OUDERS – Automobile

image source

Industrial Films are films made by a company or sponsor for the specific purpose of showcasing a product or service. They are not works of cinematic art or entertainment in and of themselves. The films are designed to satisfy a specific informational need and pragmatic purpose of the sponsor for a limited time. Many of these films are also considered orphan works, since they lack copyright owners or active custodians to guarantee their long-term preservation. Here we will take a closer look at this niche propaganda medium (which rarely gets attention in most writings about films) to better understand “films that work”.

Industrial film has its roots in the European “documentary” films of the mid-1920’s and early 1930s. In 1926 the term is first coined by John Grierson; the founder of the British documentary movement. He used the word while writing a review of Robert Flaherty’s film, ”Moana”. …