Business screen magazine (1967)

Stan is currently starring in "The 3 Faces Of Stanley," a recent film produced for the American Cancer Society, He helped us tell the story of can[; cer of the colon. If you have I a story to tell, give us a call and we'll put Stan to work on it ... or Dorse or Bob or Len i or Andy or Vic or Mik or )ay I' or Al or Mike or Bruce or [ Tom or Jerry or Dave or Bun or Harry or John or Marilyn or Merle or Charley or Hark . . . EMC CORPORATION FILM DESIGNERS A 4. DIVISION i * * 4 ± 7000 SANTA MONICA BLVD & HOLLYWOOD CALIFORNIA 4 90038 Hollywood 3=3282 i 4. Getting More Benefits Out of the Writer by Alexander Klein MOTION PICTURES EDUCATIONAL FILMSTRIPS AND RECORDINGS T 1KI-. Management Consult'^ ANTS, ad agencies and public relations counselors, film writers LUid producers delve into many varied aspects of different corporations' activities. Generally, though — unlike the others — the film writer is only called in afler the basic subject matter of a specific film has been decided on by the client. However. I believe that many companies could greatly benefit by having an experienced, imaginative, keen film writer come in as a periodic consultant to survey one or several facets of their operations and indicate how one or more films could be of tangible value to the sponsor — films often integrated with other programs already in progress or new ones which the writer-consultant would propose. This procedure would bring to bear a fresh, uncluttered, widely experienced persp)ective on vital company operations, a perspective developed and honed in conjunction with many sales, marketing, research. advertising, training, public relations and other programs and problems. Some sponsors, in a sense, do get this type of consultative service through their continuing association with a particular film producer. And there have been quite a few occasions when researching data to script one film has led to my discovering another area where a film could be an effective, profitable tool for the sponsor, or to my suggesting useful non-film programs or approaches — in sales, advertising, training, public relations, customer service and information (still only a partially tapped goldmine with most firms), or other areas. Admittedly, in my own case, a background in advertising, public relations and management consulting helps put me on the lookout lor this sort of thing, but I suspect many film writers and producers have had similar experiences. Indeed, the concreteness of the film medium forces the writer to think through, visualize, focus and organize the contents of his film in a way that can sometimes result in a sharpened perspective or a more effective organization not only of the film but of the work or program, itself, with which the film is dealing. Thus, the joint client-writer search for the best, memorable symbolization of a product-advantage has, in several cases, led to a new basic focus of the total advertising and public relations program for the product. All in all, though, if sponsors particularly cultivated this use of the-film-writer-as-consultant, in a broader and more regular fashion, I believe they could reap much more substantial dividends along these and other lines. Indeed, films have a way of providing unexpected by-products. To wit: One summer when I was a house guest of some Rio Grande Pueblo Indian friends during the week of their annual Corn Dance, I spent part of each day pecking away on the script of a large bank chain's film to motivate their employees to give more polite, personalized service. My Indian host asked me what I was writing and I explained. "Ah, the white man has to be taught to be polite," he exclaimed, gleefully, the Pueblo Indian considering politeness to be a natural human trait. And the word spread to all the other Indian Pueblos. So several thousand Indians were made happy, being able to feel temporarily superior to their white brothers. (They also asked me what bank was sponsoring the film, because they intended to give it their patronage if possible. All this the result of a film even before it was produced! ) • :;; * * See the Writer Listing Pages ■jJr Twice each year, the Editors now list the experienced writers of audiovisual media; data within these pages includes material on those who have contributed to our first "open forum" for these creative talents behind the film. Let us extend our thanks! • Quality-Bilt Film Shipping Cases • Best quality domestic fibre • Heavy steel corners for added protection • Durable 1" web straps • Large address card holder with positive retainer spring • Sizes from 400' to 2000' OTHER -QUALITY BILT" ITEMS: Salon Print Shipping Cases Sound Slidefilm Shipping Case* (for Transcriptions & Filmstrios) 2" X 2" Glass Slide Cases Filmstrip Shipping Cases (hold up to 6 strips plus scripts) Write direct to manufacturer ior catalog m. sceiiEssiER 361 W Superior St., Chicago 10, IN. MUSIC LIBRARY •SOUND EFFECTS • EDITING WRITERS Established business-film producer may need visual-minded assignment writers in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh to research and write short ( 3-8 minutes) sponsored-film segments in training, instructional and sales-pitch fields. Pictures will be very direct {no Bob-aml-Mary fluff, but straight nuts-aiut-bolts What and How); predominantly visual with minimum of narration or dialogue. Modest flat fee but possibly a steady, predictable flow of work. Box BS-67-1C BUSINESS SCREEN MAGAZINE 7064 Sheridan Road Building Chicago, Illinois 60626 112 BUSINESS SCREEN • 1967