Biography of 'Group 5 / Clansman Films'
Amateur film-making group
Group 5 was formed in 1962 by amateur cine enthusiast Ron Miller - not as a traditional cine club with weekly meetings, but as an organisation that came together on an ad hoc basis for the discussion and planning of productions. Both Group 5 and its sister club Clansman shared common interests and membership. In general Group 5 made action films and Clansman made documentaries.
Over a period of twenty years both groups’ productions would win awards at amateur film festivals across the UK. Group 5 mainly produced adventure stories starring young people (Donald of the Colours 1975) and involving some spectacular stunts (Oils for Neptune and Race to Nowhere). Race to Nowhere (1967) won the principle award at the 1967 Scottish Amateur Film Festival and was dubbed by the Daily Express as "A Winner! 007 Without Sex!" The highlight of the film is a car chase that culminates in an explosion over a cliff. This dramatic scene was created using five cameras, two identical cars and a number of explosives. The police and explosive experts were on hand to ensure everything happened safely. This stunt was a first for amateur filmmaking.
Clansman’s documentaries set out to record dying crafts and industries (Horn Carving, Linen Weaving, Farewell to Steam) as well documenting current events in the region. One of the most ambitious of their documentaries was Movieman (1979) a biography of cinema manager Jimmy Nairn, the man who first inspired Ron Miller as a boy to pick up a camera.
Researcher: Melissa Stewart
Films associated with 'COCOZZA, Enrico'
ABERDEEN ASSOCIATION FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS [4233]Add to my filmsA film following two school children as they spend the day with Inspectors from the Aberdeen Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (AAPCA) |
1973 mute col |
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ABERDEEN HARBOUR AND AIRPORT [4247]Add to my filmsGeneral views of ships in Aberdeen harbour, followed by long shot of planes coming into land at Aberdeen airport at dusk. |
1979 sound col |
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ABERDEEN HARBOUR AND ROBERT GORDON'S [4206]Add to my filmsBoys enjoy line-fishing in Aberdeen harbour, general views of the harbour itself. Exterior footage of Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology. |
1981 sound col |
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ABERGLEN [4232]Add to my filmsAn Oil rig Platform being towed by tugs out to sea. |
1979 mute col |
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ABERGLEN - INTEL FISH FILLETING LINE [4219]Add to my filmsWomen working in the Aberglen-Intel fish filleting production line. |
1978 silent col |
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ABERGLEN ORBITS STRUCTURES AT NEWTONHILL AND ARDBECK [4274]Add to my filmsFilm promoting the uses of the Spandrel Orbit Structure company's instant temporary building frameworks. |
1978 silent col |
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ADAMS TRAILERS [4246]Add to my filmsFilm promoting the tractor trailers made by Adams of Old Deer, Aberdeenshire. |
Onsite only |
1968 sound col |
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AGRICULTURE AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES IN SHETLAND [4277]Add to my filmsA look at agriculture and other industries in Shetland, circa late 1960s [mute] |
1968 mute col |
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ARRIVAL OF BRITANNIA IN ABERDEEN [4264]Add to my filmsThe Royal Yacht Britannia, moored in Aberdeen harbour. Prince Philip disembarks, greets awaiting crowds and leaves by car. |
1953 silent col |
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ATC GLIDING [4223]Add to my filmsRAF Air Cadet gliders in action. |
1971 sound col |
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ATTIC SUNRISE / SUNSET RETAKES [4253]Add to my filmsSimple animation sunrise and sunsets repeated over and over. |
sound col |
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ATTIC XMAS '82 - FOREST GIANT [4234]Add to my filmsA strange film showing a 'Forest Giant' moving through a forest. |
1982 mute col |
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AUCHTERTURRA [4216]Add to my filmsComic performance by one of the characters from Scotland the What?. An Aberdeen football fan addresses a humorous good luck message to his team, on behalf of the fictitious village of Auchterturra. Expresses his unhappiness at being unable to be at the match himself. |
1982 sound col |
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AUTUMN COLOURS [4251]Add to my filmsLandscape in all its autumnal beauty. Close-ups of various leaves, brief shots of children playing, forest countryside, a river. |
1966 silent col |
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BALMORAL GLASSFIBRE BUOY AT STONEHAVEN [5011]Add to my filmsFilm showing the repair of a buoy. |
1982 mute col |
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BRENT SYSTEM, the [4224]Add to my filmsThis amateur film concerns the development of the Aberdeenshire oil infrastructure. |
1977 silent col |
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CHRISTMAS IN LIGHT [2640]Add to my filmsThe switching on ceremony of the Christmas illuminations in Union Street, Aberdeen. |
Onsite only |
1965 silent col |
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CLANSMAN AT WORK [2643]Add to my filmsA humorous look at how a film is conceived and made [filmed by Clansman amateur filmmakers]. |
1965 sound bw |
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COCK O' THE NORTH: The Gordons Through History [4227]Add to my filmsFilm tracing the Gordons through history. |
1972 sound col |
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COLLIESTON GALA [4221]Add to my filmsGeneral views of the Collieston Gala Day, July 1958, a swimming event arranged by Dee Swimming club and visitors from nearby ship HMS Scott. |
1958 sound col |
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D CABS [5012]Add to my filmsA film advertising the safety measures installed in tractor cabs. |
1970 sound col |
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DEESIDE INDUSTRY, a [2641]Add to my filmsThe processing and distillation of lavender oil at the Banchory lavender growers, Ingasetter Ltd. |
1965 sound col |
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DONALD OF THE COLOURS [3020]Add to my filmsFollowing the bloodbath of Culloden field, one young boy, Donald, attempts to return to his clan with their colours intact. On his journey he encounters two other children, a brother and sister, left to fend for themselves after arriving in Scotland from France with the Prince and their father. Their journey is fraught with danger as Cumberland's orders to wipe out the clans are put into practice by the Redcoats. |
1975 sound col |
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DUBROVNIK 1965 [4249]Add to my filmsThe old town of Dubrovnik, the people, the buildings, the open air market etc. |
1965 silent col |
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EVERYMAN [4226]Add to my filmsStrange film about ghost/spirits etc (?). |
1964 sound col |
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FAMILY ALBUM, 1951 [4263]Add to my filmsA holiday family album, with three little brothers in starring roles. Holiday antics on the beach, at the playpark and the river are recorded. |
1951 silent bwcol |
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FAREWELL TO STEAM [2648]Add to my filmsSteam trains at Aberdeen and Ballater stations, watched by enthusiasts. The trains include "Sir Nigel Gresley", "Union of South Africa" and "City of Aberdeen". |
1965 sound col |
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FESTIVAL OF BON ACCORD PARADE: July 31st 1965 [4207]Add to my filmsA record of the 1965 Bon Accord Parade in Aberdeen. Various colourful floats make their way down Union Street, crowds cheer and the Floral Queens are awarded prizes. |
1965 sound col |
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FIBRE TO FABRIC: The Story of Aberdeen Flax [4268]Add to my filmsThe story of Aberdeen Flax processed at Richards of Aberdeen Ltd. |
1970 sound bw |
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FIDDLERS 1980 [4239]Add to my filmsBrief general views of a Vaudeville style stage show (could be a panto), followed by shots backstage in dressing room. [Possibly at the Pavilion Theatre] |
1980 silent bw |
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FLAX MAKING [4558]Add to my filmsAll the different processes at Richards of Aberdeen Ltd, including general views of the flax making process from cutting and drying in the fields to the factory. General views of the raw flax entering the plant and being passed through the various stages until the cloth is ready to be dispatched. Donor information - the fields were in Banff and Buchan. |
1969 silent bw |
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FLOODING MINE TEST [4279]Add to my filmsShots of the film-makers preparing a scene in which two young boys are trapped and tied in a water lock (or "mine") with rapidly rising water. |
1979 sound col |
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GANG SHOW, the [2649]Add to my filmsRehearsals of the final performance of "The Gang Show" at Her Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen. |
1967 sound bwcol |
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GROUP 5 COMPILATION [4280]Add to my filmsCompilation of excerpts from Group 5's body of films. Includes brief footage of Group 5 members shooting on location. |
1970 sound bwcol |
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HELICOPTER LANDING [4218]Add to my filmsA helicopter lands on an oil rig helipad. |
1979 mute col |
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HIGHLAND LINE, the [2650]Add to my filmsShots of the stations and scenery along the "Highland Line" from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh. [unfinished production?] |
1962 mute col |
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HMS THORNHAM [4228]Add to my filmsShots of HMS Thornham leaving Aberdeen Harbour with a crew onboard. The ship sails away from the Harbour into the North sea. Shots of the crew and int. and ext. shots of the ship. There is a life saving exercise were a crew member has to retrieve a basket from the water. The ship then sails back into Aberdeen Harbour. |
1989 mute col |
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HORN CARVING [2645]Add to my filmsThe craftsman Hamish Robson at work in his workshop in Braemar. |
1962 sound bw |
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HOSE FOR THE JOB, the [4215]Add to my filmsA record of the work inside Richards hosepipe factory of Aberdeen. Includes pipe weaving, safety checks and firemen using the finished article. |
1965 mute bwcol |
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JOHNSTONE GARDENS, ABERDEEN [2642]Add to my filmsViews of the flowers and trees in Aberdeen's Johnston Gardens. |
1973 silent col |
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KILDRUMMY RALLY 1959, the [3103]Add to my filmsThe Kildrummy Rally of 1959; vintage vehicles travel from Kildrummy to Aberdeen, where competitions are held in Vintage, Veteran and Motorcycle classes. Includes footage of very early and unusual vehicles, such as 1908 Stanley steam car, and an 1899 Beaston Tricycle. |
1959 sound col |
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KIRKIN' THE COUNCIL [4260]Add to my filmsUnsure what this is exactly- from initial inspection of neg A&B rolls: Soldiers, firemen, pilots, streets thronged with people, dignitaries and VIPs, swimming pool scenes, new motorway is opened?, Winston Churchill [N.B. probably archive footage], University scenes. |
1946 mute bw |
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KITCHEN BED, the [3102]Add to my filmsThe depiction of a poem in which a young girl views family life from her bed in the kitchen. |
Onsite only |
1982 sound col |
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KUM KARTING [3108]Add to my filmsFilm of a race meeting at Fordoun Aerodrome which includes a heat of the British Kart Championship. There are shots of people racing around a go-kart track. There are also shots of the go-karts being made and fixed by a mechanic. During one of the races there is an accident when one of the karts topples over and the driver is injured, an ambulance is called and the driver is taken away. |
1960 sound bw |
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LAST FISHERMAN, the [4217]Add to my filmsA day in the life of the last line fisherman in Aberdeenshire, Norman Grant of Collieston, with a voiceover giving details of his work. |
1958 sound col |
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LAST OF THE MANY, the [4240]Add to my filmsScenes on the last day of use of the City of Aberdeen's Tramcars 3rd of May 1958. Tracking shot of Union Street in 1959 to show the difference after all the tramlines were lifted and the road resurfaced. |
1958 silent bw |
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LINEN WEAVING [2646]Add to my filmsA linen weaver in the Kincardineshire village of Luthermuir setting up and working at his loom. [The last linen weaver to weave by hand]. |
1963 sound bw |
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LINN O' QUOICH [4287]Add to my filmsExcerpt from an amateur fictional film. |
1982 sound col |
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LITTLE WATER MUSIC, a [4235]Add to my filmsAn example of abstract / "pure" film-making. The cameraman manipulates close-up shots of moving waters, via focus control and colour filters, to create an abstract pattern of colour forms and dancing light. |
1975 sound col |
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LIVING SAND [4222]Add to my filmsDocuments the work of marine biologists at the Aberdeen Marine Laboratory. |
1966 sound col |