Streets Ahead

Exeter
1970
Sound
20m

Miracle urban renewal and redevelopment in Victorian Newtown, Exeter.

This jovial government instructional film takes a look at some of the ground-breaking council initiatives for urban renewal and regeneration in the Newtown district of Exeter - an area riddled with run-down Victorian terraces and poor amenities. Arguing against inflicting wholesale redevelopment, this film is a manifesto for community-orientated upgrades to housing, services and transport.

The film was made for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (via the Central Office of Information) by World Wide Pictures - a production outfit whose origins stem from the early days of the British documentary movement.

Animation Goes to Work

For those with an official message to get across, animation is the perfect messenger

Animation has an almost magical ability to charm and captivate. And those same qualities also make it a strikingly effective communication tool. It grabs attention, speaks to all ages, and can distil complex messages into simple and appealing visual metaphors. For government or other august bodies, cartoon antics have often been the perfect jam to sweeten the pill of official communications, whether to explain sweeping change or impart health and safety messages. And for the inventive animator, even the most utilitarian brief is no barrier to the most outlandish of treatments.