Please read Understanding catalogue records for help interpreting this information and Using footage for more information about accessing this film.

Title: SHEPHERD'S DIARY, a

Reference number: 5473

Date: 1961c

Production company: [ Templar Film Studio]

Sound: mute

Original format: 16mm

Colour: bw

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 19.50 mins

Description: A diary of shepherd Kenneth McFarlane's duties from March to November, including visits to the Royal Highland Show and Scottish National Fat Stock Show.

There is a script held at National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive. The film held in the Archive is however, mute (ie there is no soundtrack deposited)

Shotlist: Title. (0.09) ls Hill farm in spring; m/s old farm house, then new (0.34) c/u shepherd Kenneth McFarlane (0.37) c/u 'March' page in calendar; sheep, the 'hoggs' (the best of the previous year's female lambs that have been selected to join the main breeding flock) come home from wintering away, their horns are branded; c/u sheep as it is branded (1.23) pan over snowy landscape to sheep; gvs shepherds dose each sheep with worming fluid, using a pistol-type feeder (2.17) l/s his wife, Helen takes down washing from the line (2.38) gvs near lambing, KM brings the ewes down to fenced, sheltered grazing (3.28) ls HM feeds the chickens; ints henhouse, lifting a bird out of its nesting box to gather eggs (4.48) April (4.52) gvs KM finds a sheep with a new-born lamb; lambs suckling (5.20) c/u lamb, lying in shade (5.29) ms lambs and dead mother; Helen hand feeding orphan lamb (5.55) ls KM walking across hillside; dead lamb lying in stream; flock of sheep and lambs (7.04) KM repairing the fence around his home (7.20) Helen plays with their children, Muriel and Brian; KM in the garden (7.34) m/s pile of lime [paid for by Government Grant] (7.38) -blank- (7.41) gvs hill fields (7.49) June (7.52) KM seated on brae with his dogs; clipping rams with hand shears; rolling a fleece of more than six feet square (8.40) gvs Royal Highland Show, participants showing cattle, horses (9.01) Blackface tent; c/u prize winning sheep (9.15) gvs events, motorcycle display, show jumping (9.42) gvs KM and his dog, Craig make their rounds, KM and Craig working with the sheep (10.27) gvs KM and neighbouring shepherds split male lambs from the flock and castrate them; m/s man keeping a written note; c/u process [now named wedders] (11.15) ls KM feeding Craig (11.22) July (11.25) gvs annual shearing; pile of fleeces (12.33) diagram showing the fresh growth which the shearers must cut through to keep the fleece together (12.39) c/u shearing; ls shorn sheep in pen (12.47) August (12.50) gvs dipping, by man wearing goggles and a waterproof coat [no gloves]; sheep shake dry (13.56) September (13.59) lambs are split into ewes kept for next year's flock; wedders for market and those still to be fattened (14.31) c/u paint marking sheep (14.42) wedders grazing in field of rape (14.59) elevated shot, lambs are herded onto a truck [taken from truck roof]; the last few are shoved on and the door closed; pan truck leaving (15.48) lambs are unloaded at market; c/u cattle weighbridge (16.18) ints. auction room (16.42) October (16.46) gvs ewe hoggs are taken to their winter grazing, (17.04) ewes are separated from the flock and dosed with medicine (17.30) November (17.34) gvs Scottish National Fat Stock Show in Edinburgh; prize winning stock and crops; c/u blackface sheep (18.43) auction; Blackface carcases (19.10) taking tea; c/u recumbent pig (19.27) ls KM walking across hillside (19.50)