Wood Goes to War (clip)

Questions

• Why was it important to inspect the work thoroughly?
• Was it common for women to work in factories before the war?
• What were women encouraged to do after the war?
• Why were rifle stocks made of wood and why were they oiled?
• What skills are they using in this job?
• Is this an example of job production, flow production or batch production?

Activities

Compare this film with post-war films from the 1950s encouraging women to return to home making (eg A Day in the Home). What are the differences in attitudes toward women in work? Find out what changed.

Discuss the ethics of ammunition production.

Using this and other films in the collection, discuss the different ways (e.g. advertisement, infomercial and sponsorship) that filmmakers and advertisement producers market their clients' products and encourage people to buy.

Compose and write your own music and narration to accompany this film.

Rosie the Riveter was a media propaganda creation devised in America to encourage women into the factories while men were away fighting in the Second World War. Research images of Rosie the Riveter and create a modern campaign to encourage both men and women to help out with the war effort.