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Title: SHETLAND EXPERIENCE, the

Reference number: 5106

Date: 1976c

Director: w.d. Derek Williams

Sponsor: The Sullom Voe Environmental Advisory Group for the Sullom Voe Association - a partnership between the Shetland community and participants in the oilfields of the East Shetland Basin.

Production company: Balfour Films

Sound: sound

Original format: 16mm

Colour: col

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 26.07 mins

Description: An overview of traditional Shetland activities and the construction process of the oil terminal at Sullom Voe in the mid 1970s.

Promotional film for BP oil exploitation which tries to show how the industry lives in harmony with the tradition and nature of the Shetland Islands.

Preserved at BP library. See also refs. 5932 - 5935 for alternative shots.

Credits: ph. by Maurice Picot
ed. by Michael Gascoyne
p. ass. James Alloway, Alex Olah
m. Patrick Gowers
p. Douglas Gordon

Shotlist: silhouettes of Shetland islands (0.28) various shots of a vast pipeline being laid in July 1975 (1.24) stormy seas and galeforce winds lashing Shetland (2.27) shots of lichen growing on the rocks because of the Gulf stream (2.58) sheep and horses grazing (3.24) men digging peat (3.35) shots of green farmland surrounded by brown bog ( 3.52) various crofting activities including hoeing and reaping in fields (4.18) brief shot ext. croft nightime (4.23) women knitting and one man playing violin (5.07) fishing boat surrounded by seagulls (5.29) islanders crofting with harbour in background (5.47) gvs Shetland landscape (6.10) shots of standing stones (6.31) preserved excavated village (Jarlshof?), Pictish broch and boats on shore (7.00) c/u Shetlanders in countryside and in village (7.46) shot of Lerwick harbour front (7.52) large liner and various boats at Lerwick harbour (8.05) islanders waving at others on boats (8.26) shots of derelict boathulls and dwellings (8.54) children playing in field outside school (9.02) bridge linking two islands (9.05) brief shot of ferry (9.07) modern tractor (9.11) modern knitwear machinery (9.14) fish factory (9.41) seagulls above boats at harbour , over sea and on rocks (10.33) puffins (10.59) plane descending then cut to Sumburgh airport (11.14) gvs oil workers leaving plane and waiting in airport (11.42) shots oil bases (12.01) oil marine craft in Lerwick harbour (12.22) oil platform viewed from Shetland (12.31) shots manmade influences on Shetland (transmitter aerials etc) (13.31) shots of talking heads of Shetlanders but soundtrack is commentary not dialogue (14.05) gvs fjords (14.31) various shots Sullom Voe (15.11) man watching birds (15.47) man on shoreline taking seaweed samples (16.07) measuring currents, tides, wind, pollution, sounding seabed and disturbance to fishing (16.38) measuring peat and rock on land (16.50) gvs construction in 1974 and preparation before (17.42) new houses, hospital and school (18.13) shots of construction (18.23) Brent and Ninian pipelines being laid in 1976 (19.20) Sullom Voe terminal (19.40) gvs undisturbed Shetland landscape (20.44) stormy sea breaking on rocks (20.52) shot of town (Lerwick?) in snow (21.04) sheep on farm in snow (21.18) town at night (21.42) Up Helly Aa Viking festival (24.33) shots Shetland shoreline during day (24.40) beacon being winched ashore by helicopter (25.33) ecs (26.07)