Polaroid Corporation records, series VI: audiovisual collection

Scope and Contents Edwin Land introduces the 39th annual meeting of the stockholders of the Polaroid Corporation. He introduces the directors and officers of Polaroid, then turns the meeting over to William McCune. McCune covers the business portion of the meeting including the election of 11 directors, voting on pension and retirement plans, and financial reports and sales for the previous year. Speaks about marketing and sales of new camera, the Pronto, including playing a soundbite of a commercial featuring...

Scope and Contents Edwin Land talks about and is presented with the 3 millionth SX-70 camera being produced at the Norwood plant. Speaks about the success and future of the SX-70, including looking a dyes, batteries, optics, and non-reflecting coats. Talks about how "the way things work" at Polaroid including coalescing into spontaneous groups and each group doing what it wants to do. One result of this was a group working on making large pictures (8 x 10) and making a camera frame that would go into a...

Scope and Contents

William McCune resumes the meeting. Gives update that all but one of the items introduced at the beginning were voted on and all adopted. Land continues the demonstration of the 8 x 10 camera. The demonstration is followed by a question and answer period on a variety of topics including lawsuits, SX-70, cost of taking pictures, xrays, and instant movie system. Meeting is adjourned.

Scope and Contents Woman narrator describes Polaroid history beginning in 1943. Begins by describing the one-step process for creating pictures to be viewed immediately. Details the science behind the process, including emulsion and the pod system, and the introduction of the camera (Model 95 Land Camera) and film (Type 40 Sepia Roll film). Continues by describing the development of various Polaroid cameras, film, and products over the course of 30 plus years, including the SX-70, Polacolor film, and x-ray...

Scope and Contents SX-70 project from 1970s; new building. Land talks about taking photos and about quality of the film for Polaroid cameras, history of film development at Polaroid. Land talks a bit about Polaroid's direction as well as history, combination of science and art, the development of Polaroid in terms of creativity and invention. Background of SX-70 and early Polaroid. Polaroid assets in terms of daring, strength, determination in inventing new things. Role of sales and marketing at Polaroid: "the...

Scope and Contents Starts with a demonstration of Polavision film in front of a live audience. Around 12:30 Land starts to talk about the history of Polaroid's involvement in motion pictures and Vectograph development. Mentions giving speeches at HBS around 14:00, how science interplays with technological development and engineering. Describes the scientific development of film development. Talks about development of color photography in history of Kodachrome and other technologies from other companies....

Scope and Contents

Continuation of discussion about history of Polavision and its predecessors at other companies. Land gives credit at the end to a woman named Lucretia Weed[?] who has worked for Polaroid. There is a nice quote at the end, "After a lifetime, I think industry is based on science and art and humanness and efficiency." Ends around 42:00

Scope and Contents

There is audio in the background of this file, but the static is so heavy it is almost impossible to make out the words.

Scope and Contents New camera being introduced, after 20 years of Polaroid, and Land discusses buildings going up or recently built for Polaroid (at least some designed by I.M. Pei). Mentions Rte. 28. Flying around in a helicopter or just has helicopter noise in the background for much of the audio. Talking about development of color film, probably again related to SX-70 project. Talks about why Polaroid is building its own factory and describes the space, including the layout for employees. Seems to cut...

Scope and Contents

Male narrator describes the meeting of the Optical Society of America when Land introduced the first Polaroid camera. Mentions the newspaper articles that came out following Land's presentation, including "The Camera Does the Rest." Also tells the story of how Land came up with the idea from his daughter's question in New Mexico. There is background music from 6:30 or so to around 9:30, then narrator picks up again and talks until 10:50.

Scope and Contents

Side 1: There is some cutting out between clips. Also some quotes are cut short and a couple cut out in the middle of the quote. Quotes about invention and discovery, mentions Beethoven, Hegel, and colleagues at Polaroid. Side 2: Quotes by Land about photographers and amateur artists/photographers. There is a great deal of cutting out within clips. Quotes on amateur vs. professional, responsibility, photography as art, how things work at Polaroid Corp. There is quite a bit of skipping.

Scope and Contents

Quotes cut out at various points. Quotes related to art, art collection, SX-70 film, time zero, environment at Polaroid Corp., Polarizers. 3-D film, the longevity of the one-step process, industry. Some quotes toward the end have a lot of background static.

Scope and Contents Side 1: Land on science and industry, social progress, Land's goal of "the autocracy of ideals," and social responsibility of industry, fantasy to reality (includes the "hacking away at the components" quote). There seems to be some fast forwarding and thus quotes are divided up by a sound. Side 2: The first quote has a buzzing sound behind it and the first few quotes cut in and out, not really clear what the context is. Land presentation on changing the world of photography, clearly he is...

Scope and Contents Woman narrator talks about the various products created by Polaroid for different industries and the importance of the employees for innovation. This is a clearly an internal video for new employees. Male narrator covers the early years of Polaroid. Female narrator talks about the corporate structure of the company. At this point McCune and Booth are in control of the company, probably late 1980s or early 1990s. Male narrator discusses Polaroid products in scientific and engineering fields....

Scope and Contents

You can hear Land in background until about 11:35, but there is way too much static. Then Land is talking to employees, though the volume is very low and sometimes interrupted by buzzing or static. Very difficult to hear what is being said, audio comes in and out. Around 19:00, talks about the importance of efficiency and desire for employees to increase work on new products. Focuses on sunglasses and new product to take the place of visors.

Scope and Contents

Land focuses on money and investment, government funding, sales, stockholders' position in the company, employee productivity. Talks more about working climate and benefits for employees starting around 17:00.

Scope and Contents

Land talks more about working climate and benefits for employees, joint responsibility, goals for Polaroid.

Scope and Contents Male narrator talks about the history of Polaroid and its role in scientific fields and many industries. It includes a number of clips from Land's own speeches to Polaroid employees and other audiences; he talks specifically about Vectographs, wartime projects, and then gets into one-step photography story, Jordan Marsh debut. That goes to around 10:00. Then goes on to talk about Polaroids moves in the early 1950s. Around 11:00 moves into late 1950s/early 1960s. There are some other Polaroid...

Scope and Contents

Begins with man testing the sound (for first 3 minutes of recording). Remainder of recording is Edwin Land rehearsing for the annual meeting, primarily speaking about Polavision. He describes how Polavision works, its technology, the experience one will have using it, and the contribution it will make to society. Note that there are several long moments of silence throughout the rehearsal.

Scope and Contents 42nd annual meeting of stockholders of the Polaroid Corporation. Edwin Land introduces the Board of Directors and officers and then remembering Stanley Bloom who had recently died. Bill McCune takes over meeting and reviews minutes, elections, proposals, resolutions, and taking questions and comments from the audience with respect to various business matters. McCune also provides an overview of the financial results of 1978 and the first quarter of 1979, emphasizing the reasons for why the...

Scope and Contents

Land continues speaking about the Time Zero film, "quantifying" how quickly it develops. Bill McCune returns briefly to give the results of the election of the Board of Directors and various proposals. The meeting ends with various questions from members of the audience (stockholders), including opening up trade with China, sponsorship of the TV show called "World", the free enterprise system and Polaroid's role in fixing it, and lack of women represented on the Board of Directors.

Scope and Contents

This reel and Reel #2 (014681354_AT_0023) were combined to create 014681354_AT_0020, therefore the content is identical.

Scope and Contents

This reel and Reel #1 (014681354_AT_0022) were combined to create 014681354_AT_0020, therefore the content is identical.

Scope and Contents

This reel and Reel #4 (014681354_AT_0025) were combined to create 014681354_AT_0021, therefore the content is identical.

Scope and Contents

This reel and Reel #3 (014681354_AT_0024) were combined to create 014681354_AT_0021, therefore the content is identical.