FILM AND VIDEO COLLECTION http://floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/catalog.cfm The films and video tapes included in the Florida Photographic Collection date from 1917 to the present and were donated to the Florida State Archives by a variety of individuals and organizations. The majority of the films were produced by the Florida Development Commission, which later became the Florida Department of Commerce. The films were intended to help develop Florida, to boost the economy, and to gain attention in national and global marketplaces. They show us Florida as it was and sometimes, admittedly, as the promoters wanted us to see it. Through the monumental distribution efforts of the Florida Development Commission people everywhere saw Florida as a place of unlimited fishing, ample free parking, zany attractions, glorious beaches, and economic opportunities that flowed like orange juice. The Film and Video Collection of the Florida Photographic Collection also includes films produced by WFSU Television, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Natural Resources, as well as a number of individual donations and home movies. Unlike the Florida Development Commission films, the majority of this footage is not promotional in nature and presents a more candid portrayal of the state. This diverse film footage covers a variety of topics including education, environment, family life, industry, integration, politics, and World War II. A number of items in the Film and Video Collection reflect the black experience in Florida. Individual videos of interest can be identified by referring to Filming Florida: Images of the Sunshine State, a catalog describing many of the videos in this collection, available from the State Archives in print form or on the World Wide Web at http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/catalog.cfm Florida. Division of Tourism. Florida Promotional Films, 1948-1978, 1,528 films S 828 This series consists of videotapes produced for or by the Florida Department of Commerce's Division of Tourism, or its predecessor agencies, the Division of Community Development, the Florida Development Commission, or the Florida State Advertising Commission. The majority of the films are in color and with sound. There are some black and white films and a few silent films. The films were produced to create and build the Florida tourism industry by encouraging tourists from other states and countries to visit Florida. The wide range of the subject matter of the films highlights Florida's tourist attractions (Disney World, Busch Gardens, historic St. Augustine), communities (DeLand, Lakeland, Pensacola), industry (sugar, citrus, space exploration), sports (Gator Bowl, Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier, golf), wildlife (alligators, dolphins, fishing), and government. They serve as an interesting visual time capsule of Florida and Floridians over a thirty-year span.
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