How We Made The Adverts

We looked through the museum's collection of objects and found a number of things which were related to local Co-operative stores. To start off we scanned into the the computer a couple of old black and white photographs showing the Co-op stores in Livingston and Tarbrax. In order to bring out the detail in these photos we added a filter over the top of them to give a sepia effect. We decided to add a bit of action by moving the photos around and zooming in and out.

Next we took a tour around the museum to look at some of the things which might have once been sold in the Co-op. We jotted down their names and used the computer to create animated effects for the names of the products which we made fly around the screen.

Our advert needed some sounds, so, using the microphone and the digital camera, we asked our younger visitors to say "co-op" and "mind the divi" for us. We layered these sounds on top of one another to try and mimic the sort of sounds heard in an old-fashioned market. We also found a hoard of pre-decimal coins, which we scanned and moved about on screen. We also made recordings of them moving about, being picked up, dropped and spinning.

We animated an old photograph of a shopkeeper and his assistant. We changed their faces to make it look as if they are speaking.

The Co-op

From the 1870's, many shale mining communities formed their own Co-operative Societies, with collectively operated village stores, and profits returned to members in the form of dividends. Previously most village stores had been owned or controlled by the oil companies. Each member of a Co-operative society had a dividend number and a book which recorded their purchases. At intervals members would receive their dividend - a share of the profits the store had made. The dividend they would receive back would depend on the total amount of money they had spent in the store. Many people relied on the dividend to pay their rent.

Not all societies were equally successful, however, and many eventually amalgamated into the West Calder Co-operative Society which became the largest employer in the area outwith the oil industry.

The Co-op manufactured all the necessities of life from bread to blasting powder, and a fleet of delivery vans ensured that even the smallest communities could share the benefits of co-operation. Through it's many committees, the Society also played a major role in social welfare, education and other community affairs.