We at Film World are deeply concerned about the issues involved in the recent Telstra Katherine flood television advertisement. In light of this concern, I would like to clarify some facts surrounding the footage supplied for the commercial. Film World supplied the shot of Melanie Finley, the Texan flood victim, to Mojo. All other stock footage for the commercial was provided by another supplier. The shot of the attempted flood rescue was supplied to us in a new collection we had contracted to represent. As we hold it, the shot is part of an existing program containing no mention whatsoever of the subsequent tragic death of Melanie Finley. Of course, if such mention had been included, Film World would most certainly have informed our client, who no doubt would have acted accordingly. Our supplierÕs records indicate that the shot in question is public domain footage; we do not yet know the circumstances under which our supplier obtained the shot. Possibly even the makers of the original program were also unaware of the tragic outcome. Film World has been in business for 13 years and has established a reputation as an intelligent, ethical and high quality supplier of stock footage. Our library contains 6,000 hours of material and represents more than 100 suppliers. We have an excellent system of safeguards and clearances; all footage is legally licensed and copyright-cleared and information regarding talent clearances and potential public relations problems are supplied. This incident, in which Film World has behaved utterly ethically and legally, is the first in well over a decade of unblemished service. While the issues surrounding the use of such ÒrealityÓ footage certainly bear close examination, it should be noted that AustraliaÕs stock footage industry is world renowned for its extremely high standards. Film World will continue to provide the high quality service that has made us the most widely used and respected film library in Australia. Eileen Naseby managing director Film World
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