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James Kenyon and Sagar Mitchell formed a partnership in the late nineteenth century and made films until 1913. The vast bulk of their output of nearly 800 films comprised actuality films, commissioned by travelling exhibitors for showing at local fairgrounds, theatres and town halls. The 'factory gate' film is an identifiable category within Mitchell and Kenyon's films: the commissioner of the film - often a fairground showman - would often request that as many people as possible be captured within the frame, to encourage the largest possible audience when the film was then screened at a fairground or local venue. Given the sheer numbers of people employed in industry at this time, films of workers leaving coal mines, engineering works, factory gates or, as here, shipyards, proved popular. In the film of Scott and Co's shipyard gates, well-dressed men can occasionally be seen at the left and right of the gates, trying to direct the men's attention towards the camera. These were employees of the filmmakers or of the local showmen, charged with helping to bring as many potential customers' attention to the filming as possible. As a horse and cart leaves the factory, a man leaps onto it and obligingly doffs his hat to the camera. Shona Barrett *This film is included in the BFI DVD compilation 'Tales from the Shipyard', with piano accompaniment by Stephen Horne.
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Mitchell and Kenyon 90 (1:53)
