British Pathe

The British Motor Corporation Ltd presents "Quality" - Reel 1.

01:00:17 L/S Traffic in Regent Street, London. Couple look into the window of a shop (seen from inside shop). High angle shot of Berwick Street Market. Elderly woman looks at cloth and material on market stall. Young woman removes...

The British Motor Corporation Ltd presents "Quality" - Reel 1.

01:00:17 L/S Traffic in Regent Street, London. Couple look into the window of a shop (seen from inside shop). High angle shot of Berwick Street Market. Elderly woman looks at cloth and material on market stall. Young woman removes sunglasses. Shop window display of shoes and handbags. Market stall selling nylon stockings. Cheap looking earrings on market stall. High Angle shot of Berwick Street market. Zoom into one stall. Woman buying necklace from stall. Silverware in jewellers shop window. (This opening section of the film talks about quality and people's view of it).

01:01:04 Chemistry laboratory. Scientists in white coats look through microscopes and take notes. Various chemicals bubble in test tubes. C/U scientist looking a liquid bubbling in glass vase. C/U scientist looks through microscope. Voice over talks about B.M.C. 's attitude towards Quality. Scientists using electronic equipment. Woman scientist looking at apparatus.

01:01:34 Engineer in the tool room measures part. Lots of equipment for measuring. Man views part under microscope. View through microscope. C/U hand moving dial. C/U master tool part. More moving of part and checking measurements. Engineer using thread measuring machine. Using measuring gauges. Engineer places part into machine capable of measuring up to a millionth of an inch. C/U machine in use. Pan along work bench. Machine using diamond to measure hardness of metal. Man looking through hole in piece of metal (weird shot). C/U piece of metal. Electronic surface testing machine. Small graph draw on paper by machine. Man checks machine. More shots of the graph. "When you're seeking quality nothing else will do."

01:04:50 Machine measuring gear. Graph prints out. Man looks at master gears. Valve seatings are test with an air gauge. Lots of measuring and testing of tools.

01:05:47 Scientist shakes metal fragments out of jar and tests them on a machine. The metal fragments are taken to the laboratory for chemical testing. Lots of test tubes and coloured liquids. Scientist uses polarograph to test results. Electronic graph prints off. Scientists at work. Electrolysis tests for copper. Scientist looks on in interest. Scientist looks at "Vickers Projection Microscope". View through microscope. Man alters controls. Man looks through microscope.

01:07:34 Men investigating trace metals with a spectrograph. They look at the print from the spectrograph. Scientist using an eel flame photometer(?). It measures flame colours. Machine measures thickness of chrome plating. Good C/U of needle moving round dial on equipment. Very nerdy looking scientist at work. C/U needle on dial.

01:09:15 Exterior of B.M.C. (BMC - British Motor Corporation) factory with cars parked outside. One car comes towards camera. C/U chrome plating on grill and bumper. Chrome being tested by acids in laboratory. Various fans and bubbling gases and liquids. Paint samples are tested with water soak tests. Plates of painted steel are placed in liquid.

01:10:34 Man puts on protective visor to look at "Weatherometer". View inside machine. It shines light on paint samples. Various strange shots. Woman scientist looks at machine.

01:11:15 Fabrics tested in ultraviolet light, this is to test colour fastness. C/U fabric samples. Testing for wear of fabrics on machine. Woman technician using machine to test the adhesives used in the fabrics. The fabric is being stretched. C/U dial showing load being applied. The fabric comes apart.

01:12:13 Foam rubber tested on machine. C/U dial going round on testing bench. Testing of hard rubber. C/U dial on machine. "Everything has to be tested". Parts being set up for testing. X-ray machine being set up. Shot of a finished engine. Engine lowered onto test bed. Engines tested by technicians. Running engine. Lots of dials showing results of tests. Parts of the engine turning at speed. Scientists testing gearbox. C/U RPM dial. Scientist changing gears.

01:15:07 Two scientists driving car in countryside. The passenger holds a clip board. Cars on road test in North Wales. Various shots of two cars travelling up steep and winding roads. Inside a car a scientist checks various measuring devices. C/U car on test drive (This car is a Wolseley) More test drive shots. Mini cars in wind and rain tunnel for testing. Man inside on of the cars checks for leaks with a torch while the car is subjected to storm test. Car on test track driven through water trough (Austin Westminster). Car on test track, lots of spray from water splash (Wolseley). Engineer looks at car engine (Westminster). Car being tested on cobbled road (M. G. Magnette). Car driven into dust tunnel and out on the other side. Engineer tests inside door seals to see if dust has got in.

Notes: Colour faded on this print. Paperwork includes shotlist and script. Was three reels now kept in two reels.