Summary
A 16mm motion film featuring a short television advertisement for the Kodak Instamatic Camera which operated with Kodapak cartridge film. The commercial features a man loading the Verichrome Pan film cartridge and taking photographs with an Instamatic during a skydive. The key persuasive message of the advertisement is that Kodak cameras are simple to operate and "exhilarating" to own.
This particular commercial is notable for its departure from other Kodak advertisements of the early 1960s, which took place in domestic or holiday settings and promoted the camera using nostalgia and family-friendly fun. The skydiver is much more adventurous and independent but he still illustrates the same principles of most Kodak consumer advertisements - the user-friendly nature of the Kodak products. Only in this commercial the action is much faster, the camera angles more dynamic, the shot-to-shot transitions faster and tighter. According to former Marketing Manager John Kerr, this commercial was awarded an industry prize for its innovation and originality.
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
A television commercial advertising the Kodak Instamatic Camera. It starts in a plane with a man discussing the simplicity of loading Kodak Instamatic Camera cartridge film. He jumps from the plane, loads the camera and takes photos mid-air and lands. On the ground a woman loads her camera and takes a photo of another skydiver landing. It ends with animated stills of the different instamatic cameras commercially available, juxtaposed against a moving backdrop of the sky. The commercial closes with the word Kodak against the same backdrop.
Physical Description
16mm cellulose acetate motion picture film; Black and White; Television commercial (TVC); Optical sound; 1964 Originally housed in a red and yellow Recordak branded cardboard box with Berry Currie advertising sticker. Film was wound on a yellow plastic reel.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Donation from Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd, Ms. Kate Metcalf - Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd, 2005
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Acknowledgement
Courtesy of Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd.
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Organisation Depicted
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Agent
Berry Currie Advertising (VIC.) Pty Ltd, Victoria, Australia, 1964
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Producer
Fanfare Films Pty Ltd, Richmond, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1964
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Recording Details
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Content Summary
00:00:00 Min:Sec, Leader countdown and intertitle with 'Fanfare Films' logo and name,00:00:08 HH:MM:SS, Fade from black to shot of a plane flying in the sky.,00:00:11 HH:MM:SS, Cross fade to aerial shot of side of small plane.,00:00:13 HH:MM:SS, Two men in goggles and jumpsuits inside a plane. The man on the right holds a camera and says "This is the Kodak Instamatic Camera",00:00:16 HH:MM:SS, Cuts to close up of camera in hand. Dialogue "The simplest camera to own because...",00:00:18 HH:MM:SS, Close up of Verichrome Pan Kodapak cartridge in hand. Dialogue: '...the film comes ready to load...",00:00:21 HH:MM:SS, The man on the right passes the camera to the man on the left saying his is going to show how simple it is by filming the Instamatic camera. They move off screen to the left.,00:00:27 HH:MM:SS, Two men climb out of aeroplane door. The man continues to explain he will film the camera loaded during free fall.,9, 00:00:29 HH:MM:SS, Side view of plane with men holding to side. One man waves.,10, 00:00:31 HH:MM:SS, Inside at plane door, man turns to camera,11, 00:00:32 HH:MM:SS, Man nods to camera.,12, 00:00:33 HH:MM:SS, Side view of aeroplane as men jump from it. Camera follows them down and voice over narration commences with "And there go the skydivers",13, 00:00:35 HH:MM:SS, Overhead aerial shot of two skydivers free falling, holding hands. Voice over: "...plummeting earthwards at 120 miles an hour",14, 00:00:38 HH:MM:SS, Close up of skydiver falling,15, 00:00:39 HH:MM:SS, Skydiver falling with land visible in the background. Voice over: "Watch closely",16, 00:00:40 HH:MM:SS, Low-angle shot of skydiver's face. Voice over: 'They're getting ready',17, 00:00:41 HH:MM:SS, Close up of skydiver loading Instamatic cartridge and looking to camera. Voice over explaining actions.,18, 00:00:45 HH:MM:SS, Low angle close up of skydiver's face looking forward. Zooms out slightly,19, 00:00:46 HH:MM:SS, Aerial overhead shot of skydiver aiming camera. Voice over explains actions.,20, 00:00:47 HH:MM:SS, Side view of skydiver's face. An animated white frame appears around his face with the sound effect of a camera shutter clicking and the shot freezes before the white frame fades and action resumes.,21, 00:00:49 HH:MM:SS, Aerial overhead shot of skydiver releasing parachute. Voice over: "And all in a matter of seconds",22, 00:00:51 HH:MM:SS, Side view of parachute released. Voice over: "And there goes the parachute",23, 00:00:53 HH:MM:SS, Low angle, wide shot of parachute flaring,24, 00:00:54 HH:MM:SS, Mid-shot of two men and a woman standing in a field, smiling and talking. The woman, in the foreground, holds a camera.,25, 00:00:55 HH:MM:SS, Low angle shot of skydiver descending. Voice over "Down to earth now...",26, 00:00:57 HH:MM:SS, Close up of woman's hands loading the film and pressing the film winding lever. Narrator explains action.,27, 00:01:01 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of two men and a woman. The woman raises camera to eye. Voice over "Shoot away...",28, 00:01:02 HH:MM:SS, Skydiver descending which cuts quickly to low angle of parachute. Voice over "...for the best pictures you've ever taken",29, 00:01:03 HH:MM:SS, Skydiver lands. White frame appears around his body and the shot freezes to a still before continuing to show the skydiver landing.,30, 00:01:05 HH:MM:SS, Shot of man climbing out plane door. Voice over: "It's exhilarating...",31, 00:01:06 HH:MM:SS, Overhead aerial shot of skydiver jumping from plane and releasing parachute. An animated Instamatic camera is pasted over the body of the skydiver and then zooms into focus at the centre of the screen. Voice over"fun to own a Kodak Instamatic camera. Choose from the range priced from four pounds nineteen at chemists...,32, 00:01:12 HH:MM:SS, Other images of Instamatic cameras appear in a circle around the central Instamatic model with the price listed above and text written below. Voice over: "and Kodak dealers everywhere". In the background is a shot, zooming out, of clouds in the sky. The image of cameras cross-fades to the word 'Kodak'.,33, 00:01:19 HH:MM:SS, Cuts to black and end leader tape.
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Format
Motion Film, 16 mm, Black & White
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Language
English
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Classification
Manufacturing & industry, Photographic products, Promotional materials
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Keywords
