Lightermen-Part 1 (1985)

This visually stylised film shows the crew of a tugboat towing rubbish down the tidal Thames, telling versions of their industrial history between episodes of skilled labour, breakfast, a waterfight and plenty of cups of tea.
Starting at Gravesend, the tug 'General VII' visits sites along the Thames and its bywaters to collect and deposit huge open lighters of rubbish. London's docks were largely derelict at this time;the big cargoes had all gone to Tilbury and beyond, but re-development was years away.This crew were among the last few hundred of London's lightermen. Some of them are sentimental about the past, including apprenticeship on the sailing barges; others celebrate the passing of casualised labour and mass poverty.
The tug in the film was lost with all hands in a collision the following year; this particular crew were on transfer from their usual vessel the 'Merit'.
The film observes the details of their working day in scenes hard to imagine now, not least for health and safety reasons. Their schedule depends heavily on the tide and frantic activity is interspersed with long periods of waiting, often filled with cups of tea but in one case with a waterfight.

Camera- Susi Arnott
Sound- Matthew Evans
Directed and edited- Susi Arnott and Matthew Evans
Sound post-production-Paul Hamblyn
16mm b&w
Running time: 30min 30sec
Shot on a range of hand-held cameras with black and white film stock. The visual style is heavily influenced by the Picture Post school of B&W photography. The film makers were students of Colin Young at the NFTVS, who coined the term 'observational cinema'.

Видео Lightermen-Part 1 (1985) канала LondonsScreenArchive