An Introduction To My Thesis on Rollin White, Smith & Wesson and the American Firearms Industry from Michael Helms on Vimeo.
Lead: 5 | Excite: 145 | Amaze: 20 | Direct: 10 |
This trailer was created to summarize a university thesis for the Society for the History of Technology Three Minute Dissertation Video Contest. The structure is classic non-fiction trailer of a lead, problem, solution, failure… to conclusion then the final hook and directive.
The video uses stock shots from the Library of Congress, the front cover of Scientific American magazine, January 24, 1880 and the US patent office. The gun shots were from a private collection.
Timeline:
0:00 Lead: “White’s patent changed the world and nobody knows his name.”
0:05 Establish Problem
0:30 First Failure
1:00 Challenge
1:30 New Problem
2:00 License Patent
2:15 Result
2:35 Saved – NOT
2:45 Death
2:50 Hook “In all of this one question remains, who was Rollin White?”
2:55 Directive
3:00 END
Michael Helms – Rollin White Script.pdf
Lead Analysis
Lead | “White’s patent changed the world and nobody knows his name.” |
Excite [interest] | Series of successes the failures to the final conclusion. |
Amaze [hook] | “In all of this one question remains, who was Rollin White?” |
Direct [directive] | Website address |
Publisher Intro
Smith & Wesson built a firearms empire because of their exclusive license to use patent 12,648. Far less is known about Rollin White—the man that owned this patent. Part of White’s license agreement with Smith & Wesson stipulated that he would litigate people that violated the patent; an arrangement that bankrupted White. This three-minute video illustrates this story.