Productivity Primer (1964) - extract

Although best known for 'Roobarb' (1974-5) and 'Henry's Cat' (1983-93), Bob Godfrey had long worked with animation aimed at an adult audience, and in 1964 he made this fantastic film explaining the importance of increasing the gross national product (GNP) and ways in which production can be improved. Each individual's share of the GNP is charmingly dubbed "TOTO", a term which is repeated amusingly throughout. A potentially dry and complex lecture is transformed into an exhilarating day-glo celebration of consumerism. Made for the British Productivity Council, this film was distributed to companies accompanied by notes designed to provoke discussion. (Alex Davidson)

The complete film is featured in the new Mediatheque collection 'We Can Work It Out', over 30 complete films and TV programmes about the world of work in postwar Britain. It includes well-known feature films ('I'm All Right Jack', 'The Man in the White Suit'), TV dramas ('Leeds United!', 'The Rag Trade') and much rarer industrial films, many of which, like 'Productivity Primer' itself, were made for the government-backed British Productivity Council. For more information: http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_southbank/mediatheque/boom_britain_we_can_w...

You can watch over 2000 other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of charge at the BFI Mediatheque. There are Mediatheques at BFI Southbank, London, QUAD, Derby, Central Library, Cambridge, Wrexham Library and the Discovery Museum, Newcastle
http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque
http://www.derbyquad.co.uk/bfi-mediatheque
http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/online/bfi_media
http://www.wrexham.gov.uk/english/community/libraries/mediatheque/index.htm
http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/discovery/whatistheretosee/#bfi-mediatheque

'We Can Work It Out' is being launched as part of 'Boom Britain', the BFI's celebration and reappraisal of postwar documentary filmmaking in Britain: http://www.bfi.org.uk/boombritain.html

You can read more about Bob Godfrey at http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/869480/

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• BFI National Archive
• British Productivity Council
• gross national product
• toto
• BFI Mediatheque
• Boom Britain

[twyborn29]

I love this and had no idea about Bob Godfrey's pre-Roobarb career. Particularly enjoying all the 'oddities' from the archive that you are digging up for this channel. Keep it up!!

[vambo23]

Gorgeous animation.

[BobGodfreyFilms]

@twyborn29 check out the Bob Godfrey channel!

[rosieh101]

Hilarious! Loved it. Brilliant animation. But I didn't realise that the UK government encouraged the growth of GNP through this kind of propaganda. Fascinating

[astralagosto]

Very funny.......the use of the word Toto makes this film very funny. hahahahahaha

Cheers!!!!!

[VOXS2]

very intersting stuff..