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About Us
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 When THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART needed retro visions of girls going wild to appropriately skewer the popularity of those often advertised show-it-all videos, which footage company came up with yesteryear's co-eds showing off their bodacious ta-tas?
 When LATE SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN had to fill up a thought balloon illustrating drummer Max Weinberg's sexy musings and still pass muster with the NBC censor, which archive came up with "tasteful" footage of the band leader's innermost thought-monkeys gettin' it on?
 When SUBWAY SANDWICHES needed a long legged limbo dancer, which stock source helped the fast food chain illustrate just how low a turkey sub could go?
 When producers of COMEDY CENTRAL'S BATTLEBOTS had to show that Kung Fu isn't just for humans anymore, which image library leapt into the fray to deliver the martial arts "death blow" that action loving 'bots fans craved?
One-Stop Stock Shopping
These and scores of other production companies seeking all manner of moving images on film and tape have called on FILM Archives Inc. Started by a pair of energetic film collectors in the mid-1980s and nicknamed "The One-Stop Stock Library," the New York City-based company has supplied the nation's top television producers, advertising agencies, music video production companies, news organizations and corporate filmmakers worldwide with hard-to-find vintage and contemporary film and video clips in all media formats for over 15 years.
Since 1997, the company has been known as FILM Archives Inc. The acronym stands for Fast Images Lotsa Movies -- "a name we have grown into naturally over the years, along with our reputation for breadth of imagery and very rapid project turnaround," offered Mark Trost, president and founding partner. Each day the company gets numerous requests from producers who needed footage "yesterday," Trost noted. "And while we can't turn back time, we can deliver the needed image within minutes via email, or for more extensive requests, within hours on video. Clients can also view many of our most requested scenes at our web site on demand. Outside of getting a time machine, you just can't get it faster than we can deliver it."
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Ultra-Speedy Turnaround
GOOD MORNING AMERICA, THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, GREY ADVERTISING, and scores of other customers know FILM Archives can deliver their footage faster than most suppliers can take an order, added Trost. "Many of our top clients demand ultra-speedy turnaround. We take great pride in fulfilling those requirements."
Of course, it takes more than speed to satisfy a cream of the crop client base. In the media capital of the world, the certainty of knowing FILM Archives actually has the material at hand keeps high-end producers coming back for more.
Today FILM Archives offers clients access to thousands of hours of vintage and contemporary images on virtually every subject, destination, newsmaker, lifestyle, and event, from turn of the last century until today. All are shot accessible via in-house search engines and maintained on broadcast masters at the firm's New York headquarters.
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FILM Archives' Ever Expanding Library
This ever expanding library includes educational, government and industrial films; newsreels (from the turn-of-the-century through the early 1970s); silent comedies; television programs and commercials; theatrical shorts; exclusive collections of martial arts and drive-in horror movies; breathtaking travel and beauty footage shot by leading cinematographers, major news events including 9/11 (the September 11 attacks on America) and the War On Terror, plus lifestyle video (people at work and play) from NBC/Cablevision's News 12 Long Island.
Further separating FILM Archives from other stock libraries (which often send clients preassembled subject reels offering little relevance to footage sought, act as resellers for other footage libraries, or leave clients to navigate the vagaries of their web site), the Archives' expert staff of researchers and film historians customizes each screening reel (deliverable on video or via the web) to the precise specifications from proprietary and exclusively licensed collections -- saving customers valuable production time and research dollars.
To compress the often arduous task of viewing and selecting just the right shots for a production, FILM Archives maintains its own 3/4-inch, 1/2-inch (VHS) and Betacam SP film-to-tape transfer facility, enabling clients to view customized reels in the comfort and convenience of their offices, usually within hours of phone, fax or email request.
Realizing that certain producers have ongoing footage needs (i.e., syndicated TV series, cable documentaries or long-form industrial presentations), FILM Archives also offers significant volume discounts.
"We have been fortunate in cultivating a long, loyal, and expanding list of clients over the years," says Trost. "These talented pros know there are larger, higher profile footage firms out there, but they have discovered that we are the ones consistently delivering exactly the shots they need, exactly when they need it."
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The Fast Images Story
Determined to maintain its hard-won reputation as a "one-stop" stock footage source, in the mid-1990s FILM Archives introduced its Images Division. Now known as Fast Images, this division specializes in top-of-the-line contemporary 35mm film images culled from libraries of the nation's top cinematographers, movie studios and independent producers. Almost as soon as it opened for business in the fall of 1994, Fast Images became the stock footage firm that demanding advertising agency producers and filmmakers called when they needed the best -- fast.
Fast Images' client roster boasts top-of-the-line Madison Avenue names such as BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi, and J. Walter Thompson Co. Production companies utilizing Fast Images' material include Broadway Video (SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, CONAN O'BRIEN); Warner Brothers Television (FRIENDS, WB Network), and WWFE (WWF SMACKDOWN, RAW IS WAR).
From Aerials To Zoology
Besides offering cutting edge imagery, Fast Images' success happened largely because its staff goes that extra mile to fill requests for even the most obscure or offbeat contemporary images, from breathtaking aerials and scenics to heart pounding explosions, action shots, and extreme sports of all kinds.
"We developed the Fast Images division specifically to show the industry just how seriously dedicated we are to providing our clients with the best in film footage," said FILM Archives Inc. president Mark Trost. "Producers around the globe have been quick to utilize us whenever they require a hard-to-find contemporary stock shot."
Fast Images has licensed material to the action series RELIC HUNTER (roaring lions), the full-length feature film MASTER OF DISGUISE (an exotic hawaiian resort), and commercials for AT&T (tropical islands), Ikea (idyllic lakeside home) and Fruitopia (bad wedding dancing, Polar Bear Club). Collections include 35mm images from cutting edge science fiction, horror and disaster films; American scenics and landmarks, African animals, New York City aerials, an extensive time lapse collection, high concept table top, sports and adventure (including exclusive minor league baseball scenes), worldwide destinations, and North American birds and animals.
Key Personnel Roster:
FILM Archives Inc.
Vintage Footage & News Video
Mark Trost: President and CEO
Karen Doogan: Vice President Online Operations
Emily Drew: Director of Library Management
Kate Wilkinson: Director of Research
Sarah Feuquay: Associate Director of Research
Fast Images Division
Contemporary Film & Video
Tel: 212.696.2616
Fax: 212.696.0021
Email: info@fastimages.com
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