This helps the message get across to the viewers because the can't take it as a joke but they also can, so they will make they listen and watch.
4. 'Playing with fire'- 1947. Theme: Fire safety. Message: You're asking for trouble when you play with fire and this public information film is the stuff of nightmares. This hard-hitting P.I.F effectively illustrates all manner of catastrophes and how to avoid them. Thoughts and feelings: I think for this P.I.F that the music at the start of the video is very dark and intense as the boy goes up the stairs and it brings the viewers to the next part of the of the video, which I feel is quite violent because we first see a boy being burnt by a pot of boiling water and rushed to hospital and then we see Children on the hospital beds who have probably been burnt or hurt themselves since as the narrator says 'children are very curious' and want to found out about everything they see. After that scene we see various children being burnt by either boiling water or fire and sent to hospital but we never see them on a hospital bed which makes me think that they didn't make it since they were burnt severely but when we see the empty hospital beds we hear children's screams which also makes me think that they didn't make it. I think that this P.I.F is very violent for children because other children don't want to see that happening to anyone or themselves so they will watch it and learn that curiosity can be dangerous in their age. Also this P.I.F would scare the parents into teaching their children what they shouldn't touch and make sure that they have safety gates put by fires, hot pots, etc. Sound and music: this P.I.F has music at the start which creates a dark atmosphere. However, when it gets into the video it turns from dark to really really sad and serious tone. The narrator has a repetitive tone as he says some lines more then once.
5.'Burns and Scalds'- 1947. Themes: Accidents at home. Messages: Hard-hitting depiction of danger to children of burns and scalds. This shorter, snappier trailer version of playing with fire warns parents of the dangers faced by a naturally curious child in and around the house. Thoughts and feelings: Since this P.I.F is a shorter version of playing with fire I think more children will listen and learn from this video since it gets straight to the point of the video with the same scene that we saw at the beginning of playing with fire. I think that they will be frightened by this P.I.F since its shorter and shows more of the accidents that can happen to them at home. Sound and music: within this P.I.F it has a dark, sad tone to it as it is a shorter version of 'playing with fire'. This helps the message get across to the viewers by starting with a dark atmosphere which gives people Goosebumps, but then start to feel sorrow towards the kids and listen to the narrator and have safety gates put up in the dangerous areas of the house.
6. 'What's in a number?'- 1948. Theme: National Insurance. Message: The importance of knowing one's number is conveyed with the everyman surrealism that was the inimitable Massingham's stock-in-trade. Thought and feelings: The music in this P.I.F is funny and happy while the guy 'makes a note' of his national insurance number everywhere he goes. On the mirror, the road, on a table cloth and even on a wooden train cart. He then gets hit by a train and we hear a cartoonish bump. I think this caught people's attention because he literally writes his number everywhere but he doesn't need to at all and the narrator says why you should remember your national insurance number. Sound and music: the music created a funny and happy tone. This makes people listen because happy videos have a lot of views and people tend to listen to those type of videos more.
7. 'Copy book please'- 1949. Theme: Postal Services. Message: Return to sender? A posh postie in the shape of comedian and actor Terry Thomas instructs the public in the art of addressing an envelope "address your letters clearly and correctly". Thought and feelings: The music in the background of this P.I.F is cheerful and bright since Terry (comedian) the postman makes the video kind a funny because near the end of the video he say 'do try, please' then makes a funny face to get people to listen and learn from their postal mistakes. Sound and music: The music in this video creates a funny, happy and serious tone as the video is about addressing the letters correctly for the postmen. This helps the message get across in the video because loads of viewers like a funny P.I.F but it also has seriousness in it so they have to take it seriously.
8. 'Be a good Cyclist'- 1950. Theme: Road safety. Message: Invaluable advice for the careful cyclist in a quintessentially British Safety film. Be careful on the road. Thought and feelings: The music at the start is cheerful which would catch some people's attention because they might think it will be a bright and happy video to watch. I like how this video shows and tells people who ride bikes what is wrong when riding on the road and what is right when riding on the road and this will catch everyone's attention to listen and watch the video to learn from the mistakes they might have done. Sound and music: the music creates a happy and cheerful tone but the voice over creates a serious tone. This helps the message get across to the viewers by having a happy atmosphere as more people tend to listen to happy videos more.
9. 'Adventures of Tom, Dick and Harry'- 1953. Theme: Road Traffic. Message: School children learn that mistakes made when cycling to school aren't always forgiven. Thoughts and feelings: Since it has no sound it will catch more people's attention to watch and learn from the boys mistakes that they make while riding on their bikes to school. I think that this is the reason the person who made this P.I.F used no sound so that everyone wouldn't do the wrong thing when riding to school or work, or just anywhere. Sound and music: this P.I.F has no music and sound. This helps the message get across to the viewers by catching their attention with no music as more people have to watch it then listen.
10. 'I am a litter basket' 1959. Theme: Rubbish/ Street cleanness. Message: A heartfelt cry on behalf of the world's litter baskets and a hungry litter basket, what's more. Everyday, the people who use railway stations drop hundreds of tons of litter all over the place, while the litter baskets have to stand by, empty and starving. Thoughts and feelings: I think it is a good P.I.F and it has a lot of impact on the people because the bins are alive which in that time was not normal. The bins start to protest against the people that are throwing their food on the floor and making them starving. The P.I.F also comments on how someone made complicated machines to keep the peace when all that needed to be do was people throwing their rubbish in the bins 'someone has even invented complicated machines to keep the peace of it all' is what the main bin says. However, near the end of the video there are some school kids who come to the train station with litter in their hands and their teacher tells them to put it in the bin and when they do the bin thanks them as it gets full of litter. The bin says 'There's hope for the new generation of litter baskets' which I think represents the new generation of people because the school kids were taught to throw their rubbish in the bin. Sound and music: Sad tone for the bin but a funny tone with the sound effects in the background. This helps get the message across because they see how empty and hungry the litter basket's are and feel sorry for them but they can also have a laugh with this P.I.F from the funny sound effects.
11. 'Morecambe and Wise: Be wise Don't drink and drive'- 1963. Theme: Drink Driving. Message: Ernie tells Eric to 'be wise' and not to drive home after their Christmas party since he drank. Morecambe and Wise P.I.F was one of the earliest drink-drive campaign films. Thoughts and feelings: I think that this P.I.F is short but it gets to the point straight away with a few funny bits like when Morecambe jokes and says about the blond girl he will be looking at and how he says he doesn't need Wise because he is wise himself. There is no music to this P.I.F but if they had put some cheerful, happy and funny music and sounds this P.I.F would have been better. Sound and music: the atmosphere that is created is a funny and serious tone since Morecambe joked about the party but Wise (Ernie) was serious about him not driving back home. This will get the message across because the viewers will see the different sides of drink driving and listen.
12. 'Drink Drive office party cartoon'- 1964. Theme: Drink Driving. Message: More alarming in the final message which, while avoiding the shock tactics of later campaigns, suggests that women are to blame when men drink and drive. Thoughts and feelings: I feel this message is wrong because men should have been responsible for them drinking and then wanting to drive and not to put it on the women but that's how it was in the those days. In the 60s the women were responsible for the men drinking and making sure they didn't drive home (which in my mind is stupid ). However, over time more women were driving and being less responsible for their husbands who wanted to drink and then drive. Sound and music: the music in the video is happy, preppy and Christmassy as this P.I.F was to get the attention of people who had Christmas parties. This lets the message be carried in the video by having a photomontage technique and happy tone as it gets to the younger generation.
13. 'Charley says No' series- 1973. Theme: Safety Series. Messages: 1. if you can't stand the heat charley, get out of the kitchen. 2.Children Beware of strangers. 3. Young children To remain from pulling tablecloths of the table. 4. Don't play with matches. 5. Stay away from the edge of the pond/river/lake. 6. Don't steal. 7. Don't talk to strangers. Thought and feelings: I think this series of videos were made to catch the attention of children and parents of the 70s by having a ginger cat represent the child in the video and his curiosities of doing dangerous and bad things like being in the kitchen when someone is cooking, pulling the table cloth of the table when there is a teapot which has hot water in, going somewhere without telling your parents, talking and going with people you don't know. I feel that the cat could also represent their parents warnings or an imaginary friend that children probably had in the 70s that told them not what to do. I think it go the attention of children because its a cartoon and a lot of children like cartoons. Sound and music: cat sound creates a serious tone but a funny tone at the same time which will draw children's attentions to the P.I.F.
14.'Searching'- 1974. Theme: Fire Prevention. Message: John Krish's Haunting fire prevention film prowls through a carefully designed burned-out shell of a set. Searching hits viewers hard where it hurts: their primeval parental fear of their children predeceasing them. Listen and see the signs of a fire. Thought and feelings: I feel really sad and heart broken when I watch this P.I.F because when the camera pans around the burnt house we hear the cries of the family shouting to each other. The mother's cries are heard first calling to her husband and child, then the father and lastly the most heart breaking cry is a child's shouting for their mother and father. The voices also sound lost since the family are in different rooms of the house. The breathing throughout the video, might have been another family member like the grandma or an aunt, sounds very shocked as they walk around the house and seeing the burnt out rooms. We then go to the child's bedroom were the it the most burnt room it's the most heart breaking sight to see as we go closer to the child's closet and all their clothes are burnt. Sound and music: the sound in this P.I.F is dark, sad and creepy tone as the camera shows the different rooms and we hear the cries and screams of the family. This helps the message get across as people will get it stuck in their heads since it's scary and creepy and not a lot of people like that so they make sure that it doesn't happen to them.
15. 'The Losers'- 1975. Theme: Crime prevention/ car theft. Message: Having your car nicked in one thing, but then you're branded a loser by this unsympathetic crime prevention film about car theft. Talking about adding insult to injury: it's not enough to have your car and it contents nicked, you have to be branded incompetent by a Central Office of Information film. Weather you have had something nicked your a loser because you let it get stolen. Thoughts and feelings: I think this video is very harsh to people who have had their cars stolen by calling them losers. This video caught the attention of viewers because it shows that this crime hasn't happen to just one person but to millions. It has a bit that is kind a funny, at the end we see the guy in the beginning of the video with the police officer who he tells about his stolen car and asks him for a ride on his horse and the officer just laughs at him. I think the sound is quite audible for the 70s and the narrator's voice is smooth and goes with the tempo of the video. Sound and music: In this P.I.F the sound creates a slightly funny and serious tone as the narrator goes on to tell other people's stories of being a loser. This helps the message get across as it shows that not just one person but multiply of people are losers so no one is alone which will grab the attention of the audience and it shows how to not get anything robbed.
16. 'Green Cross Code Man'- 1976. Theme: Road safety. Message: David Prowse appears as the iconic Green Cross Code Man, heaping praise on a young GXC expert. Always cross the road safely. Thoughts and feelings: I feel like the music at the start of the P.I.F has a sci-fi sound to it which goes with the video because he has a magical computer and watch that lets him help children cross the road probably. I think this video is short and catchy for children who would get bored of a long P.I.F. Sound and music: The tone of the music in this video is a sci-fi sound as it like a scientific film with the computers and Green Cross Code man be able to transport to a different place. This will get the message across to the kids because a lot of kids in those days liked sci-fi so they would watch and listen.
17. 'Apaches'- 1977. Theme: Farmyard dangers. Message: One of the most disturbing public safety films depicts six children being picked off one-by-one by deadly farming machinery. So don't play around on farms. Thoughts and feelings: I think this is most disturbing P.I.F I have seen since it shows how a boy and his friends die when playing on a farm with dangerous farm machinery. Children would watch and learn closely to this P.I.F since they don't to hurt themselves or their friends. But the most scariest thing about this video is that the kids in the P.I.F are not faced by their friends dying and just carry on playing without giving it a second thought. I like the little twist at the end when the main boy who also narrator the whole P.I.F is dead and wanted to attend his own wake but as a ghost and how the boy narrating refers back to their funnels after each child dies, which shows the children what will happen if they play on a farm. Sound and music: the sound and music creates a sad, stupid but serious tone as the kids die one by one. This helps the message get across to parents and kids because it creates the atmosphere that will be created if a parent loses their kid and if the kid misses his family after his/she is gone.
https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/collection/public-information-films. This is the website where i got my research for the P.I.Fs above and it will let you watch the videos
Comments
Post a Comment