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Title: HAPPY WEEKEND

Reference number: 0306

Date: 1951

Director: [filmed by T. Ritchie, Nigel McIsaac, Raymond Townsend]

Production company: [ Norton Park Group]

Sound: silent

Original format: 16mm

Colour: bwcol

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 21.26 mins

Description: Story of an experiment in mural painting at Norton Park Junior School, Edinburgh, made by teachers at the school.

Authors' Comment: "The idea here started with the notion of keeping a record of mural paintings - being done by the children in Norton Park School. A plot or story was devised, the shooting in black and white - until the moment when the painters dip their brushes in colour. This ‘happy week-end' covers Friday Night, Saturday Morning, Saturday Afternoon, Saturday Night and Sunday - the art teacher's part taken by a pupil."

See paper archives 4/18.

Credits: Norton Park Production No 1. Made in co-operation with Moray House

Shotlist: [Please note shotlisted from VHS copy, times converted from 25 fps]

REEL 1
[b/w] credits (0.35) shots of a boy pelting another during their art lesson. Class leaves at the bell. the two boys are kept behind to clean up. One boy pockets sticks of chalk from the board (1.58) boys run into the street and divide the chalk. Shots of children meeting more boys in Edinburgh street; other children are playing football [with a tennis ball], girls playing with string toys (2.48) shots of teacher walking out of school [steam trail of train passing at the end of the street briefly visible], waving to a woman at her window; he catches boys drawing on her wall with chalk; housewife orders teacher and children off (4.24) c/u pealing bell (4.41) Teacher uses a book "Michaelangelo Paintings" to show charcoal drawing; To Prepare or Prime Board teacher demonstrates preparation of board for painting a mural; shots measuring primer ingredients, glue, white, water, intercut with class (6.12) children paint on a layer of glue, then white distemper (6.48) Children start to draw with charcoal (8.06) [col] They begin painting. Shots of children painting and various details of the mural (10.17)

REEL II
No credits. shots of the mural approaching completion intercut with shots of catching a bus, playing football, etc; children play out parts in the mural, as scouts, boy's brigade band (11.37) girl spots a leak in the roof; time lapse shots of figures in the mural acquiring features (13.42) blank (14.03) further time lapse shots of details appearing in the mural; lovers standing in a close door are animated, showing a kiss and a smile; the sun sets (15.57) Last of the paint is poured away, intercut with shots of the finished mural (17.15) Shot of finished mural in sequence; scenes portraying Friday Night - Saturday Morning - Saturday Afternoon - Saturday Night - Sunday (19.41) The teacher is presented with flowers. (20.15) He leaves the school, again pausing to say hello, to find the children painting on the wall where they had chalked before - with primer; woman orders them all away, shaking her fist (20.57) Shot in class. Boy holds up a board: The End. Norton Park School, Edinburgh (21.26)