Business screen magazine (1957)

Top Quality TV Commercials Educational Sales Training and Industrial Films Ihirfy years of professional experience together mth completely integrated studio and laboratory facilities plus top-flight personnel Our service and quality assure your year-after-year complete satisfaction. Chicago Film Studios OF CHICAGO FILM LABORATORY. INC. 56 East Superior St., Chicago 11 Phone: WHitehall 4-6971 Good Films Serve Audiences First by Alfred L. Fredrick FREQUENTLY, We in the field of film distribution are asked: "What makes a good sponsored film?" And in effect, we must answer: "The film that serves the audience needs first, and the sponsor's desires second." This may, at first glance, seem to be a reversal of standard operating procedure. From our experience, it isn't. And significantly there is really a mutuality of accomplishment. // a film serves the public well, it is a film that will gain wide distribution, reach many millions of people, and create a favorable impression for a sponsor, his product or service. Each Film Is On Its Own There is no such thing as the sponsored film. Fortunately, our industry has set up no rigid ruleof-thumb measurement or yardstick of film values. Instead each film is evaluated on its own and not as it stacks up with film .X. Y or Z. Thus films are not turned out by the yard, so to speak, but each is, or should be, a careful, creative endeavor that offers the user something of real value and returns to the sponsor a keen audience appreciation and understanding of his particular mission. After 40 years in this business I can say with complete candor that I am constantly excited and impressed with the kind of films the sponsor-and-producer teams are turning out. Many years ago a pioneer of the theatrical industry, Adolph Zukor said: "I don't watch pictures. I watch audiences." This has particular pertinency in our field. What does the audience think? Is the film offering viewers that certain "something of value?" Clues in .\udience Comments We appraise very carefully the audience comments we get back from our exhibitors. These are passed along to the sponsor each month, for his own evaluation. Because in these comments — recorded by teachers, community leaders, clergymen, TV program directors and others — may be found the clues, the keys to the next production. I think sponsors and producers should more and more in the future seek out the opinions of educators and community leaders, find out what areas are lacking in good film material. Then in partnership with creative producers. there should emerge films that are not "educational" in the pedagogical sense, but bring to the viewer an educational experience, that utilizes to the fullest the advantages and exciting possibilities of the motion picture medium. Films should not become illustrated lectures or graphics set to motion. The sponsored film should be an educational experience that cuts across all boundaries. In other words, a sponsored film should be as much "at home" in the classroom as it is in the club room or living room (via TV). We, at Association Films concentrate our energies on film distribution exclusively. We do not make films or involve ourselves in print procurement, quality control or any phases of production or printing that inherently belong to the producers or technicians. Great Challenge Lies .\head We are happy to read scripts, review suggested treatments, suggest titles and otherwise be of assistance at the pre-production level. We have at our disposal many source books to help sponsors and/or producers avoid areas where there might be a duplication of effort. I personally think that the field of sponsored films has a great challenge ahead: to create the kind of films that will meet the informational needs of the nation. We all know there is a great and growing competition for audience time today, what with television entertainment, do-it-yourself activities, more home-centered projects and the many other interests that increasing leisure hours bring about. Sponsored films should be so compelling in nature that the program leader, or TV director, or educator looks to them first as a source of informational material. I envision the day when the sponsored-film will be the means of community information and enlightenment. We are constantly engaged in HAPPY DM FDR A DDLLAB see pnpe 90 58 BUSINESS SCREEN MAGAZINE