Business screen magazine (1961)

j^E VIEWPOINT "Where Are All the Young Men Gone? a lament bv film-maker Lcc R. Bobker F IN THE Bright, Sunny world of tomorrow that beckoned the young after World War 11. the exciting growth of the documentary and business film loomed as an attractive, important factor. College graduates from all parts of the country, seeking a career in the arts, found a world of fascinating interest . . . The art of the motion picture, as applied to the world in which we live. Those interested in sociology. . . politics . . . and the dynamics of a world in ferment could apply themselves to the film document as it was then practiced by Stoney. Van Dyck. Flaherty, et al. The Future Looked Bright Those fascinated by a burgeoning technology ... a nation and a world of science and automation . . . could find in the business film an attractive stage on which to practice their art and the future of the film industry and individuals interested in it. looked bright indeed. In the I940"s. scores of young men (and women) with a deep conviction about film forsook the glamour of Hollywood . . . the immediate financial reward of television, and chose, as their life's work, the business film . . . the documentary film. This golden era of the 40's resulted in distinguished films and in giving the entire field a constant supply of vitality so that each year a built-in drive from new men keeping those in the field "on their toes."" There \\ere Works of Art In 1948-1949. it seemed a very exciting place for a young filmmaker to be. The field was los ing its '"amateur" status. Major works of art had been produced by major film-makers in American industry and anyone working in the field could hold his head high when he said '"1 made non-theatrical films" (a strangely negative term, by the way. to categorize a life's work ) . Then, from this most promising infancy . . . growing pains set in. An unfortunate kind of in-group protectivism. so common to American industry, developed. The \'eneer and the Polisli The small ""gem"" of a company became, by dint of its very excellence, overwhelmingly popular, and empires were built. New York, traditionally the home of the location film ( because there were few stages), became the scene of frantic ""big business" activity . . . stages . . . equipment. The same growing involvement with ""prettiness." ""technique" and '"lushness" that had almost destroyed the major entertainment studios as filmmakers, now moved into New York. TV commercials became a major source of income and employment and the sponsored film began to look like one long commercial. Beautiful . . . well photographed . . . original music . . . etc. but no content and — the young men with talent, creativity, ideas, began to look elsewhere for their life's work. The Maker as a Middleman The film-makers lost control of their product and. although there were exceptions, much of the work of making films was turned over to agency representatives with the A Word About the Author of This Piece t: The writer. Lee R. Bobker. is president of Vision Associates, company formed in I9.S9 by four young filmmakers: Mr, Bobker. Helen R. Kristt. Irving L. Oshman and Seymour J. Weissman. Vision is now in its third year of operation and has compiled an enviable record of distinctive films. At the time of formation, all of Vision's principals were under .1.'^ years of age. 51' film-maker acting as a middleman between client and employee. In Hollywood, the independent film-maker began to produce features of character and box-office ... the stranglehold of the majors on the film industry weakened and finally let go altogether. Television entered the documentary field with a vengeance under the whips of scandal and a new brilliant FCC administrator and. once again, the business film, the sponsored documentary, began to look like a pretty sad place to spend one's life. No Pressure from Below . . . The young men of the 40's were still around making some pretty good films but the pressure from below was gone. A simply good sponsored film looked like a masterpiece and the average young man coming into the field was either a refugee from failure to work features and television and would go back at the first opportunity, or he was. as one of my students recently put it. a man who knew ""there must be some place for mediocrity." The deep conviction that a great film can be made for a large business concern was gone. In its place was a platitude: that there is no place for art in the sponsored film. "Your client will ruin it." "XYZ company doesn't want a great film." "You can't sell 'wommels' and make a great picture at the same time." Two Types of Film Makers This, in turn, led to the split between two types of film-makers: Those who decided ""to give the client what he wants" and those who decided to take the client's money and do what he. the filmmaker wants. In either case, the attraction for the ""top of the class' was gone and with it. the constant infusion of new ideas . . . new techniques . . . new film that had served American industry so well. Myths have grown up: "You can't gel into the field . . . the unions won't let you." "Nobody wants artistic films in this field." ""Its too tough."' "It's dull . . . who wants to sell cars with film." etc. And yet. in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Today, in the world of the New Frontier, there is no field more promising . . . more exciting . . . more filled with the richness of acnievement than the sponi business-docunientary-educat non-theatrical film field. There is no such area in al creative arts that affords a )| man or woman a place to pr: their talent. There is no bu: so full of intellectual interest, lional interest, and no typ career endeavor so in neel young people of talent ... so niising in opportunity. There greater chance for a lifetini continuing education for thi tellectually curious. Look at the facts. The ei| tional film is growing at an u cedented rate . . . being usi explain and interpret every of our complex lives. The A can business corporation, image-conscious than ever, desirous of practicing its corp citizenship, seeks new and exciting ways of using film. Business Wants Real Fill Contrary to cynical com no one in this nation is ready to give a film-mak chance to practice his art tha business corporation. It was Alcoa that made and Te.xlure in Aluminum ishes. a classic film; Smith and French that sponsored chiatric Nursing, an Aca Award nominee; Hamilton \ that commissioned Ages of etc. The business firm is willi put up large amounts of mor let you make film ... if ) good and if your talent can duce something of value Rembrandt would have en such a climate. A World Full of ChallenI The emergence of our i| as a socially conscious one h to the health service agenciej the human affairs groups wlj ford the film-maker an I world in which to make filnt The full range of humaL perience is offered on a silvel ter. He can make films foil vision. He can practice his the whole field of human reli exploring race problems. lU tional problems, problems i aged and. if he really has the use of political films ei him of a frantic but thrillii weeks-long election year. His companions in thisf journey are the great and th() great ... the leading figure, intellectual, financial. hum;l ... of our time. Every mj enriches his life and his expeS so that his ability to makeil grows. He can serve a business coiM Business Screen MaG;*