PART Ia1983
Chicago has very deep roots in the film business. Long before California was established as the film capital, Chicago was the center for silent one-reelers. Chicago historians tell stories about Charlie Chaplin working at the old Essanay Studio, or about Walt Disney working on the old film row (South Wabash Avenue).
Since then the Chicago film industry has gone through several changes. They are categorized into the following periods: The Big Studio Era, The Rise of the Boutiques, and The Precoalition Blues and the phases are generalizations of trends in the Chicago TV commercial production industry.
THE BIG STUDIO ERA
Chicagos oldest existing studio, Filmack Studios, represents a typical enterprise during The Big Studio Era in Chicago. Filmack was founded in 1919, by Irving Mack; grandson Robbie is now producer. At its peak, Filmack employed 130 people and had a complete laboratory for processing and printing film, an animation and art department, and a 13-man print shop for setting type for titles. This everything under one roof concept was prevalent in major production studios of the 50s. Wilding, Sarra, Jam Handy, Kling and Atlas all employed huge staffs. Cameramen, set builders, editors, animators and all varieties of technicians were on permanent staff at these studios. Projects were mainly business films, government work and educational films.
BOUTIQUES
As the large studios began to lighten their overhead and the number of television commercials increased, independents and boutiques began to emerge. From the mid-60s well into the 70s, small, one-director companies proliferated. They were noted for high creativity and had few ancillary services. Many of these boutiques were highly profitable for the director/ owner. Most of the directors came from the staff ranks of the big studios. As commercials became a bigger chunk of the market, top Chicago still photographers and advertising agency creatives became successful directors.
PRE-COALITION BLUES
Enter the Chicago Coalition. Started by Chicago broadcaster Red Quinlan, the Coalition was formed to slow the flow of production work out of town. Quinlan appealed to both advertisers and their agencies to support local producers. Over time, the Coalition succeeded, retaining old business in, and bringing new business to, Chicago.
The expanded business (an estimated $18 million at that time) lured many producers and directors from other parts of the country (including New York and L.A.) to Chicago to capture their share of a robust industry.
As a result of this influx, two past trends have re-emerged. Independent boutiques are springing up again, and so are full-service operations, each with its one large studio space and complete technical facilities.
THE FUTURE
No one can accurately predict the future, of course, but it is generally assumed that the feature film and cable business will increase in Chicago, expanding the talent pool of technicians and actors that the commercial industry needs in order to survive. Growth is rampant, and high expectations abound for our community on Lake Michigan.
PART IIa2000
The Post-Coalition phase in Chicago produced a very healthy industry, and this state of affairs continued for several years. Young directors were groomed and developed quickly. The crew base broadened. Chicago developed its niche as a desirable place to shoot because of the outstanding talent pool (largely underexposed on national TV commercials); strong, non-union crews; and world-class hotels and restaurants. The business of making TV commercials in Chicago boomed.
In the late 1980s, a few East- and West Coast-based production companies started to cash in on Chicagos stable and vigorous commercial climate. They formed partnerships and opened offices in Chicago, taking advantage of substantially lower production costs. These hybrid companies also used Chicagos pool of new directors, as the need for additional directorial talent increased. At the same time, Chicagos established directors also thrived, handling a steady stream of packaged goods work from large agencies. Although their spots never captured big ad show awards, the mainstream directors stayed busy and continued to be profitable.
This successful balance between established directors, new directors and Coast-based production companies was a formula that worked exceedingly well in Chicago for many years. However, Chicagos cost advantages began to wane and serious competition emerged just a few hours to the north, in Toronto. The biggest reason for this was the unionization of Chicago crews. No longer paid as independent contractors, they became far more costly, payrolled workers. Canadian crews did not unionize, and were able to maintain more competitive prices, which captured much of the budget-disadvantaged work.
During this same period, Chicago developed some very strong tabletop directors. Local ad agencies, laden with packaged goods accounts, began to rely on the well-equipped, well-staffed local tabletop directors for their product photography. The still photography food business was so large that it had in place an effective infrastructure of home economist, riggers and prop peopleaall of whom strengthened the position of Chicago tabletop directors. The food- and product-shooter market became so strong that many agencies from all over the world flocked to Chicago to take advantage of the strong pool of directors and facilities.
In the mid-90s the line between national and regional production companies began to blur, and then disappear. West Coast shops had young directors interested in and available for projects that had previously been considered local work. Good local directors began to get serious national assignments. By 1996, zip code was no longer a factor in the awarding of national and local TV commercials.
This change, combined with the rising Canadian competition, began to soften the market in Chicago, and at the low ebb of this cycle the worst possible crisis occurredathe recently concluded actors strike. Canadas significant cost advantages were compounded by an even greater asset: no picket lines. No shining mirrors, no banging pots and pans, no recruiting garbage truck drivers to circle a location. The strike was a dramatic blow to Chicagos wounded productive climate and created some of its darkest days.
The future of the American TV production industry hangs in the balance, and all of us are waiting to discover how much of the commercial work that left the country during the strike will return. While I hope that the answer is, all of it, I cannot be sure. But I do know that, whatever it is, the answer will be the opening paragraph of an article someday in the future A Part III of a mini-history lesson.
