Film Archives, Inc.


Film Archives, Inc. or F.I.L.M. Archives is a stock footage company based in New York City.
It is believed to be one of the oldest independent footage companies and has supplied footage to feature films, television, industrial, commercial, and web footage users.
Footage from its library of mostly vintage films has been featured in The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and the feature films 42, Argo, Dreamgirls and Trial of the Chicago 7.

History

Film Archives was founded in 1986 by Mark Trost and Rick Scheckman, who had been collecting 16mm films as a hobby throughout the 1960s and 1970s, an era before the advent of home VCRs. When Trost was contacted by the producers of the ABC News series Our World with Linda Ellerbee for use of a clip from the 1938 Lone Ranger serial, the company notified other TV producers of their collection. Producers of Geraldo, Inside Edition and the Comedy Channel soon began incorporating clips from the company's collection into their programs.
In 1987, Film Archives began representing footage from Cablevision's local all-news channel News 12 Long Island. Stories that originally ran on the channel were soon licensed for use by Dateline NBC, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Extra.
Company's major claim to television fame is being the source of David Letterman's favorite clip, Monkey Washes the Cat, which has since been replaced by a . The clip was featured as the "Moment of Zen" accompanying Jon Stewart's February 10 announcement that he would be retiring from The Daily Show. In addition, they licensed the rare short Mr. B Natural for use in Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). F.I.L.M. Archives is the only known holder of this film print today, archived as reel #1133B.
According to company records, the top five footage requests are:
1. Elvis Presley
2. Marilyn Monroe
3. John F. Kennedy
4. 1950s suburbia
5. World War II

Select client list

Television series:America In ColorAmerican Horror Story: 1984American MastersAnthony Bourdain: Parts UnknownCBS Evening NewsCBS Sunday MorningThe Colbert ReportThe Daily Show with Jon StewartThe DeuceDocumentary Now!The Dr. Oz ShowThe 80s: The Decade That Made UsEntertainment TonightFast N' LoudFoo Fighters: Sonic HighwaysGoing Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of BeliefThe GoldbergsGood Morning AmericaInside EditionKey & PeeleKurt Cobain: Montage of HeckLate Show with David LettermanMad MenMakers: Women Who Make AmericaMcMillionsThe MentalistThe MiddleMythBustersO.J.: Made in AmericaRaising HopeSaturday Night LiveSinatra: All or Nothing at AllSouth ParkSuccessionThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonTransparentTyrant
Films:The Age of AdalineArgoBattle of the SexesBelushiBridge of SpiesBowling for ColumbineCapturing the FriedmansChapter 27Charlie Wilson's WarChicagoCouples RetreatDeli ManDolemite Is My NameDreamgirls Fahrenheit 9/1142The FounderFoxcatcherGeostormGhost ShipHollywoodlandI'm Your WomanAn Inconvenient TruthPawn SacrificeSan AndreasSupermensch: The Legend of Shep GordonTab Hunter ConfidentialTarnationThink Like A Man Too13th
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