LIBRARY Michigan State University This is to certify that the thesis entitled RUNABOUI RENAISSANCE: THE REBIRTH OF THE WOODEN PLEASURE BOAT presented by JOHN DAVID IRVINE has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Master's degree in Telecommunication Major . rofessor Date WI O-7539 MS U is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution llllllllllllllllllllllllillIIll lulu 3 1293 00620 8106 UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES PLACE ll RETURN BOX to remove this checkout from your record. TO AVOID FINES return on or More due due. DATE DUE DATE DUE DATE DUE Scé-l ?‘.,,.72 ‘ZSI fry-wm&w A “i I 9 2490 (:2 {‘1 :5 l 6 s ' ‘- -. - JUNI *3 ELM 3” .i ' '\ JUN Zhélgfjw 3 SEP 23 m Tl fl— JL MSU Is An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE: THE REBIRTH OF THE WOODEN PLEASURE BOAT BY John David Irvine A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Telecommunication 1990 K4 5543 (005 '- ABSTRACT RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE: THE REBIRTH OF THE WOODEN PLEASURE BOAT BY John David Irvine "RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE" is a video documentary on wooden boats. The area of content presented in "RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE" informs the viewer on issues involved in restoration and reproduction of wooden boats. This topic covers new material that has not yet been addressed in print or a video program. Chapter 1 looks at the need for a program on wooden boats. To date, no book or program has been developed to describe the restoration and reproduction of the classic runabouts of the 1920's and 1930's. Chapter 2 reviews the literature on wooden pleasure boats. It includes coverage of the builders of new reproduction boats, and changes builders have had to face. A literature review on documentaries is also included. Chapter 3 examines the method by which the content, or message, of the program is created. Considerations concerning the production of the video, and how certain problems were overcome will also be explored. Chapter 4 discusses the method of evaluation used to test the program's objectives. Chapter 5 looks at the results of the testing, and assess the program's effectiveness in meeting its educational and technical goals. c. Copyright by JOHN DAVID IRVINE 1990 Cl CH NO APL BIB T LE 0 CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Literature Review . . . . . . . . A. Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. Documentary . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Production Process . . . . . . . . A. Production Considerations . . . B. Post Production Considerations CHAPTER 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Study Evaluations . . . . . . . . CHAPTER 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Results & Recommendations . . . . NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. Script . . . . . . . . . . . . B. Questionnaires . . . . . . . . 1. Content . . . . . . . . . 2. Production . . . . . . . . C. Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv 16 22 22 22 27 35 35 38 38 48 52 52 100 100 106 110 119 tl PI ti Dr an and the ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The practicum which accompanies this written proposal is a thirty-minute documentary, which may be viewed after the reading of the thesis. Insight may be gained by experiencing the process which occurred during the production of this program, to fully understand why the program was produced as it was. It is the hope of this author that the experiences, problems, and solutions, which were created through the production of this program, may be of some value to people interested in media production. The pre-production of this thesis officially was done between.March and May, 1989. The decisions traditionally made during pre-production were honed and fine tuned well into post-production of the program. The amount of information collected between May and October, 1989, from many interesting individuals, proved to be substantial. My thanks first go to the countless individuals and organizations dedicated to the preservation of wooden boating. Without their generosity in time, information, and the sharing of experiences, this program would not have been possible. Thanks are also extended to my family. I thank my father, an author and book publisher of reference books, for his time and suggestions in music, writing, and especially for being the brainchild of the title of the program: "RUNABOUT V .I. l. 1 .u Ln W t 0 DH RENAISSANCE." I thank my mother for her critical eye and honesty in the many rough edits which she watched during weekend visits to Algonac, Michigan. My sisters, Lilou, Nickie, and Madeline, scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific, have all made notable contributions in academia. Their accomplishments have made me proud of them all. A special thanks go out to my best friend, Joyce Grenga, who I am sure contributed much more than she knows. It takes a true friend to have the willingness to take off from her own work at a moment's notice and go out on shoots hundreds of miles away. I appreciate her persistence in my making this program the best it could be, even when I was ready to settle for second best. Her suggestions throughout this project.were a guiding light. During the year before I came up with the topic of my production thesis, I thought of quite a few wild thesis ideas. Finally, my head advisor, Gary Reid, told me that he would rather I decide on a thesis topic while out on my family's wooden boat that summer, than to be too hasty. Little did I know that it would not be until the dead of winter that I would take part of his advice and make it my thesis topic. I thank both him, and my advisor Robert Albers, for their countless meetings, review sessions, and direction over the past year. 23521334 Introduction "There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats ... or with boats ... In or out of 'em, it doesnft matter."' Kenneth Grahame, WM; Throughout human history, boats have held a particular mystique and attraction for men and women. Boats, large or small, have been used for work, for travel, and sometimes simply for pleasure. The first pleasure boats, which were made of wood, suffered a two decade absence of interest. Today, wooden boats are returning to lakes and rivers as a source of recreation and prestige to their owners. To appreciate the resurgence of wooden boats today, it is necessary to understand the present contrast with the recent past. It is hard to imagine that a boat that might sell for tens of thousands of dollars today might have been pitched into a fire just two short decades ago. This. happened.to many boats whose owners abandoned them at marinas. The marina owners saw these boats as eyesores. They removed any useful parts, such as engines and hardware, and burned the hulls. Especially in the early twentieth century, the water became a playground, providing uses for boats that were not 1 m. S( oi SC to Dre bOE enc' COn. Ply1 0ft 2 just work-related. Some of the early boat building companies, such as Dodge, Hacker Craft, Gar Wood, and Chris Craft, first tested their skill at. motor boat racing, then saw' the potential for manufacturing boats for pleasure. Even Henry Ford attempted to apply his mass production techniques used on autos to boats, though with limited success. He soon found.out that manufacturing boats was not the same as building automobiles. In the 1920's, when the least expensive boat cost two to four times the average worker yearly salary, the market for mass production boat building was virtually nonexistent.2 Therefore, sleek runabouts, elegant boats with comfortable cockpits, were mainly built for those wealthy enough to afford them. But in the 1930's, as the number of models and manufacturers increased, prices came down. At that point, even some working class people could afford an inexpensive version of a wooden pleasure boat. During World War II, wooden pleasure boat manufacturing screeched to a halt. Military landing craft were built instead to assist in the ‘war effort. But. wooden pleasure boat production was not forgotten. Designs of futuristic wooden boats were shown in advertisements for war bonds. When the war ended, boat design resumed where it had left off. A scarcity of Philippine mahogany resulted in boats being constructed of cheaper quality woods, such as cedar or plywood, and then covered with paint instead of varnish. Many of the futuristic designs created for the war bond he de Ca fr- ma] bog ma 1' man d00~ J 3 advertisements were technically feasible, but were simply too costly and time-consuming to build with wood. From a cost, strength, and production standpoint, a new material known as fiberglass was examined. It was found that fiberglass had the strength requirements needed for boat production, and also allowed many boats to be stamped out of standardized molds in a short period of time. Yet another reason that boat construction moved from wood to fiberglass may have been consumer attitudes. The timing of the introduction of fiberglass may have been right, since the public's mindset was to have "new" products after the constraints of World War II. Wooden boats may have seemed "old-fashioned" to consumers at the time. In the consumers' mind, a movement from high maintenance wooden boats to the high-tech fiberglass boats represented a welcome change. Designs of everyday items used by the public during the 1950's had a more streamlined look. Even the large fins used in car design, such as the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, or the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, were replicated on boats. By ‘the late-1950's, as ‘the fiberglass era came 'to fruition, the new material reduced both time and cost in manufacturing boats. Over the next fifteen years, fiberglass boats gained in popularity over the more expensive and high- maintenance wooden boats.3 This forced many wooden boat manufacturers to switch over to fiberglass, or close their doors. 4 Today, the fiberglass boat has helped pleasure boating expand as never before because of its affordability. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, in 1989, Michigan had 855,954 boats registered, double the number of boats registered ten years earlier.‘ In the 1990's fiberglass boats are increasingly seen stored on private property, often hours away from the water. But now that the boat market is saturated with many "stamped out of a mold" fiberglass boats, wooden boats are being rediscovered as a unique alternative to the all-too-uniform fiberglass boats of today. Today demand is high for the limited number of antique boats which are in existence. Some wooden boat supporters have turned away from restoring old antiques, and are turning to new reproduction boats. These reproductions look like the boats of yesteryear, but are built with modern building techniques. "RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE" is a video documentary addressing the comeback of wooden boats. The documentary is a thirty minute videotape designed to educate the viewer about the "Runabout Renaissance" which is now taking place. To date no book or program has been developed to describe the restoration and reproduction of the classic runabouts of the 1920's and 1930's. Occasionally, however, such magazines as W or W may offer a story on restoration or reproduction shops. "RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE" will compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of owning and maintaining wooden boats. Unlike print, video can 5 accurately recreate the sounds and graceful movement of antique boats. The dynamic nature of television provides an ideal medium for combining sound and visual elements. The chugging of a six-cylinder flathead or the rumble of a twelve- cylinder Scripps engine is a sound only a few fortunate people get to hear these days. The sight of a shiny, varnished triple cockpit slicing through the water is seen only on selected waterways, and on a few nice days every year. The combination of these elements increases the impact of the material, and conveys it to a variety of boating enthusiasts hungry for new content on the subject of boats. S] b< c< c1 Ce t} bL be Ho fo m1 Literature Review In the literature on the broad subject of boats, much information is available, although material about antique wooden runabouts is scarce. A few books on specific boat manufacturers have been published to date. In W W (1988) , Jeffrey Rodengen has compiled a book which presents the history of one of the most recognized wooden boat companies of all time. He discusses the many models which Chris Craft produced over the years, and also the company's successful transition from wood to fiberglass.5 Similarly, the Century Boat Company originally built boats of wood, but later converted its construction process to fiberglass. William G. Wittig, an employee of the Century company from 1953 to 1983, discusses the history of these craft in W (1986). In 1926, the first Century boats built in Manistee, Michigan, were runabouts. In the 19508, Century was ahead of other runabout builders, building boats with futuristic automobile styling traits before these traits were generally accepted by the public. However, Century, which had been building boats from mahogany for 43 years, was one of the last builders to switch from wood to fiberglass.‘ While Century was not a large runabout ml mi (1 A111 and "Me bui.‘ buil ”inn. 7 producer in terms of numbers, the company's history is helpful in understanding the evolution and demise of wooden boats. Robert Speltz has published six books on the topic of wooden boat manufacturers. His extensive research in Ihg_3egl Bunabouts (1977-86), looks at the history of hundreds of wooden boat manufacturers. Speltz mentions two major events that caused builders to close their doors. The first of these was the Great Depression, which began in 1929. Some firms in the mid-1930's changed from producing a closed varnished runabout to building a basic open utility boat.7 These boats were far less extravagant than the runabouts, featuring hulls and.a few'basic accessories. But.even with these changes, many of the smaller shops could not compete.. The second event, according to Speltz, that led to the downfall of the wooden boat was the use of fiberglass for boat construction. This caused many boat building firms in the late 1950's to early 1960's to either switch their construction method or fold.9 Unfortunately, very few of these manufacturers are still in existence today. A book not dealing with specific makes is W (1988) . This book covers the history of propulsion boats. Author D.W. Fostle outlines the wide subject of powerboats, and man's aspiration for speed on the‘water. Chapter 8, titled "Meanwhile, Out in.Michigan," examines the famous wooden boat builders of the 1920's. W discusses the struggle these builders had in getting exposure. Fame was often won through winning international boat races, such as the Gold Cup and Inc ha ha re of mo. RBI SUC lib 8 Harmsworth Trophy. ‘o Being a top contender in these events helped in the sale of their mass production of elegant runabouts. As these books illustrate, publications on antique wooden boats are usually manufacturer-specific. They also may examine a particular period of history. Because "RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE" covers a wide variety of manufacturers, and also looks at the present, it is necessary to examine the content of this program in the order in which it will appear. "RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE" will examine the history of wooden pleasure boating, and the people involved. The program will compare the reasons people bought these boats in the past with the reasons expressed today. Because of a lack of original boats, the reproducers of the classic models and some one-of- a-kind builders, will be discussed. Choices in traditional and modern construction methods are decisions these reproducers have had to make. In recent years, antique engines, chrome hardware, and particular types of wood are materials needed to restore these boats, which have been in short supply. Because of this, several builders have turned to substitutes, such as modern engines and reproduction hardware. "RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE” will investigates how these builders deal with such problems. In researching a topic such as wooden boats, going to the library is only one of many places to obtain resources. While bi pr Pl bu Hat the Del. time thes 9 books offer some general statistics, information needed for this program was obtained through a variety of other sources. Wooden boat.magazines gave much information about wooden boat activities and the personalities involved. Collections of old brochures gave information on what characteristics appealed to the wooden boat buyer of yesteryear. One of the main sources of information for this program, however, was not received through print. Interviews with many of the "old timers" allowed the gathering of first-hand information. Hearing these personalities tell their tale gives information about folklore and traditions. mm 1. History In the 1920s, Chris Smith became the first boat builder to standardize in-line production methods. This led to a reduction of cost for each boat. In the 1930's, his boats were built under the well known name "Chris-Craft." The mass production of runabouts inspired a need for inexpensive pleasure boats." Subsequently, a number of other boat builders emerged. Among the more famous ones were John L. Hacker, Gar Wood, and Horace E. Dodge."2 Many of the early buyers of the boats were the elite and the wealthy. Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone and Franklin Delano Roosevelt were notables who used runabouts.‘B But as time progressed the "common" man began to be able to afford these boats. 10 Today, many buyers purchase wooden boats for the love of maintaining and using them. An article called "Wild About Woodies," in the August 29, 1988 issue of Time magazine, contrasts the motives of today's owners of wooden boats with those of the owners of yesteryear." Relative newcomers to wooden boats have become involved for reasons of nostalgia. Others have purchased them for purposes of investment or status. Today, a $60,000 restored runabout in pristine condition can rise in value by at least 10% each year. 2. Reproductions Today, it is not widely known that wooden boats are being restored by skilled craftsmen. Because of the lack of classic models available for restoration, a few of these craftsmen have turned to building replicas of the famous name boats. On the outside, these boats look identical to the antique classics. But that is where the similarities end. The boats are constructed differently, using wood and synthetic polyester resins. Articles in Lakelandjgating. mating. and Wt look at one such builder.15 In 1980, Steve Northuis, his father, and grandfather, with the help of the grandson of Chris Smith, reproduced a 1930 twenty-four foot Chris-Craft triple cockpit runabout. The company which Steve started, Grand Craft of Holland, Michigan, today builds a variety of models. The current owner of Grand-Craft, Dick Sligh, has been commissioned to build mahogany runabouts for Chris-Craft, tl b1 re We 1110 We 11 which today builds only fiberglass boats. Chris-Craft was recently purchased by the Outboard Motor Company (OMC) . To try to reinstate the name "Chris-Craft" as a leader in boat building, 24 commemorative mahogany Chris-Craft runabouts will be built by Grand-Craft. These boats, costing $75,000 each, will be sold through Chris-Craft dealers."6 In the article "Speedboats from the Golden Era," Peter Spectre visits boat manufacturer Bill Morgan."'Morgan began collecting and restoring Hacker Crafts at his small marina on New York's Lake George. In the late 19705, as the supply of these boats began to drop, he took patterns of the more popular models, bought the rights to the Hacker Craft name, and revived the Hacker Boat Company. The original company had not built boats for more than 40 years, but Morgan is now constructing many models from 20 feet to 35 feet in length, that the Hacker Boat Company originally built." To the south of Lake George, near Albany, New York, are two nationally known figures in the wooden boat reproduction business. Tom and Larry Turcott, renowned for their restoration work of Gar Woods, bought the rights to the Gar Wood Boat Company name. In 1985, they began reproducing three models of Gar Wood boats in a two-story building in Watervliet, New York.“9 3. One of a Kind Not all makers of new boats build reproductions. Many smaller, one-of-a-kind builders have survived through the a1 tl WC Ca Dw Co. 12 fiberglass era. Among the more well known ones is the Mayea Boat Works, founded in 1910 by Louis T. Mayea, in Fair Haven, Michigan.” Louis Mayea's sons, Herbert and Louis Jr. , learned the boat building trade from their father. Today, Herb is at retirement age. However, he has chosen to continue working, and is teaching his sons Don and Larry to build customized runabouts.21 Tom Cuthbertson, a retired craftsman from the Algonac, Michigan, Chris-Craft plant, has been working on boats most of his life. At his marina, Cuthbertson Boat Works, Tom and his brother built one or ‘two boats during the slow ‘winter months.“"2 While many of his peers have retired, Tom continues to work. After gaining seven decades of experience in wooden boat building, he is now recreating two vintage 1930 Chris Crafts with his son and nephew. The knowledge that Herb Mayea and Tom Cuthbertson have is held by only a few. Luckily, they are passing on their knowledge to younger members of their families. Herb's grandchildren often come to sweep the floors at their shop after school, just as their father and grandfather did before them. Tom Cuthbertson's son, grandson, and nephew all have worked extensively at the Cuthbertson Boat Works. Designer Steve Killing and builder Dwight Boyd from Campbellford, Ontario, recently formed a small boat company. Dwight is preparing Clarion Boat Works to build a new 25-foot contemporary classic Gold Cup racer. But this boat is not a 13 reproduction. of a IGold Cup runabout, rather it is the designer's modern day version.”3 4. Choices in Construction While some boats appear'toibe similar on the outside, the way they’ are constructed. can 'differ. The restorers and reproducers of today have greater choices than the craftsmen of yesteryear. Most of these builders have deviated from the conventional double-carvel planked bottom, and have gone to a cold molded system of epoxying the wood together. The system, which is widely used by these builders, is called the Wet Epoxy Saturation Technique (W.E.S.T.) System. This cold-mold system of boat building uses wood laminates bonded.with epoxy resins to make the boats stronger and.more rot-resistant than their antique counterparts. The developers of the W.E.S.T. System, Jan and Meade Gougeon, have written a book, The W (1986) 3‘ This book has been used by many of today's reproducers and restorers of wooden boats. There is a tradeoff in having a boat built the conventional way rather than with epoxies and wood laminate. While conventionally built boats offer a smoother ride, the movement of the planks often cracks the varnish and requires higher maintenance. Though it creates a harsher ride, it is possible to have a boat with a hull encapsulated in epoxy, thereby alleviating many of the problems associated with wooden boats. The wood does not.have to be varnished as often, 14 and is less susceptible to rot. The boat does not need to soak for a few days at the beginning of each season, as does a wooden boat with a conventonally planked bottom. It can be left in the water or out of the water indefinitely, which is also one of the advantages of a fiberglass boat. The repairing of a damaged boat built with the W.E.S.T. System is quite different than repairing a conventional boat. A quote by Don Mayea summarizes the difficulty. "It takes a little bit more of a craftsmen to repair a boat built this way, because you have to actually router the board out. Whereas, with a conventional boat, you simply break the varnish, unscrew the plank, and take out the board without disturbing the surrounding planks. It doesn't take as much of a craftsman to repair a boat the old way."25 However, Steve Northuis has a different view of boats built with the W.E.S.T. System. "Something that we're concerned about and other people are too, that have not gone to the W.E.S.T. (System) is eventually something has got to give. You've made the boat too rigid, you've lost some of it's movement. Those screws are going to work in the joint and eventually you are going to open up an area and water is going to get in, and it gets trapped and its like a greenhouse effect."“ This is just one of many examples of the differing opinions held by people involved in wooden boating. I will note that Steve Northuis does use the W.E.S.T. System to join frames together, but not to bond planks. i: C] t0( Sel mah 15 Another choice these builders have is in choosing of powerplants for these boats. Finding and maintaining the original engine which came with a certain boat can be an expensive task with uncertain results. Because of this, modern powerplants may be substituted. These new engines are smaller, and can be up to three times as powerful as their antique counterparts. Chrome parts for wooden boats are often scarce and when found may be in poor condition. If the required part can be found, it is possible to replate the brass hardware with chrome. If only a limited number of parts are available, it is possible to reproduce any part, but only at a high cost. A wood model from which a bronze mold may be made, must be hand carved. From the mold, a brass fixture may be poured, ground smooth, and chrome plated. Yet another decision in the construction of these boats is in the selection of tools. Most tools used by these craftsmen are basically the same hand tools that have been in use for half a century. Various hand planes, files, screwdrivers, and chisles are the tools of choice for particular jobs. But today, in addition, there is a greater choice of tools. It is now possible to do less sanding by hand, and instead save time by using air or electric power tools. To build one of these boats today, it is possible to select a mahogany, or a wood that has the properties of mahogany. Philippine mahogany and Honduras (Stratina 16 Macrophillia) mahogany are the two woods of choice. While Philippine sands easier, it also expands and contracts more, which makes it more prone to rotting. Honduras is harder, but can split near the screws, and checks (cracks) the varnish over time because of stress. Each year, political and ecological problems in the rainforests of the Philippines and in South America have steadily decreased the availability of these woods. The availability of mahogany and the length of time of construction are two factors which have contributed to the increased cost of wooden boats.”' The boaters and builders of today are not the same people as their counterparts of the 1920's. These builders have given us a new generation of wooden boats, and wooden boat enthusiasts. The classic lines reproduced in today's Runabout Renaissance allow the combination of today's technological advances with the elegance of the antique. W1 1. Documentary Defined There may be as many different definitions for the word "Documentary" as there are producers of documentaries. A text definition of the word documentary is "portraying and interpreting an actual event, life of a real person, etc., in factual, usually dramatic form."“"3 WW associates the word "documentary" with such words as "evidential, factual, 17 symptomatic, significant, indicative, true: unerroneous, not in error, in conformity with the facts or evidence."29 To the French, who first used the word "documentaire," meaning "documentary," it denoted a travelogue. The audience could investigate people or places without meeting them or leaving their hometown. In this sense, the public today might consider TV news magazine shows and lecture presentations to be documentaries.30 Contemporary examples could include "60 minutes," "20/20," and even the controversial "A Current Affair." In the book "WWWLQ L_£ilm" (1983), the documentary is seen as a way of getting a general audience to learn about a topic. [It] "reveals and reshapes reality in a universal language that compels attention and involvement regardless of one's interest in, or need to know about, the subject of a documentary."” RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE sets out to present its information to a general audience, not just wooden boat enthusiasts. As in the French definition of "documentary," it presents a travelogue of the people and places associated.with wooden boats and will allow the audience to meet people and see boats that they otherwise might never have had the opportunity to see. 2. History and Purpose of the Documentary In the English language, the word "documentary" was first used in the 1920's by John Grierson (1878-1972), founder of the British documentary movement, and its leader for almost 40 18 years. Grierson used the word to describe Robert Flaherty's innovative type of factual film. Flaherty's documentary N_an_9gk Q£_the_NQrth (1921) is considered.by many to be the epitome of the documentary. Since then, a large number of documentaries, with many diverse purposes, has evolved in all parts of the world. The purposes of a documentary falls into three groups: social, historical, and cultural. Social documentaries deal with a society, i.e. with people living in a community, and with how that community's activities affects those outside it. A historical documentary records an event or a period of time, and may present a perspective showing how history has affected the present. Cultural documentaries examine the qualities in a person or a society. Coming into being over a period of twenty-eight years, from 1894 to 1922, documentaries were different from all other types of motion picture.32 This type of film became identifiable as a special kind of picture with a social purpose. Real people and events were used, as opposed to staged scenes made in studios with fictional stories and imaginary characters.“3 Historical documentaries, which are often seen on the Discovery Channel or on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Network, look at a period of time, or a historical event. Such programs deal, for example, with George Armstrong Custer, the sinking of the Titanic, the first trans-Atlantic crossing by Charles Lindberg, the D-day landings, the Mercury space 19 missions, and even the recent democratic movements emerging in 1989-90 in Eastern Europe. Robert Flaherty, with his cultural film W North, had mastered the "grammar" of film as it had evolved in the fiction film. This evolution allowed the viewer unconsciously to accept the presentation as "natural," thanks to employing production techniques to view an episode from many angles and distances in quick succession.“ Flaherty used this "grammar" to make a documentary which showed the audience a culture that few would have been able to experience firsthand. "RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE" will represent a combination of the three documentary types. It will begin with a presentation of the historical background of wooden boats, from the 1900's to the present date. The culture of wooden pleasure boat owners and builders is examined by looking at the past and present economic climate of wooden pleasure boating. Social documentary qualities in this program are the introduction of personalities involved in wooden boating. 3. Documentary Presentation styles The way in which a documentary is presented is crucial in ensuring the effectiveness of its message. For the purpose of comparison, we examine documentary styles. The "Story Documentary," lets the viewer experience the information presented. While often effective, it has been a 20 neglected form of documentary. The reason could lie in the word "story," which some people may take to mean "non-reality or fiction." 35 But it does have an advantage. The audience can identify with the program and experience the emotional impact as the subject deals with the human condition.36 Examples of story documentaries might include the deforestation of the Amazonian rainforest, or the killing of seals and elephants. Informative and explanatory' documentaries allow the viewer to make a discovery and then to apply it.y' A journalistic documentary, which stresses the information being presented, falls into this class.38 Examples of this category include the news-type magazine shows. They present the information to the audience, and let them decide for themselves which issues are important, and how they choose to react to those issues. The experiential documentary lets the viewer "feel" the emotions generated by the experiences depicted in the documentary. Strong identification with the subject of the documentary is the main strength. The testimonial personality of a documentary flashes the fire of personal experience into the mind and heart of the consumer.” "Genuineness" — the quality of being "for real" is important here. "RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE" is a story documentary in that it tells the "story" of the wooden boat enthusiasts, and the craftsmen who restore and reproduce them. "RUNABOUT 21 RENAISSANCE" is experiential in that it may relate to some experiences which enthusiasts and craftsmen have had. However, many people in a general audience will not have had these experiences. The experiential documentary will therefore not always apply. Many of the experiences of owners in the program, being similar to the qualities found in the testimonial documentary, may cause the viewer to rekindle experiences or feelings that he or she may have had in the past. "RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE" thus has some of the qualities found in the story, the experiential, and the testimonial type of documentary. Of all of these documentary styles, however, the one which best fits my program is the informative and explanatory type because of the wide array of information which is presented. 9552153.; Production Process Certain problems and considerations were evident during the production process. The course of action taken for each will be addressed. It is assumed that the reader of this thesis has a basic knowledge of television production techniques which will be described in this chapter. The production can be broken into three commonly used phases. Pre-production was done between March and May, 1989. Production took place between May and October, 1989. Post- production occured between September, 1989 and April, 1990 It may be noted that the production phase was lengthy due in part to pre-scheduled boating events, and follow-up interviews. WW 1. Interview information Much of the information obtained for the program was through f irst-hand phone or personal interviews. By such investigative methods, it was possible to find out who the most important people to interview were, as well as where, when, and if they could be interviewed. When a personal interview was possible, a pre-interview with an audio cassette was performed before doing the actual videotape interview. 22 23 This assisted in the generation of questions for the video interviews, and helped one to decide which interviewees could present the information well. Also, this reinforced the accuracy of the information gathered. 2. Location site Check By interviewing the participants in advance, it was possible to see the location before the shooting date. This was advantageous for two reasons. First, it made it possible to choose a location and a time to conduct the interview in a relatively quiet and interruption-free environment. This was especially difficult in a wood working shop, where scraping planes and buzzing saws flourish. Second, it allowed an opportunity to check for potential b-roll (cutaway shots to be inserted over narration or interview quotes), or to decide if an event might be re-created for the needed b-roll. An example of one problem that was encountered when a location site check was not done was the shooting of numerous boats in a storage shed. Lighting was already a problem in this particular building. The only light that was available came from a green skylight. Even with additional quartz illumination, the lighting remained insufficient. Therefore, a decision to reject the shots in this particular shed was made. 3. Location Activity in wooden boating is increasingly popular from the shores of Lake ‘Tahoe, California, to Biscayne Bay, 24 Florida, and from Lake Huron to Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. Many of the key figures in boat building reside in Michigan and the state of New York. Much of the initial research on these people was conducted by phone. Interviews of key figures in Michigan were easily obtained. Other key figures from all over the U.S. and Canada congregate annually' at the .Antique: & Classic Boat Show sponsored by the Thousand Island Shipyard Museum in Clayton, New York."0 While the key interviews in New York with the Hacker Craft and Gar Wood.reproducers would be possible at the show, the shops where the boats are built are within a five- hour drive from. Clayton. This allowed. the gathering' of valuable b-roll footage for illustrating the types of environments where these builders work. Other boat shows in Michigan included the Century Boat Show in Manistee, Michigan, the Chris-Craft Plant Jamboree in Algonac, Michigan, and the Les Cheneaux Islands Boat Show in Hessel, Michigan. 4. Equipment One of the reasons video was chosen as the medium for RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE was the immediacy that the mobile camera brings to the audience. For this program one major camera concern was taking equipment which must be kept dry into a very moist environment. Another concern was that the camera must be kept relatively steady, a condition which is not easily met due to the wake that boats generate. 25 Moving shots are an important part of illustrating the grace and beauty of wooden boats. While shooting b—roll of boats from the shore is possible, conveying the sensation of riding in a wooden boat can only be achieved by shooting from one. The problem of keeping the camera dry was achieved by using a clear plastic bag, originally used to package a quilt sold at Sears. The ends of the bag could be zipped open, thereby exposing the lens. When not in use, the zipper was closed to keep the camera dry. The problem of steadiness could have been easily avoided, but at a great cost. A Gyrozoomm lens allows steady camera shots without transmitting the movement or vibration of the camera boat. This lens attaches to an ENG video camera, and has gyroscopic stabilizers built in."1 It is similar to a Steadi-cam, but is easier to use on a boat. While the Gyrozoom costs $900 to rent for one event, the manufacturers was willing to rent it for $300. While the amount of usable footage would increase with this device, the amount of time which each shot would be used in the program was short. Because of this, the cost of the lens could not be justified by the additional footage which would be available. A solution to this problem was conceived by a fellow producer. A tripod which affords a flexibility not offered by normal tripods, was recommended.‘2 A 2' X 2 1/2' X 4" piece of foam acted as a base. Atop of the base is a 1/2" sheet of plywood 2' X 2 1/2'. Attached to the base of the board are two-inch pipes with fittings to allow as few or as many to be attached to each other for height adjustments. A standard 26 tripod head attaches to the top of the pipe. A camera covered with a clear plastic bag was attached to the tripod head. Openings in the plastic allowed the lens, eyepiece, and zoom control to be operated. The record deck, separate from the camera, was also covered in a clear plastic. When shooting from the boat, it is important that as short a focal length as possible is maintained to minimize the movement caused by the boat. Because of this it was necessary to be as close as possible to the boats being shot. A diagram of how the tripod compensated for the plane of the camera boat is shown below. ". ~— camera Tripod head 2» pipe E’ l l %\ l.____l __, -..... a. — ‘ - -— Foam tripod base Camera boat with tripod Downward pressure applied with knee 55:55; l — / '* ' ’- - 1 ' Tripod compensating for plane of camera boat \\ l ##1##.” I ,— W Figure 1 27 WW 1. Content order Unfortunately, when shooting most of the interviews, I had little more than an outline, and some questions. Most interviewees were asked a variety of questions about wooden boating, even if it was not their area of expertise. Doing this allowed verification of information, and provided different viewpoints and perspectives of a particular topic. After the interviews were shot, they were transcribed to paper, with SMPTE (Society of Motion and Television Engineers) time-code numbers recorded for reference. All interview questions were categorized according to the outline, and the best quotes were selected. In writing the script, a variety of scripting formats could have been used. While the traditional split page format has been used often in video scripting, it tends to stress the spoken word, leaving the visual component as secondary. Donna Matrazzo, in her book WW (1985) , refers to this as "filling in the video blanks.W“ In writing my script, I chose to use a modified form of the Corporate Teleplay Format. For example: Scene descriptions are written single spaced, from the one- inch left margin to the one-inch right margin. NARRATION IS WRITTEN IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, CENTERED IN THE PAGE, DOUBLE SPACED, AND THREE INCHES WIDE. 28 INTERVIEWS ARE ALSO THREE INCHES WIDE, BUT AGAINST THE LEFT moms.“ This allows one to determine at a glance if the spoken word is an interview or off-camera narration. The interviewee's name is underlined and is followed by the time-code set off in parentheses. Time-code is listed by tape number, minutes, seconds and frames. This script, which uses a modified version of the corporate teleplay format, can be found in Appendix A. Throughout the production phases, formative evaluation was used on the content. In informational programs, the importance of rapid feedback for planning programs and checking their effectiveness has been discovered by producers of such programs.‘5 By arranging and rearranging certain segments through various rough edits of segments, it was possible to test the aural and visual components of the program in a way that would have not been possible in a script-only form. Viewing of various rough edits with my advisers helped in the arrangement and fine tuning of the content and order of the content. This was done a total of eight times. Each master became a sub-master, in order to generate certain segments for the next rough edit master. While the quality of several generations of duplication went down, a noticeable quality increase in the content was noted by those who had watched each successive version. 29 2. Sound a. Music In selecting music for "RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE," period music seemed to be the most appropriate choice. Jazz, a popular musical style during the wooden runabout era of the 1920's through the 1930's, was used. To use pre-recorded music, copyrights for the music selections must be secured. Until 1972, sound recordings were not given protection at all by federal law. However, protection is given to works before 1972 under the 1978 copyright law. Copyrights can be kept on a recorded work up to 75 yearsx“’since most of the original recordings had been recorded after 1915, use of copyrighted materials requires permission. Three possibilities existed. One was to obtain copyright permission through the Harry Fox Agency or through the publisher who holds the copyright. The second was to obtain copyright of unpublished original materials from musicians. Another possibility was to have original music composed for the program. A choice to pay for the original copyrighted.material was made. This decision was made because of the complexity of reproducing the musical pieces, as well as the additional work which would be needed to record the music, b. Narration The choice of off or on-camera narration.is based on time and money. Off-camera narration alleviates the problem of arranging additional shoots in a variety of places. Finding 30 suitable talent which sounds and appears credible, as well as presents the information well, can be very time consuming. A good off-camera narrator allowed more b—roll to be added to a program which already had a high number of on-camera interviews. For this program, J .P. McCarthy, a nationally known radio talk-show host, was contacted, and agreed to do the narration. c. Natural Sound Natural sound was used not only for background during an interview or b-roll segments, but also as a transitional tool or attention-getter. Therefore, much of the recorded natural sound can be utilized in a variety of places. The natural sound in this production was used extensively throughout the program. d. Allocation of the various sound elements During the production, the natural sound and interview bites were recorded simultaneously on two tracks. A shotgun microphone was used.on channel one for a backup, and to record ambiance. A lavalier microphone was attached directly to the interviewee. A limitation of the equipment available at Michigan State has to do with the use of SMPTE time-code. In using an industrial 3/4" format, time code must be used on one of the two audio channels, instead of on a separate address track. A decision was made to lose the shotgun microphone found on channel one and replace it with time code. By having 31 the time code, management of the material found on the fifty tapes was made easier. Also, the use of time-code allowed synchronization with a twenty-four track audio recording system. While losing one of the two tracks for the video edit was a slight inconvenience, the benefits allowed the use of more tracks during audio sweetening. These tracks were managed more efficiently for a stereo mixdown after the video segments were assembled. 3. Combination of the Elements Editing considerations rely on the facility's capabilities. While the editing facilities at Michigan State University have the capacity to provide various transitional devices, dissolves and wipes were kept to a minimum. Wipes were usually used to signal the beginning or ending of a scene.‘7 Therefore, for this program, they were used during the opening and closing of the program, topic changes, or to illustrate passages of time. For the presentation of basic facts, cuts were used. Dissolves added to the production value of the program, and signified a change in focus. Character generation was used for the title, and to title each interviewee's name, his affiliation with wooden boating, and the city/state of residence or employment. Closing credits were used over a musical and visual montage at the end of the program. While combining the numerous audio elements could have proved to be a difficult and time consuming task, some 32 suggestions from my advisor allowed the placement and control of numerous sound sources. Since one channel of audio on the master videotape is dedicated to time-code, the second was used for narration and interviews. Space was left in-between segments for music selections. After the program was laid out, the narration and music segments were taken out. The next step was to begin transferring the needed sound elements to their own individual channels on the twenty-four track audio recorder. The audio interviews and time-code from the master tape were each transferred to their own channel simultaneously. The original reel-to-reel narration was then recorded onto its own channel. Since there was no audio reference to where the narration originally was on the master videotape, some guesswork was needed in rolling in each narration segment. The music, mostly on albums with a few cuts from compact disc, were then rolled in to an audio track on the twenty-four track. A total of twelve musical selections were used. The odd number selections were placed on one channel, and even number selections were placed on another. This allowed for cross fading if desired. Free rolling each sound.effect in for each b-roll shot in this program could.have taken.numerous hours of work. A way to alleviate this was to make a copy of the master videotape with time code, leaving the second channel unrecorded. Next, natural sound was recorded onto the sound effect videotape. The advantage to this was that such sound effects, such as 33 hammering and filing, could be re-recorded using the same time-code numbers used in creating the video portion of the master tape. With some addition and subtraction, the natural sound could lead and trail the visual shot. By doing this, one could hear a board, being’ planed before seeing it. For "RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE," more than 100 natural sound effects were used in a half-hour program. The audio track was then added by synchronizing the sound effects videotape with the twenty-four track recorder, and transferring them to their own channel. To smooth out some hard audio transitions, a few pre- recorded sound effects from a sound effect library were used. These included boats running, sea gulls, and water lapping. Since sounds such as sea gulls and water lapping may be occurring at the same time, two sound effects channels were used. Seven channels were used for this program: one channel for narration, one channel for interviews, two channels for music, one channel for natural sound, and two channels for pre-recorded sound effects. After making a careful log where each sound needed to appear on the script, several practice mix-downs were performed. Notes were made to determine when a sound needed to appear, at what level it needed to appear, and if the sound needed to be panned from one channel to another. A Kepex noise gate was used for the narration, interviews, and music to eliminate unwanted noise. Reverberation was used on the narration and interviews to warm the tonality of the spoken words. The narration, interviews, and especially the 34 music were then checked individually to decide if equalization was needed. Equalization was increased or decreased to add or subtract low or high frequencies. This was beneficial to reduce distortion tape hiss or crackly records. The final step was to selectively reproduce the appropriate channels from the seven channels to two open channels on the twenty-four track. This provided a stereo mix of the program. Once this was done, the video from the master tape and the two-tracks providing the stereo could be copied to a two-track stereo video machine. In this case, a one-inch reel-to-reel videotape machine was used. This proved to be the best way to produce a stereo master which could be sent to either a broadcast or duplication facility. Using a one-inch master for duplication allowed one to mass produce a high quality final product. £EA£T§E.1 Study Evaluations After the video documentary had been produced, it was tested against three groups: a general audience of wood boat enthusiasts, content experts, and video production experts. The final target audience is to be wooden boat enthusiasts. The test audience selected was those present at a board of directors meeting of the Michigan Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boating Society!“ The viewing was at vernier's Restaurant in Fair Haven, Michigan. Vernier's was built in 1914, and still has bullet holes near the bar from the days of Prohibition and bootlegging. Twenty-three members were shown the tape in a semi-private room (a controlled environment) with a stereo monitor connected to a 3 / 4" U-matic video cassette player. The members ranged from a marine hardware store owner to a retired craftsman. All were wooden boat lovers. Of the twenty-three members present, eighteen received a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed immediately after showing the program. Please note that the testing universe of avid wood boat enthusiasts is small, and many of the people interviewed in this video may be familiar to the test subjects. In fact, two of the members of the audience were in the video. These two test subjects were given the 35 36 questionnaire, but the data collected from them will not be included, since their opinion would be less than objective. The three content experts reside in different geographic areas of the country. One was a boat restorer from Lake Tahoe who hosts the prestigious West Coast boat show, the Concours d'Elegance. The second, the author of WW, lives in Minnesota. The last was the author of Thg_Leggnd_Qf Chri§_grafit, from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Each was sent a VHS videotape by mail. The production experts were two local video producers, one commercial, and one institutional. The third production expert works for Cannon Films in.Los.Angeles, as a multi-track audio mixer for films. When his questionnaire did not come back by the due date, a backup was chosen. A film instructor at Ferris State University, who has produced numerous documentaries for PBS, was selected. Both the content and production experts were called in advance to be sure of their willingness to participate, and to check their accessibility to videocassette players. If the experts were not willing to participate in the testing, a new subject could have been selected. Fortunately, all of respondents took time from their busy schedule to participate. Each participant received a copy of the program, a questionnaire, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope in which to return the questionnaire. The participants were asked to keep the tape in return for their participation. After participants had viewed the program, the instructions asked them to complete the questionnaire and mail 37 it. Tested were effectiveness and originality of the content, as well as the quality and creativity of the production. The questionnaire given to the content experts contained more in- depth questions on content, while the production experts were given a questionnaire with more questions on production techniques. A copy of the questionnaire can be found in Appendix C. QEABIEB_§ Results 8 Recommendations Data from the questionnaires were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the content presentation and production techniques, and to determine whether the program fulfilled the viewer's needs. Also, recommendations for possible uses of the program were developed. The program was evaluated by both a general audience and experts in the areas of content and production. While the questionnaires for each.group were similar, the questionnaire for the content experts and general audience placed more emphasis on the content and message of the program. The production experts were asked more questions concerning the production techniques used. In both the content and production questionnaires, questions one through seven were identical. The remaining questions were specific to the centent and production of the program. Interpretation of the Results Overall, the results of the questionnaire from both the content and. production experts ‘were favorable. The data collected did show specific patterns in which the content and production techniques could have been changed to improve the program. 38 39 Part I of the questionnaire examined the message design and content of the program. Several questions examined the organization, ease of comprehension, informativeness, interest, entertainment value, and accuracy of the program. Pertaining to the organization and ease of comprehension, a f ive-point Likert scale was used. Both the content and production experts rated the information presented. well organized and easily understandable. Question three examined fourteen parts of the program, with a ranking of one being uninformative and five being very informative. A distinctive pattern revealed the sections which left the viewer satisfied, or wanting more information. All responses were either 3 (average), 4 (good), or*5 (excellent), with the exception of three questions, all from the same respondent who ranked three sections a 2 (below average). The beginning of the program, which addresses the issues of why people are drawn to wooden boats, rated a "good" from the general audience and content experts, while the production experts averaged between good and excellent. The content and general groups found this section to be excellent, while the production group averaged between good and excellent. Construction methods and hardware were two areas where all three groups felt the program could have been more informative. Unfortunately, these sections had to be cut in order to make the program fit the 30-minute target length of the program. 40 The responses to which section the respondents found "most" interesting was almost as varied as the number of people surveyed. Three sections, however, were more popular than any other. Four respondents found construction methods were the most interesting, while three respondents found craftsmen, reproducers, and custom builders to be their favorite. Three respondents found that the owner's narratives were "least" interesting. Three other respondents, however, replied "none, " meaning that they did not have a least favorite. One of the production experts reinforced his dissatisfaction with the section on tools and parts. His response to why it was "least" interesting "... not because I am not interested, but virtually no close-ups or demonstrations of some excitement ... left me wanting much more information." In regards to the program's entertainment value, the content and general audience found the program very entertaining, while the production experts found it good. While 50% of the respondents perceived the program's accuracy to be excellent, the other 50% rated it good. Both production experts found the accuracy excellent. Content experts and the general group were asked which building methods they had heard of prior to viewing the tape. While most had heard of the conventional method, as well as the W.E.S.T. System, six of the respondents had not heard of the method of building using Thyocol. Therefore, approximately 41 one-third of the viewers were exposed to a method of construction they had not heard of in the past. When asking respondents which builders they had heard of previous to watching the tape, the percentages were smaller. Approximately 25% had heard of all of the builders. Almost 50% had heard of the Mayeas or Grand Craft. One-third of the respondents had heard of Hacker or Gar Wood. Other builders mentioned in the video had percentages under 10%. The respondents were asked if there were any other reproducers that they would have liked to have seen. Two respondents would have liked to see the ELCO, or Electric Launch Company. ELCO originally built boats called launches in the early 1900's. The name ELCO was recently bought by Joseph Fleming II, who has begun to reproduce these classic boats mostly of fiberglass, and a few high cost wooden boats."9 ELCO's, however, are not considered runabouts, and therefore were not considered for this program. Another respondent would have liked to have seen the Morin Brothers of Bay City, Michigan. Like the Mayeas, the Morins' company is that of a small, custom builder. In interviews conducted during pre- production, it had been suggested that I contact the Morins. The Mayeas, however, were easily accessible, and were better known than the Morins. Three respondents suggested Hugh St. Craft (of Cape Coral, Florida), a builder whose name I have not come across until recently. Three respondents answered "no" to this question. 42 The content experts and general audience were asked several basic questions addressing the production elements used in the program. With one being excellent, and five being poor, 85% of all respondents from all three groups found the narration to be a five (excellent), and 15% found it to be a four (good). This can be due to the fact that J.P. McCarthy, a radio talk-show host from Detroit, and a national commercial voice talent, was used. Many people who have viewed the tape recognize his voice well before his name is revealed in the credits. One production expert commented, "Whenever possible, go for the gold. (The narrator) was.a great choice." The other commented, "The talent seemed to have an interest in subject," which he does. Over half of the respondents found the choice of people interviewed to be excellent. However, almost one-third found them to be "good" and 11% of the respondents found them to be "average." Three comments were made in question 5 which shed some light on which interviews were considered by them to be "average. " One respondent did not like the discussion of "why" people have wood boats. Another felt the part about owners discussing’ buying' boats for investment to be the least interesting. A third did not like the owners' narratives. Two-thirds of the respondents found.the script to be very interesting. Music selection, which is copyrighted jazz music from.the 1920's and 1930's, was ranked excellent by 30% of the :respondents, and. good by 50%. One respondent ranked it average, and one ranked it poor. Selection of shots used in 43 the program was excellent with 50%, and good with 40%. Sixty perent of the respondents found the length of the shots to be just right, while approximately one-third found them to fall between just right and too short. The production experts were asked some more specific questions concerning the production elements. With one being excellent, and five being poor, the production experts found the natural sound to be a 3.3, slightly over average. One commented that you can almost NEVER get enough natural sound. The other reinforced by saying that the "wild track" was present in some scenes, and not in others. A comment was made that a "good attempt" was made to lead the video with audio during several segues. Another production expert felt that although there were a few places where the background noise was a bit distracting, the audio was "good stuff, expecially the nat. sound." Other elements which the production experts evaluated were. camera. use, film/still/video footage, lighting, transitions and titles. Camera movement and composition were rated average. Two production experts rated the film and still footage excellent, while the other rated it average. The exact opposite happened for the live video. The one who rated the archival footage excellent, rated the video average, while the other two rated it good. Two rated the lighting as below average, the other average. Criticism for not having fill lighting for harsh outdoor interviews were made. One expert commented "inconsistent lighting on subjects, granted a wide range of shoot conditions." The other commented "a few extra 44 pains would have avoided those few 'average' elements from this film." All respondents felt the use of transitions and titles were adequate. Editing techniques were rated between good and excellent. One expert commented "A lot of good, well paced edits." Most respondents from all groups found the language used in the program to be suitable for a general audience. One respondent wrote in the margin that they thought the program would not be suitable for non-wooden boat enthusiasts, but is very suitable for wooden boat enthusiast. A respondent, talking to me after seeing the program, commented that many of her neighbors and friends did not understand why she and her husband are so obsessed with wooden boats. She said, "Now I can show them this tape, and they will understand!" Fifty-eight percent of the respondents found the program's length to be adequate. A few found it to lean slightly toward inadequate. This could.be 19. Would you would like to be put on a mailing list to receive information on future videos on wooden boats? YES NO (If YES, go to question 20) (If NO, go to question 26) 105 20. 21. 22.
23. 24. , 25. ( ) - 26. DO you currently own a wooden boat? YES NO If Yes, please list any current boats you own. Use the back of this page if you need more room. BOAT mm 11993.1: mmmm You may now enclose the questionnaire in the envelope and nail. Thank you for your cooperation. W PRODUCTION QUESTIONNAIRE AREENDIZ_§:£ PRODUCTION QUESTIONNAIRE Thank you for your participation in this questionnaire. The results from this research will be included in a Master's thesis from Michigan State University. The data received.will assist in evaluating the effectiveness of the content and production techniques of RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE. At your earliest convenience, please View the enclosed videotape. Please allow yourself a half-hour to view the tape without interruption. AS SOON AS you have viewed the tape, please open the enclosed questionnaire envelope. Please fill out this questionnaire completely. Once completed, the questionnaire can be placed in the self-addressed stamped envelope and then mailed. The envelope is attached to the last page of this questionnaire. PLEASE NOTE: Questions 1-7 are identical to the content questionnaire, and therefbre are not being repeated here. Eg;§_T1: PRODUCTION 8. How would you rate the following elements in the program? A9219 Nam EXCELLENT AVERAGE POOR a. Pacing 1 2 3 4 5 b. Delivery style 1 2 3 4 5 106 107 EXCELLENT AVERAGE POOR c. Inflection l 2 3 5 d. Voice quality 1 2 3 5 COMMENTS ON NARRATION e. Choice of people interviewed EXCELLENT AVERAGE POOR 1 2 3 5 f. Script VERY INTERESTING NOT VERY INTERESTING l 2 3 5 9. Music selection EXCELLENT AVERAGE POOR 1 2 3 5 h. Natural sound 1 2 3 5 COMMENTS ON AUDIO V EO i. Selection of shots to illustrate a point. EXCELLENT AVERAGE POOR 1 2 3 5 j. Length of shots used to illustrate points TOO SHORT JUST RIGHT TOO LONG 1 2 3 5 k. Camera movement (zooms) EXCELLENT AVERAGE POOR l 2 3 5 108 EXCELLENT AVERAGE POOR 1. Shot composition 1 2 3 4 5 m. Film footage I 2 3 4 5 n. Still photos 1 2 3 4 5 0. Video footage l 2 3 4 5 p. Lighting 1 2 3 4 5 q. Transitions (ie: wipes / dissolves / cuts) NOT FREQUENTLY ENOUGH ADEQUATE TOO FREQUENTLY l 2 3 4 5 r. Titles 1 2 3 4 5 COMMENTS ON VIDEO 9. What effect did the editing techniques have in terms of the effectiveness of the program? INEFFECTIVE EFFECTIVE 5 4 3 2 l 10. How suitable to a general audience is the language used i the script? NOT VERY SUITABLE VERY SUITABLE 5 4 3 2 1 11. Is the language used in the script appropriate for the subject matter? INAPPROPRIATE APPROPRIATE 5 4 3 2 1 12. How adequate is the program's length in delivering the information? INADEQUATE ADEQUATE 5 4 3 2 1 109 13. What do you see as a viable means of distribution for RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE? a. Mass distribution (go to q. 15) b. Television airing (go to q. 14) c. Both A and B (go to q. 14) d. Other 14. Where might you expect to see RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE aired? a. PBS (National) b. PBS (Local affiliates) c. Network (Local affiliates) d. Independent stations e. Cable (National) f. Cable (Local) 9. Other (please list) 15. How would you rate the overall production quality Of RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE? EXCELLENT GOOD AVERAGE FAIR POOR 1 2 3 4 5 16. Please add any comments which you may have about RUNABOUT RENAISSANCE that may not have been addressed in any of the previous questions: You may now enclose the questionnaire in the envelope and nail. Thank you for your cooperation. W DATA APPENDII_Q DATA Coding of the questionnaire is as follows: G = General Audience, C = Content Experts, P = Production Experts. QQESTION 1 Z 3 4 5 l G 0 0 0 1 15 C 0 0 0 l 2 P 0 0 0 2 1 2 G 0 0 0 3 13 C 0 0 0 l 2 P 0 0 0 l 2 3a. G 0 0 5 6 5 C 0 0 1 2 0 P 0 0 l 1 l D. G 0 0 0 9 7 C 0 0 1 0 2 P 0 0 0 l 2 C. G 0 0 2 10 4 C 0 0 1 1 l P 0 0 1 0 2 d. G 0 0 l 10 5 C 0 0 0 3 0 P 0 0 1 0 2 110 111 QQESTION 112 QLLESTIQN 1 g 3 4 5 4. G o 1 o 9 6 C o o 1 1 1 P o o o 3 0 j. G o o 2 8 6 C o o 1 1 1 P o o 2 1 o 4- MQ§I_INTEBE§TIN§ Adhesives 1 Repro/Custom 1 Pop. of models 2 People's Opin. 1 Custom 2 Const. methods 4 Craftsmen 3 Repro 3 History 1 5. LEA§I_INIEBE§IIN§ Design 1 Discussion "why" people have wood boats/InvestmentIOwner's Narratives 3 None 3 All interesting 2 Fiberglass 1 Tools/Parts 1 Clarion 1 QQE§TION l 44; 3 4 5 6. G 0 0 2 3 11 C 0 0 0 1 2 P 0 0 1 2 0 7. G 0 O 1 7 7 C 0 0 0 1 2 P 0 0 0 1 2 CONTENT QUESTIONNAIRE ONLY 113 8-W CONVENTIONAL 18 CONVENTIONAL (W/THYOCOL) 13 WEST 17 COMBINATION OF EPOXY 1 9-W GRAND CRAFT 10 HACKER CRAFT 6 GAR WOOD 7 MAYEA 9 CUTHBERTSON 2 CLARION (BOYD) 4 VAN DAM 1 VAN PATTEN (Custom) 1 MERTAUCH 1 HUGH SAINT (Florida)l ALL 5 90% 1 10. EQILQERg 10g WQQLD RAVE LIKED TQ HAZE SEER ELCO 2 MORIN BROTHERS 1 ? 1 HUGH SAINT CRAFT 1 NO 3 SEVERAL SMALL BUILDERS 1 QUESTION 1 2 3 4 5 11a. G 13 3 0 0 0 C 3 0 0 0 0 EL 0 QOQO GO 9 as on H H o 114 QHESTION 1 Z 3 4 5 f. G 0 5 10 l 0 C 0 2 1 0 0 12. G 0 0 4 3 9 C 0 0 0 1 2 13. G 0 1 l 5 9 C 0 0 0 1 2 14. G 0 0 0 3 13 C 0 0 0 2 1 15. G 0 1 l 2 12 C 0 0 0 0 3 16. YES 19 NO 0 17- IXEE§_QE_YIDEQ§ History of wood boating 8 Boat shows 16 Refinishing work 5 Particular models 10 Other 3 18. ADDITIONAL_§QMNENI§ ”See some mention & sights of museums involved in ACBS (Antique & Classic Boat Society)." "More nameplates, especially Canadian builders." "More accurate history would be appreciated." "Excellent job I Good presentation." ”Enjoyed old film footage, boats racing." "Excellent photography." "Should include more on Century & Lyman boats." 115 "Among the best wood boat videos I have ever viewed. I plan to watch it many times in the future." 19. YES 17 NO 1 ZG-NHHEEE_QE_EQAI§_QHNED HHNEEB_QE_EEQBLB NONE 1 l 2 2 3 3 l 4 4 5 4 6 1 7 0 8 or more 2 PRODUCTION QUESTIONNAIRE ONLY QQESTION 1 A; 43 4 5 8a. 2 1 0 0 0 b. 2 l 0 0 0 C. 2 1 0 0 0 d. 3 0 0 0 0 Comments on Narration: "When possible, go for the gold. J.P. was a great choice..."; "Excellent read, lends credibility & authority to piece overall, talent seemed to have an interest in subject"; "Good writing and voice." 116 QHESTION 1 g, 3 4 5 e. 1 1 1 0 0 f. 1 0 2 0 0 g. 1 1 1 0 0 h. 1 0 1 1 0 Comments on Narration: "You can almost NEVER get enough nat. sound. Needed hotter mix in spots, in others there was none. Was lgggg__g§§gmp§, to lead the ‘video ‘with audio several times/segues."; "Inconsistent 'use of "wild-track" audio. Present in some scenes, not in others"; "Good stuff, expecially nat. sound. Some background noise on interviews a little distracting." QQESTION 1 2 3 4 5 1. 0 3 0 0 0 j. 0 0 3 0 0 k. 0 1 2 0 0 1. 0 1 2 0 0 m. 2 0 1 0 0 n. 1 1 1 0 0 o. 0 2 1 0 0 p. 0 0 1 2 0 q. 0 0 3 0 0 r. 0 0 3 0 0 Comments on video: "Production quality suffered a bit due to varying talent levels Of camera operators. Commendable job of mixing historical film, stills, and current video formats. A 117 few extra. pains would. have avoided. those few "average" elements from this film."; "Inconsistent lighting on subjects. Granted a wide range Of shoot conditions. No fill on harsh sun-lit scenes. TOO many shots shot below eye-level on taller interviewees. Some scenes could've been more "dynamic", (ie:) wide-angle and up close"; "Some interiors too drab, some exteriors too contrasty." QUESTION 5 4 3 4 1 9. 0 0 0 1 2 10. 0 0 0 3 0 11. 1 0 0 0 2 12. 0 0 0 2 1 A B C D E F G 13. l l 3 "Specialized audience, mass distribution." 14. 2 1 2 2 1 OTHER: "Conferences & specialty group gatherings/film festivals"; "The Boat Channel, Discovery, Michigan Outdoors, Sports Network." 15. l 2 0 0 0 16. "IMPROVEMENTS: Close-ups. Consistent "super" lengths. Lighting. Consistent camera work. POSITIVES: Very well researched. Good in-camera segues of action footage. Good CU of brush varnishing boards, very indicative of what was missing. Good audio mix, yielding good clear audio reproduction. Overall, very good effort."; 118 "Basically a solid production. Wide range Of topics, lots of good, well paced edits. I feel you feature L99 many interviewees (hard to keep track of "who's who"). I never got to "know" these people. Would've liked to have more of a personality profile of some (especially "old timers). All male - all white. No women or minorities? Some more "photography" like video shooting would help make overall piece stronger. Somewhat limited appeal? But perfect for wood boat enthusiasts"; "Beautiful boat shots, most good but some ugly interview footage (white belly guy) , no sanding, no varnishing split-screen looks like a lo bo commercial. Graphic [of W.E.S.T. System] breaks style. Nice job. Show seems to have definite comercial value." BIPLIQQBAEEI Antique and Classic Boat Society, Inc, 1289 Qinectggy. Cedar Knolls, New Jersey: ACBS, 1989. Barnouw, Eric. 0 ° '8 O O e O - 'On 1 . New York: Oxford University Press, 1974. Cuthbertson, Tom. Audio Interview, Cuthbertson Boat Works, Algonac, Michigan: 18 Apr. 1989 Fostle, D.W. fipgggpggg. Mystic, Connecticut: United States Historical Society and Mystic Seaport Museum Stores, 1988. Gar Wood Boat Company. Historical Data. Promotional Literature, Watervliet, New York. Garcia, Christina. "Just Wild About Woodies." i a az' e, 29 August, 1988: 59. Gougeon, Mead and Jan. h O o Bro on O Const uction, 2nd Ed. Bay City, Michigan: Gougeon Brothers, Bay City, Michigan, 1986. Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind Tn tge Willgws. New York: Bantam Books, 1908, 1982. Haggadone, David. Personal Interview. June, 1989. Jacobs, Lewis. rogmentary Igggition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 1979. Lloyd, Barbara. "Landing the Bargain Boat Takes Some Smart Shopping." New 1913 Tings, 8 Jan. 1990: Y 19. Mariner's Museum. Newport News, Virginia. Display For Chris Smith and Sons Boat Company, and the evolution Of wooden runabouts, 24 Nov. 1989. Matrazzo, Donna. Tag gozporagg §crip§writing BOOR. Portland, Oregon: Communicom Publishing Company, 1985. Mayea, Don. Videotape Interview. 8 July, 1989. 119 120 McAlleer, Robin. "Grand Craft." figg§§n_figgg. July/August, 1982: 44. Montgomery, Charles H. ° v' 'o Dggnmgnta12_12§§;1§. New York: Hasting House, 1981. Northuis, Steve. Videotape Interview. 8 July, 1989. Pearson, Bob. "Savannah Jane and Friends: The Mayea Boat Works will build you a boat their way. Aggign_T;g_R. Pontiac Motor Company Publications: Michigan, July, 1988. Pittman, Freeman. "Building in the Grand Manner." Lgkglgng Beating. May. 1982- Ragggm_figg§§_nig;19n§zy. New York: Random House, Inc., 1978. Rice. Ronald E- et a1. WW. Beverly Hills, California: Sage Publications, 1981. Rodengen, Jeffrey R-. PhD. Ihs_Lsssnd_Of_§hris:§raft- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: Write Stuff Syndicates, 1988. Begetls_lnternational_1heSERIES- 4th Ed. New York: Thomas V. Crowell Publishers, 1977. Schwem Industries. Videotape Demonstration Of the Gyrozoom Image Stabilizer, Pleasant Hills, California. Smith, Jack. "A Classic Reborn - 1932 Chris-Craft." igghging, May, 1983. Spectre, Peter H. "Speedboats from the Golden Era." flggggn Eggg, July/August, 1986: 82-9. Speltz, Robert. Thg_R§g1_RgngEgg§_. 6 vols. Lake Mills, Iowa: Gibson Publishing Company, 1977-86 Strong. William 8. Ths_Q2PYrishI_E2931_A_Bractical_suids. 2nd Ed. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. Swartz, Jim. "The Boatingest State in the Nation."1h§_§;gng Rgpig__£1g§§, 3 Feb. 1990: D1- 2. Thousand Island Shipyard Museum. 25th Anniversary Antique Boat Show. Clayton, New York: 5-6 August, 1989. Webster, Jean, "Highland boat yard revives classy craft." In; Timg§_fig:§1g_3gggzg. Ulster County, New York, 17 April, 1989: 18. 121 Wittig, William G- W- Manistee, Michigan: Century Boat Company, 1984. Wolverton, Mike. WWW £11m. Houston, London, Paris, Tokyo: Golf Pubishing Company, 1983. Hggggn_figg§. Brooklin, Maine: Wooden Boat Pubications. March/April, 1989. Zettl, Herbert. TeIgyision Ezoguggign Rgndgook, 4th Ed. Belmont, California: Wadsworth.Publishing Company, 1984. ‘41 /I// 3 I/ / 1 2 MIMI/(IWI/I/I/xxlxx/I/x/I/I/(I/x/owg/xl