Scenario for prcducing an industry video

By Halmar Forr€st Michigan-Califomia Lumber Co. Camino, Ca.

Since videos are becoming a popular medium for preserving history as well as employee and cwtomer education, we felt this case history would be helpful to our readersed.

l. lO. IT didnt all start in a little film llstudio in the wilds of the Sierra Nevada, to paraphrase an old TV comedy line, but no one suspected "Camino Quality-The Story of Michigan-California Lumber Co." would tum out to be a hot item on the industry video cassette charts. In fact, the Michigan-Cal office has been kept so busy taking orders and mailing them out to schools, colleges, lumber dealers, organizations and just plain interested folks, that the proper business of keeping track of sales of sugar and Ponderosa pine, white and Doug frr and incense cedar has had to be squeezed in.

Well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration. But, when orders for the cassette reach 20 a day, you begin to wonder what business you're in.

Success in the entertainment field was definitely not the objective the management had 'in mind when the idea of a film about the company was first discussed. The intent was to record the story of Michigan-Califomia Lumber Co. up to and including the present.

Filming the operation of the log deck, the sawmill, the planing mill, the management of 78,000 acres of company owned timberland, including logging, planting and reforestation of stands of the five native species, plus the railroad and shipping operations and loading lumber for Japan at the Port of Sacramento was envisioned. Film from the old days when Mich-Cal transported lumber across the South Fork of the American River on a 2,650 foot cable, 1200 feet above the gorge was a remote possibility. Not a simple thing to record the story of a company that started in 1890.

Although the idea of a film had been suggested at various times, it was the completion of the new multi-million dollar sawmill facility in 1984 that gave impetus to the notion. Infroduction of a quad mill and optimizing edger, a new debarking system and complete computerization of all operations had required a redesigning and rebuilding of the sawmill constructed 30 years before.

Having given the idea a green light, the first step was to find someone to bring it to reality. It had to be a company with both technical and artistic ability plus experience. The search for the right film company took time. Thke One Productions and producer Mike Drake of Sacramento were selected. No novices, they had made films for some of the biggest corporations in the state. It didnt take many samples of their work to convince Mich-Cal that thev'd found the best.

Video process begins with determining purpose film company selection next ... careful preparation prccedes filming distribution of cassettes is final step.

Before filming began, Drake and his crew spent days in the forest with MichCal's resource manager, Henry Alden, spotting locations for shots to illustrate forestry procedures. More days were spent in the sawmill and planing mill, checking on possible lighting problems, watching the action, getting the feel of the place and trying to understand the multiple actions and interactions of lumber manufacture.

Then came the actual filming. Producer and assistant, cameraman, sound man, camera assistant and grip went into the forest with the resource manager, recording "voice over" segments as they

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Wt-kes Co.s is talking with trV R. Grtrce & Co. about purchasing their horne center cliv....Wickts is acquin ing from Ptn, 'rt Sat,e Int'., Seattle. Wa., three Las Vegas, Nv.. Vrnt Ttbelb units to be operated by Build' ers Emgtrhtm...

Builders Sqtutre (part of K mart) and Builtlers Etttltttt'iturt (pan of Wickes) have settled their narne dispute out of court with the Knant subsidiary agreeing to identify itself with K nntt in all Calif. advertising.

Paybss Cashw'trys, lr., plans to close retail stores in Ti"tcscln and Tempe, Az., and Denvel Co., this yeu...Grace Home Cefiers lVcst has relocated in Diamond Bar. Ca.. moving offices from Brca and Pasadena. Ca....

Acquisition of Honrc Club hn'., Fullerton, Ca., has been completed by Zayre Corp. with Robefi J. McNulty continuing as pres. and c.e.o. of the 18 membership home improvement units in Calif. and Nv. Handlt nm has completed rernodeling of its San Diego County stores with work proceeding on 43 additional units in Ca. and Az.

Evue Products Co.. in bankruptcy, has filed its own rcorganizittion plan follorring the I'iling of u reolgitnization plan by a cornrnittee of unsecured creditors...

Ltnirecl McGill Corp. has opened a sales olfice in Hayward. Ca,... SK HonclTool Crnp. has been solcl ttt Fuutm S.A., Paris, France, by Corcorun Pcultrcrs IJd.

Pronutrk Procfucts Int'., City of lndustry, Ca., has been ncquireci by the Arieru Co. Brillion , Wi....MAG Ertgirrceing has movecl its door security hardware plant t'rom Gardena. Ca., to a new twice-the-size facility in Huntington Beach, Ca....

Medfbrtl Corp.. Medfbrd. Or.. has combined European and U.S. medium density t-iberboard operations in the Medite div....

Bruuul S Corp.. Corvallis. Or.. is proposing to buy most of the assets of bankrupt Mnh Side hunber Co., Philomath, Or.. if tmnsf'er of some Nonh Side tirnber contracts can be resolved; Brarul S has ottered S'1.2 million for assets listed in the Chapter I l proceedings as wofih $7.1 million ...ftrlltnt' Fot'est Pruxhrls. Lake Oswego, Or.,is now hanclling domestic sales for Rtft An-q,eles Tintber Pnrlrur:/s, Port Angeles. Wa....

The Merchant Magazine t I'ltttse lunt !,) t,age 23)

Nortlm'cst Hotrhvxxls. Rrrtland. Or.. has acquircd Beruu'tt-Dtuiels Itutilrr Cir.. \Vausau. Wi.. ..httktt'h Ctr1t. has rckrcatc'd its Nlinnesota Div Oxboard salcs office attrl stud salcs to Spokanc. Wa....

&tuitwesf Fore.tt huhstries htt'., Phoenix, Az-.. has filecl a lawsuit against ktng, Hoening &Wulker lnr'.. Oklahoma City. Ok.. and other shareholders claimin.e thc group is illegally soliciting shareholder votes in a proxy fight...

W-l Fin'est Pro&uls. Irtc. Lake Oswego, Or.. and ldaho PhvTimber Assotiatas have merged asW-l Frtrest Products linited Partnership...Ketcltil<rm Prlp Co., zt Inuisiuru-PariJic Cor7r. subsidiary, has sold the site of its ckrsed Ketchikan. Ak., spruce mill to the city of Ketchikan...

W,sttm Titming,.t arul Strtir Co.. Commerce City (Denver). Co., has opened a warehouse facility in Santa Fe Springs, Ca., Mike Garrett, mgr.

D. C. Esile,- tutd Son, Montebello, Ca.. plans to voluntarily wind down and close the 38-year-old firm mid year; Jerry Essley, after a 50-year career, will retire as will his pannet, Wayne Wilson...Sroc*lrle' Building Muterials, Carson, Ca., is adding a 7.000 sq. fi. storage slred.,. Hmtt'unl Llmrher Co.. San Mzrino. Ca., is building a DC in Barstow. Ca.. with a 16.000 sc1. ft. home center and 25,000 sq. ft. yard ..Custorrt Mills (Lane Stanton Vance) is building a new plywood and lumber storage facility in the City of hrdustry Ca....

Pay'N Palc, Kent,Wa., has opened stores in El Cerito and San Leandro. Ca.. and converted three Portland, Or., stores acquiredfrom Hatc$,man to warehouse merchandising.

Na,let's Home Intprovement Center has city OK to build on 10 acres in Danville. Ca....Tnrkee-Tahoe lunber, Tiuckee, Ca., has been cotnpletely remodeled...Burron lunlrcr has consolidated its Summit County, Ut.,store with its Salt l-ake City, Ut. location...

Manin l:orcst ln&nn'res, Healclsburg, Ca., has opened a branch ot't'ice in Kirkland, Wa., Mike Moseby, mgr., with plans tbr future distribution and remanut'acturin-e facilities. Montnnre Thnber h'oduos has opened a stud mill in Coos Bay, Or.

Wo.sltingtort lLrnther & Plv*ntl hrc., Bellingham, Wa., has expanded storage space at its recently acquired five acre storage yard and reload center to 14,600 sq. ft. and added a factory prestaining line as well as new siding, paneling and moulding mfg. capability expected to be in operation late this month...

Beu' Forest Produtfs, Riverside, Ca.. is a new otfice wholesale co. started bv Banv Schneicler. ..Bend Milhvork,-Bend, Or., is opening a new DC in Benicia, Ca., on March I ...Former Weelwriglt hunber Co. owners. Ogden. Ut.. are suing Pacdu: Westem hrlustries tbr $1.4 million in connection with the purchase of the cornpany last year...

Housing sftlrts in Dec. (latest fiss.) rose I7 .5c/o to 'Nt cauualized rcite' of l,B40,UX)...single family sta{s climbed 15.8c/a while multis were up 20:q(...bldg. permits rose llVo to an adjusted annual rate of 1,844,000.,.new home starts for 1985 were 1,732,800...

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