Summary

A 16mm motion picture film featuring a television commercial for the Kodak Instamatic Colour Outfit.

It features an elderly woman in a pharmacy, looking for a gift. The chemist recommends the Kodak Instamatic Camera and explains it to her, negating her idea that photography is too complex by showing how it operates and extolling its virtues. The commercial was produced in 1966 by Senior Film Productions for Kodak Australasia, but it is still using the catch phrase "And it's made by Kodak, so you know it's good", a line used as early as the late 1950s for Kodak advertisements to stress the quality and reliability of the product. The camera featured in the commercial is the Instamatic 104.

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 for the Kodak Instamatic Colour Outfit. It takes place in a pharmacy, where an elderly woman shops for a gift for her sister and the Chemist explains the benefits of the Kodak Instamatic. She buys two, one for herself and one for her sister. It concludes with a male narrator and graphic.

Physical Description

16mm cellulose acetate motion picture film; Black and White; Television commercial (TVC); Optical sound; 1966 Originally housed in a white cardboard box with orange sticker. Film was wound on a lime/yellow plastic Kodak Australasia 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, 1966

  • Producer

    Senior Film Productions Pty Ltd, Acland Street, St Kilda, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1966

  • Recording Details

    Commercial TV, 00:01:34 HH:MM:SS, Excellent, 16MM cellulose acetate motion picture film; B&W; Television commercial (TVC); Optical sound; 1966. 50 feet.

  • Content Summary

    1, 00:00:00 HH:MM:SS, Leader countdown with Senior Film Productions intertitle.,2, 00:00:20 HH:MM:SS, Woman in shop looking at gifts. She considers something on the counter. A chemist approaches as asks if he can help.,3, 00:00:27 HH:MM:SS, Woman, walking towards camera says: "...I'm looking for a nice going away gift for my sister",3, 00:00:31 HH:MM:SS, Chemist takes Kodak Instamatic Camera outfit from counter display.,4, 00:00:34 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of woman looking surprised. She says: "A camera?! Ohhhh no, she couldn't use a camera.",5, 00:00:38 HH:MM:SS, Chemist, smiling, explains he's sold cameras to all sorts of people.,6, 00:00:43 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of woman looking surprised.,7, 00:00:44 HH:MM:SS, Chemist: "Look I'll show you why",8, 00:00:45 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of woman looking down.,9, 00:00:46 HH:MM:SS, Close up of chemist loading film cartridge into back of camera.,10, 00:00:50 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of woman looking pleased. She says "May I try that?",11, 00:00:52 HH:MM:SS, Close up of woman's gloved hand loading film cartridge.,12, 00:00:54 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of woman speaking. "Well I never" and she raises the camera to her eye,13, 00:00:56 HH:MM:SS, Shot of chemist as if through camera viewfinder.,14, 00:00:58 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of woman as chemist affixes flash bulb.,15, 00:01:01 HH:MM:SS, Close up of colour picture and colour slide on table. Chemist points to each.,16, 00:01:02 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of woman leaning forward. She says: "Look, I'll take two!",17, 00:01:03 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of chemist saying "Two, madam?",18, 00:01:04 HH:MM:SS, Close up of woman's face. "Yes. One for my sister and one for myself",19, 00:01:07 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of chemist smiling.,20, 00:01:08 HH:MM:SS, Cross fade to graphic of Instamatic Colour Outfit. Narration commences. White text with price fades in and out. The graphic turns and becomes a gift with the work 'Kodak' superimposed across it. Voice over:"And it's made by Kodak so you know it's good". Commercial ends with the voice of the old woman gasping then saying: "I've just remembered my little niece. I'll take THREE!",21, 00:01:31 HH:MM:SS, End.

  • 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

    Factories, Manufacturing, Photography, Advertising, Cameras