Summary

A 16mm motion film featuring a short animated advertisement for the Kodak Instamatic 56-X Camera, 1972-1976.

This camera was part of the X-series Instamatic camera range which used a Magicube to produce flash for indoor or night photography. Magicube operated with self-powered flash technology, doing away with the need for batteries.

This commercial, produced in the mid-1970s by Atlab for Kodak Australasia, features a young boy taking photographs around his home and telling the audience about it in a catchy rhyme which goes as follows: "Got a beaut' camera given to me / Tried it out on me family / Shot ma dad and I shot ma Mum / Shot ma sister, only had one / Got me shots back, they were great / except the one of me headless mate."

The boy closes the ad with, "Shot this film in colour, I didn't miss / Hey, you oughtta get a camera like this". His broad Australian accent and the use of humour and badly framed photography was likely intended to make photography seem accessible and non-intimidating. Kodak were presenting this as an ideal hobby camera and learning tool for children. 'Start with black and white film and move on to colour', the narrator says. This way, both parents and children are drawn to the product - it appears to be fun, affordable and almost disposable.

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 commercial advertising Kodak cameras. It is a colour animation following a young boy as he takes photos around the home. There is a voice over rhyming narration, where the young boy explains his experience with photography and it closes with an adult male narrator explaining the pricing and details.

Physical Description

16mm polyester motion picture film; Colour; Television commercial (TVC); Optical sound; 1976; A POTENTIAL DUPLICATE OF THIS FILM IS STORED IN THE MIDDLE TRAY OF BOX L1231840.

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, 1972 - 1976
    While the film stock this commercial is on is dated to 1976, the camera itself was produced from 1972.

  • Recording Details

    Commercial TV, 00:00:58 HH:MM:SS, Excellent, 16mm polyester motion picture film; Colour; 30 feet;Television commercial (TVC); Optical sound; 1976

  • Content Summary

    1, 00:00:01 HH:MM:SS, Atlab intertitle and leader countdown,2, 00:00:17 HH:MM:SS, Zoom out from boy's face to him loading the film cartridge in lounge room. Dog sleeps on floor. Boy: 'Got a beaut camera given to me',3, 00:00:21 HH:MM:SS, Close up of with nose against camera,4, 00:00:22 HH:MM:SS, Close up of dog as though through camera.,4, 00:00:22 HH:MM:SS, Man sleeping in hammock on lawn. Boy appears in foreground.,6, 00:00:23 HH:MM:SS, Close up of man looking startled as camera clicks.,7, 00:00:24 HH:MM:SS, Woman hanging washing out on clothesline with curlers in hair. Boy appears over fence and takes photo. She is startled.,8, 00:00:25 HH:MM:SS, Close up of woman startled behind a sheet.,9, 00:00:25 HH:MM:SS, Girl in pink dress in foreground. Boy creeps up behind her in backyard with camera.,10, 00:00:27 HH:MM:SS, Close up of girl's face.,11, 00:00:28 HH:MM:SS, Boy at desk opening envelope of developed film. Camera tracks up to above the desk where he lays out photographs and camera zooms in.,12, 00:00:30 HH:MM:SS, Close up of snapshots spread on desk, mostly containing mis-framed shots. Camera pans across to photo of person with head out of frame.,13, 00:00:32 HH:MM:SS, Boy kneeling on floor in bedroom taking a photo. He leans in. Male voice over narration commences.,14, 00:00:33 HH:MM:SS, Girl in pink dress posing before dresser. Camera flashes intermittently. Voice over: "...Fifty-Six Ex camera is the easy way to learn about photography.",15, 00:00:36 HH:MM:SS, Close up of boy with camera.,16, 00:00:37 HH:MM:SS, Dog by fireside looks up and puckers lips for camera. Flash. Voice over: "It's only fifteen dollars thirty and you can start with ...",17, 00:00:39 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of girl in pink dress posing as camera flashes. Voice over: "...black and white film, then go to...",18, 00:00:41 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of family smiling. Voice over: "...colour!",19, 00:00:41 HH:MM:SS, Close up of boy leaning on desk holding a photograph. Narration over. Boy recommences: "Shot this film in colour. I didn't miss". Camera pans to follow his hand as he places the photo next to an animated 56-X camera.,20, 00:00:43 HH:MM:SS, Animated 56-X with price handwritten underneath. Kodak 'K' logo spins out of its lens and the rest of the image fades away leaving logo and '$15.30 Recommended Price' written beneath. Boy: "Hey you oughtta get a camera like this".,21, 00:00:49 HH:MM:SS, End leader tape.

  • Format

    Motion Film, 16 mm, Colour

  • Language

    English

  • Classification

    Manufacturing & industry, Photographic products, Promotional materials

  • Category

    History & Technology

  • Discipline

    Technology

  • Type of item

    Audiovisual

  • Keywords

    Photography, Manufacturing, Advertising, Motion Picture Films, Cameras, Television Production