This early 1980s film is from an Information Management series that shows how computers can be used in an office environment (:14). The film talks about "word processing specialists" and hints at a future where electronic mail and voice-to-text might become reality.
The film opens with shots of older office equipment and computers such as the Dual Display and Alpha Word 3 (:30). As the world and technology progressed, a need to reach people faster developed and to move words more efficiently (1:40). Word processing, a concept borrowed from the German language (2:02) is what this picture will center on. Pictures on cave walls represent the early beginnings of communication (2:11) and from here it progressed to symbols (2:26) and later, moveable type was invented by Gutenberg (2:42). The first writing machine was the Nickerson Automatic Typewriter (2:45). Until recently, the ways in which office paper work has been handled had not progressed much (3:33). Word processing was the new development, however, which was able to increase the flow and accuracy of information in the office space (4:25). It had the ability to complete four times as much work and print over two hundred lines per minute (4:48). This process combined new procedures, new equipment and newly trained employees (5:38). The First National Bank of Chicago utilized an extensive 53 system operation (6:29). Scholarly studies, one titled “Secretary’s average day” showed they were only able to produce four to six words per minute (7:16). The updated system included a console attached to the typewriter that recorded everything typed on a magnetic card (8:02). This corrected mistakes easily and created perfect copies at 180 words per minute (8:38). Some machines included internal memory and other microcomputers a display screen (8:46). Some of the larger systems in use included the installation at Blue Cross which turned out as many as 4,000 letters a day (9:02) and the giant computer that served the 42 word processors in Wisconsin state government (9:10). Small and large, all were able to do the same job and were utilized in every field (9:20).
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
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