This film is part of Free

Talk about Work
Ken Loach makes Public Information Film shock!
Instructional film/TV programme 1971 15 mins
Overview
Ken Loach makes Public Information Film shock! Talk About Work is a vocational guidance film produced through the Central Office Information (COI) for the youth employment service - who asked for Loach by name. Predictably, it ended in tears. The director’s cut was re-edited and he dissociated himself from it (Loach’s name isn’t on the credits). A cautionary tale, perhaps, for all modern communications professionals for whom ‘authenticity’ is elusive comms gold.
In any event, it’s an interesting case of a government body consciously going after a contemporary approach via a ‘name’ director). Loach was not then quite the national treasure he is today: still a TV director with a growing rep. Veteran production company Ronald H Riley & Associates was a long-standing COI supplier and a surprising place for Loach to fetch up. His emphasis on people speaking unscripted (hence the title) contrasts with traditional modes of sponsored filmmaking; so does the fluid, televisual directness of the visual style, owing much to now-legendary director of photography Chris Menges. Filming locations included Henderson’s department store, Liverpool and Ford’s works, Halewood. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.
Related
COI at 75

Riding on Air Riding on Air
Documentary 1959 16 mins Location: London
A beautiful and evocative survey of cycling's golden years.

The Fatal Floor The Fatal Floor
Public Information Filler 1974 1 mins
Typically hard-hitting public information film about the threat posed by combining a rug and a freshly polished floor.

Handkerchief Drill Handkerchief Drill
Public Information Filler 1949 1 mins
Another of Richard Massingham’s snappy public information fillers finds the oafish everyman’s personal hygiene in question again.

District Nurse District Nurse
Government sponsored film 1952 27 mins Location: Wadhurst
Never a dull moment for a rural district nurse in the early days of the NHS.

Race Relations Board Race Relations Board
Public Information Filler 1969 1 mins
New law targets discrimination in housing and employment in this eye-opening public information film.

The Smoking Machine The Smoking Machine
Documentary 1964 16 mins
Documentary warning children about the drawbacks of cigarettes – not least their addictiveness.
Liverpool

Steel 'n' Skin Steel 'n' Skin
Performance 1979 36 mins Location: Liverpool
Black music and culture in the community

S.S. Saxonia in Liverpool (1901) S.S. Saxonia in Liverpool (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Liverpool
All ashore! Passengers disembark and crew offload after a long Atlantic crossing.

Who Helps the 'Home Help'? Who Helps the 'Home Help'?
Advert 1952 2 mins Location: Liverpool
Mrs Elizabeth Baker unwinds after a busy day with a nice cup of drinking chocolate.

Activities at the Sir Robert Jones Memorial Workshop for Cripples - Liverpool Activities at the Sir Robert Jones Memorial Workshop for Cripples - Liverpool
Charity appeal 1936 26 mins Silent Location: Liverpool
Bookbinding and a bagatelle: training for disabled people in the interwar years.

Sphinx Reel - Highlights of Commem Week Sphinx Reel - Highlights of Commem Week
Student film 1952 12 mins Location: Liverpool
Student life and all that jazz - a visit to Liverpool University in1952.

But Seriously But Seriously
Student film 1962 14 mins Location: Liverpool
It's a hard life being an misunderstood genius - I really should get out more.
New

We Outlaws We Outlaws
Drama 2019 33 mins
China in the early 1990s. By day, Chen Shi is a man employed in a textile workshop. At night, she is a woman in a red dress. One evening, she falls in love with a man she meets at a dance hall.

How to Die Young in Manila How to Die Young in Manila
Drama 2020 12 mins
A teenage boy trails a group of young hustlers, thinking one of them may be his anonymous hook-up for the night.

Kiss of the Rabbit God Kiss of the Rabbit God
Fantasy 2019 15 mins
A Chinese-American restaurant worker falls in love with an 18th century Qing dynasty god, who visits him at night and leads him on a journey of sexual awakening and self-discovery.

Chromosome Sweetheart Chromosome Sweetheart
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2017 5 mins
Beautifully crafted animation reflecting on love as it takes on different shapes and identities.

Unnamed Unnamed
Drama 2019 29 mins
Ya-Ting wants to change her name because she considers it too feminine. She seeks help from her best friend Jia-Hao, but interrupts his one-night stand with a guy he met online.

Discover Your City: Soho Discover Your City: Soho
1962 12 mins Location: Soho
A children’s guide to bustling Soho, with a glimpse of its music industry, architecture and thriving restaurant scene.