Summary

A 16mm motion film featuring a 60 second television advertisement for the Kodak Verifax Signet copier. The commercial, aimed at businesses, takes place in an office and explains the time/cost benefits of the Verifax for office work. This was produced for Brisbane television, and directs viewers to the Kodak Queen Street dealership in Brisbane for a product demonstration.

This film is part of the Kodak collection of products, promotional materials, photographs and working life artefacts collected from Kodak Australasia in 2005, when the Melbourne manufacturing plant at Coburg closed down.

Kodak manufactured and distributed a wide range of photographic products to Australasia, such as film, paper, chemicals, cameras and miscellaneous equipment. Its client base included amateur and professional photographers, as well as specialist medical and graphic art professionals who used photography, x-ray and other imaging techniques.

Description of Content

Television advertisement for the Kodak Verifax Copier. It features a manager at a desk talking about how his company 'smashed the bottleneck' of copying in their business by using the Verifax. One of the female office staff then shows the copier in operation and explains its use.

Physical Description

16mm cellulose acetate motion picture film; Black and White; Television commercial (TVC); Optical sound; 1961 Originally housed in a white and green box with Cambridge Film & TV Productions branding on it. Film was wound on a blue plastic reel.

More Information

  • Collection Names

    Kodak Heritage Collection

  • Collecting Areas

    Images & Image Making, Working Life & Trades

  • Acquisition Information

    Donation from Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd, Ms. Kate Metcalf - Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd, 2005

  • Acknowledgement

    Courtesy of Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd.

  • Organisation Depicted

    Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd, 173 - 199 Elizabeth Street, Coburg, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1961

  • Recording Details

    Commercial TV, 00:01:04 HH:MM:SS, Excellent, 16MM cellulose acetate motion picture film; B&W; Television commercial (TVC); Optical sound; 1961

  • Content Summary

    1, 00:03:00 HH:MM:SS, Liquid pouring from a broken bottleneck,2, 00:00:04 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of man in suit at desk talking to camera "Here's how we smashed the office bottleneck in copying our office records',3, 00:00:08 HH:MM:SS, Office interior. Three women at three desks with man distributing papers. Voice over explaining that work is backed up.,4, 00:00:11 HH:MM:SS, Close up of woman's face, pursing her lips and turning. Voice over continuing to explain work backlog,5, 00:00:13 HH:MM:SS, Close up of fingers on typewriter keys.,6, 00:00:14 HH:MM:SS, Close up of a different woman's face looking down at typewriter.,7, 00:00:15 HH:MM:SS, Fingers on typewriter. Voice over resumes,8, 00:00:16 HH:MM:SS, Close up of third woman's face, gasping. Voice over continues.,9, 00:00:17 HH:MM:SS, Close up of pile of papers dropping into in-tray. Voice over continues.,10, 00:00:18 HH:MM:SS, Pan right to left from contented female office workers at desk to a young woman loading a Verifax copier. She speaks to camera, "Copying's a breeze since we bought a Verifax".,11, 00:00:31 HH:MM:SS, Close-up of document. The woman then places a stack of copies on top saying "These are the five white, clean, dried copies we get in just sixty seconds. Only a few pence each and as often as we like".,12, 00:00:45 HH:MM:SS, Man at desk talking to camera. He says"Time is money these days and Verifax saves both because every copy is photo-exact and error proof". He returns to work.,13, 00:00:52 HH:MM:SS, Shot of Verifax copier with superimposed white text listing name and price of 140 pounds. Voice over: "...For a free demonstration, phone Kodak...",14, 00:00:58 HH:MM:SS, Black text on white background with Kodak logo and 'QUEEN STREET / BRISBANE' inscribed beneath. Voice over concludes with: "at this address".

  • Format

    Motion Film, 16 mm, Black & White

  • Language

    English

  • Classification

    Manufacturing & industry, Photographic products, Promotional materials

  • Category

    History & Technology

  • Discipline

    Technology

  • Type of item

    Audiovisual

  • Keywords

    Photography, Manufacturing, Advertising, Photocopiers, Office Equipment