Summary

A 16mm motion picture film featuring a television commercial for the Kodak Retinette 1A camera outfit, promoting it as a hobby to make a man 'the king of his castle' with a hobby 'the whole family can enjoy'. It was produced in 1959 for Berry Currie Hawkins advertising agency, who were commissioned by Kodak Australasia. It features a catch phrase used in many Kodak advertisements from the late 1950s to mid 1960s "It's made by Kodak, so you know it's good", stressing the quality of the product.

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

Commercial for Kodak Retinette 1A Outfit. It opens with a man coming home and his wife and son to busy with their hobbies to spend time with him. In the newspaper he sees an ad and gets himself a Kodak Retinette Camera, taking photographs and sharing the slides with the family. There is a male voice over narration and light music throughout.

Physical Description

16mm cellulose acetate motion picture film; Black and White; Television commercial (TVC); Optical sound; 1959. POTENTIAL DUPLICATE OF MM 135499.

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, 1959

  • Agent

    Advertising, Berry Currie Hawkins Pty Ltd, 252 Collins Street, Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1959

  • Recording Details

    Commercial TV, 00:01:15 HH:MM:SS, Excellent, 16MM cellulose acetate motion picture film; B&W; Television commercial (TVC); Optical sound; 1959; 50 feet

  • Content Summary

    1, 00:00:00 HH:MM:SS, Leader countdown,2, 00:00:09 HH:MM:SS, Man enters home, greets his wife who waves and leaves, and then greets his son who says goodbye. Camera pans in to man confused, who shrugs.,3, 00:00:20 HH:MM:SS, Crossfade to man at kitchen table. He lifts his dinner cover and turns away in disgust. It's cold. He picks up the paper.,4, 00:00:25 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of man reading paper. Voice over: "Maybe I should have a hobby too" and it zooms in on the Kodak advertisement on the page.,5, 00:00:31 HH:MM:SS, Close up of advertisement (a picture of man with a camera),6, 00:00:34 HH:MM:SS, Crossfade to boy playing with aeroplane on his bed. He looks up. Voice over of male narrator commences: "That's how things USED to be in this family, but the Kodak Retinette...",7, 00:00:37 HH:MM:SS, Man with camera instructs son to pose. Wife hangs onto man's arm. Voice over: '...1A Camera...",8, 00:00:39 HH:MM:SS, Mid shot of man taking photograph. Voice over "...changed all that and...",9, 00:00:40 HH:MM:SS, Boy posing with plane on bed. Camera flashes. Voice over: "...Dad came into his own around the house",10, 00:00:42 HH:MM:SS, Wife and man look pleased. Voice over: "Thanks to his new hobby, colour photography",11, 00:00:44 HH:MM:SS, Man comes home and wife takes his coat and things. Boy looks excited. Camera follows family into lounge room where they gather around a slide projector. Voice over: 'They all wait now to see Dad's beautiful colour slides. It's HIS show and they're all in it, enjoying fun the whole family can share. Be the king...",12, 00:00:53 HH:MM:SS, Man shows son slides and loads them into the projector. Voice over: "...your castle. Make beautiful colour slides of you family...",13, 00:00:56 HH:MM:SS, Slide projector with images of boy and his plane, and wife in the garden.,14, 00:00:59 HH:MM:SS, Crossfade to image of Camera Outfit against black backdrop. A cardboard cartoon man holds up a price sign. White text fades in and out of shot with product name and details.,15, 00:01:07 HH:MM:SS, Graphic against textured backdrop. It reads: 'CAMERAS / KODAK / FILMS'. Voice over: "It's made by Kodak, so you know it's good"

  • 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, Advertisements, Photographic Products