BFI

Making a Compost Heap (d. Margaret Thomson, 1942) is an excellent example of a wartime Ministry of Information instructional film. Making a Compost Heap was one of six films made for the Dig for Victory campaign, which urged civilians to dig up their back yards and grow vegetables to supplement government rationing, by Margaret Thomson between 1941 and 1943. These short films showed wartime audiences how to improve their quality of life and thus helped raise national morale.

It was standard practice for an instructional director to be involved in all stages of production, so Thomson liaised with advisors, wrote the script, controlled the budget, organised the shooting, directed the small crew, wrote the commentary and assisted in post-production. Using long or wide shots to show the layering of materials and close-ups for more detailed instruction, the skills of a specialist from the Royal Horticultural Gardens guide the viewer, who it was assumed knew little about gardening, through the process of making compost, a necessity when fertiliser was in short supply. Quite literally, this film says exactly what it does on the can!

Sarah Easen

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