ABSTRACT
Industrial films are among the least discussed of audiovisual media categories. Exceptions exist, of course, such as the celebrated Night Mail (dir. Harry Watt/Basil Wright, 1936), made by the General Post Office (GPO) film unit, featuring poetry by W. H. Auden and music by Benjamin Britten (Anthony 2007; Claydon 2011; Doctor 2005). Such films tend to be considered in terms of their exceptional qualities rather than those that might typify industrial filmmaking sui generis, however. There are several reasons why this larger project may have been neglected: by comparison with feature-length films, industrial films are usually shorter in duration; a varied approach is taken to their distribution; and their status is primarily promotional rather than aesthetic. Manifesto-like publications relating to documentary by figures such as John Grierson—considered by many the ‘founding father’ of the British documentary movement—elevated certain types of nonfiction filmmaking over others, and this too has impacted the development of a more holistic conception of the repertoire (Grierson 1932–34; 2017).
