Yanki No! - excerpt (1960)

The documentary, first of a prospective series of six to be produced by TIME INC. and ABC-TV, is the work of Producer Robert Drew, 36. a former jet pilot and LIFE correspondent. His technique of candid-camera closeups and of eliminating an on-screen commentator is not new, but he uses it more deliberately and effectively than any TV show has before. Drew employs two-man crews (one man handles camera, one sound, and both also act as reporters and editors) instead of the usual unwieldy task force. Says Drew: "We would not move in with our lights and cameras and convert a worker's shack into a television studio. That way you simply don't get a feeling of reality." Using natural lighting, a stripped-down 16-mm. camera and, if necessary, a midget recording machine, Drew's reporting teams do their work unobtrusively, spend as long as a week befriending a family till they are willing to talk freely. (TIME: Two Men & a Camera)