American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1959)

Industrial Films Need Production Value, Too By DARRIN SCOT The motion pictures produced by or for business firms manufacturers, defense industries, etc., need the element of production value the same as entertainment films. Produc¬ tion value gives a film class. Enhances its impact. Raises it above the level of the mediocre nuts-and-bolts type of production. Time was when the function of the industrial film was simply to make a direct statement of a certain aim on the part of the sponsor. This was done without frills, without sumptuous mounting, without showmanship of any sort. The average sponsor felt that he had a pre-conditioned au¬ dience with a built-in interest quotient. It was enough for him to make his statement, he believed, without going to any particular pains to woo the attention of those who were to view his film. But today the story is different. We live in a rapidly mov¬ ing society which makes many demands on our time and attention. Blatant advertising lures and cajols us from every quarter; TV entertains and simultaneously irritates us with its commercials; we are exhorted to see this or that form of entertainment which is “fabulous”, “stupendous”, “colos¬ sal” — or merely “terrific”. Today, an audience, even a specialized technical one, expects something more than the simple direct film presen¬ tation that used to suffice. Jaded by TV spectaculars and multi-million-dollar film extravaganzas, it will not hold still for dull presentations, sleazy backgrounds and unimagina PRODUCTION VALUE in any film requires that the same attention be given to minor shots as key scenes. Here Aerojet-General's Sacramento film unit carefully plans an insert for a company promotion film. (Photos courtesy Aerojet-General Corp.) Production Value gives a film class. Enhances its impact. Raises it above the level of the mediocre, nuts-and-bolts type of production. tive visualizations. Today the successful industrial film must compete not only with other industrial films, but with the many forms of mass entertainment which have set so high a standard of technical excellence that comparison, con¬ scious or sub-conscious, is inevitably forced upon an audi¬ ence. For this reason, production value in industrial films has become an essential in dollars and cents terms, and can literally make the difference of profit or loss to the pro¬ ducer. The head of an in-plant film unit is similarly put on the spot because, although he is on the company’s pay¬ roll, producing films on the premises, his superiors will still judge his product by the same criteria as that of the outside producer. ADEQUATE MODERN equipment is vital to achieving production value in film making at any level. Typical of the well-equipped inplant film units found today in industry is the Photo Graphic Services division of Aerojet-General Corp., Sacramento, Calif. Exactly what is production value? In entertainment film production the term has taken on a connotation of lavish¬ ness usually exemplified by star-studded casts, expensive settings and costumes, extras by the thousand and spectac¬ ular special effects. In a more realistic sense the term production value does not refer specifically to these flashy trimmings, but to an overall impression of quality conveyed by a sum total of the elements that go into a production. Contrary to popular be¬ lief such quality does not depend directly upon the amount of money that is spent on a film, but rather upon the taste, originality and ingenuity with which that money is spent. The average commercial producer is somewhat limited by budget. Therefore, in order to get production value into Continued on Page 692 690 AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER