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Synopsis:Four hundred miles to the south of Benghazi, in the centre of the Libyan desert, a hundred men are drilling for oil. They have reached a depth of nine thousand feet - and struck it. The well is tested and completed; now they must move to the next location and drill again. This is the story of such a move, as the giant rig is dragged across the sand to a new site.
Awarded a BAFTA in 1966 for Best Short Film.
Shotlist:16:30 - Landrover in desert
17:02 - Sand dunes
17:10 - A man playing with a dog in the desert and smoking (BP logo on Landrover door)
19:22 - Pan of Landrover driving through desert
20:20 - Rig and drilling gvs (good shot from view of drill being lowered)
23:41 - Oil burnt off
24:20 - Muslims praying at sunset on site
25:20 - Other men gambling, drinking and smoking
26:35 - Cabins being lifted onto trucks
28:00 - Digger driving across desert
31:30 - Harnessing bulldozers to rig
32:00 - Rig being moved
33:07 - Truck with nodding donkey on
33:50 - Workers taking shelter under truck at lunchtime, and two native workers talking
34:50 - Shots of women collecting wheat whilst a song in Arabic is being sung
37:20 - Moving rig
38:30 - Workers having a beer after completing the rig move whilst Muslims are praying in the sand
41:40 - End
Desert shots - man rests under truck in heat with heavy machinery as the load
Libya
Sheep/farmers in field/digger pushes sand around the dunes/land rover comes along
Derrick wheeled along in the desert, shot of derrick move
Men pray after work at sun down