Narrated by Russ Hall, “What’s in it for Me?” (1971) is a color documentary film by German-American film producer and advertising executive Konstantin Kalser for Volkswagen. The film discusses the benefits of world trade and the free market on the cusp of the completion of the World Trade Center, which opened in 1973. The film opens with views of the towers being built and shots of New York’s iconic skyline, before cutting to examples of various products made possible through international trade. The film also features footage of a Volkswagen testing facility and VW vehicles are mentioned or seen throughout the film.
Construction worker in red hard hat speaks to camera about imports and how they impact his job, hard hat labeled “KOCH” for Karl Koch Steel Consulting (0:05). Close-up of iron frame of World Trade Center buildings as they are being built, footage switches to aerial view of the buildings and Lower Manhattan skyline (0:32). Group of red Favelle Favco STD 2700 tower cranes with “KOCH” logo and image of kangaroo (1:05). Shots of skilled steelworkers in hard hats directing cranes as they lay infrastructure of building at high heights (1:18). Close-up of all the construction workers’ feet, all wear similar boot style (1:48). Bustling pedestrian traffic along 5th Avenue, camera zooms into pedestrians’ feet, showing off all the different fashionable styles on offer to consumers (2:01). Alitalia Boeing 747 taxis for take-off followed by Douglas DC-8-51 Aeronaves de Mexico plane (2:39). Quality of life and making of culture: sequence of shots of posters for live performances, restaurants of international cuisine i.e. Greek, Chinese, Italian, shots from New York’s Little Italy, Chinatown (3:01). Exterior Lincoln Center, interior performance attendees in black tie attire (3:36). Crowd cheers as two soccer teams face off on pitch in Yankee Stadium (3:53). Models show off elegant designs on runway at New York Fashion Week (4:11). Montage shots taken at garment factory in New York’s garment district, men and women hunched over row of industrial sewing machines reproduce luxury garments for mass American audience, women seen shopping for dress in Ohrbach’s Department Store (4:56). Tractors, backhoe diggers ride around grounds of Nashville Glass Plant to prepare for factory expansion project (6:01). Behind the scenes production of pane of glass using Pilkington Float-Glass Method at factory, sequence of shots of automated production using centralized switch board, advanced machinery; Plant employee cuts glass to fit car windows; Glass packaged into boxes to be shipped to Volkswagen plant in Germany (6:27). Seatrain Lines branded shipping containers stacked at shipyard in New York Harbor, loaded onto British Euroliner container ship by large cranes, shipyard employees in hard hats direct cargo to next destination (7:57). View south on Riverside Drive toward the George Washington Bridge (10:20). 1971 Ford Pinto in parking lot of car dealership (10:35). Mid-century Modern style office buildings (10:40). IBM System/360 computer mainframe in corporate office space (11:01). Executives meet in conference room, other employees in cafeteria during lunch hour (11:17). Lecture for car mechanics in training on computerized fuel injector (11:35). Mechanics use “latest” diagnostic tools to screen vehicles, 1967 VW Fastback Sedan in background (11:57). Car part warehouse employee uses crane to reach supplies, large truck supplying Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi pulls out of warehouse to deliver parts across America (12:07). Various models of 70s-era television sets on display at electronics shop, young woman picks one out and it is loaded into her VW camper van (12:30). Close-up face of Timex US wrist watch, close-up shot interior of clock/ mechanism that makes watch tick (13:03). Display case of mechanical SLRs from different international brands: Leica, Nikon F, Polaroid 450 (13:23). Man uses Polaroid 450, shoots photo of New York skyline as sun sets (13:52). Closing credits (14:04).
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