The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

106 CINE TECHNICIAN July 1955 THE ORGANISER'S PAGE EMPLOYMENT UP • MANCHESTER DISPUTE pY the time this issue is pubJ-* lished many of our members will be on holiday. This year is unique in the fact that, due to a great increase in employment, for the first time for many years members will be receiving holidays with pay, and not taking enforced breaks between productions. Whilst touching on the subject of employment, it is interesting to note that visits have been made to the new studios opening up, and new productions starting have proved that, in spite of the new techniques being introduced, the final products are being handled by technicians who have been in the industry for years. It has been quite an experience during these last twelve months to visit companies who have started new ventures and studios, instead of being repeatedly called on to attend redundancy conferences. Among the new studios that have been visited BARNES are in full working order carrying out a series of American commercial films, and I understand that the American sponsors are more than delighted with the general excellence of the product coming from that studio. MARYLEBONE, which many of our members know have reopened, have completed a second feature and are busily engaged making commercials for this c^untrv. At Shepperton, FUTURE FILMS (REDIFFUSION) are merrily going ahead with their programme and are highly satisfied with the finished product. These general comments will serve to prove that the British technicians can still compete with the best in the world. The ART DEPARTMENT have had their general meeting and have elected John Gow as Chairman and Elvin Webb as their Secretary. The NEWSREEL SECTION have also had their Annual General Meeting and George Richardson of Movietone has taken over the Chairmanship of the Section. This Section appears to be losing some of its members from newsreels to the I.T.A. group. Further meetings have been held with the officials of the B.B.C. with the object of obtaining recognition. In view of the many changes that are taking place and the number of our members that are leaving the B.B.C. to join Commercial Television, who obviously have more advantageous conditions than the B.B.C. offer, one wonders by Middy why the Corporation refuses to recognise A.C.T. when their trained personnel are leaving so rapidly and joining a field in which trade unions are being recognised. A DISPUTE AROSE with Times Film Company in Manchester over the non-payment of the appropriate Trade Union rate for newsreel cameramen. The Organiser travelled to Manchester and met the company under the Chairmanship of the industrial Relations Officer, Ministry of Labour. Arising from this meeting the technician concerned has received the sum of £83 salary, plus £52 expenses. With the expansion of the industry we are being faced with a flood of new entrants. It is not the intention of the union to open flood gates, therefore, a new Entrants Committee is working on a scheme whereby controlled entry will be possible on a basis of some modified training scheme, and also with a view to protecting the interests of the existing membership. The Sections appreciate the need for fresh entries and are represented on this Committee, but the main task will be to ensure that in every case the interests of the existing membership are fully protected. We were sorry to hear that Alf Cooper met with an accident on the cricket field which ended in a fractured nose. There is no record of whether Alf held the catch. During my visits to the Commercial Television field I picked up the following story. It is the custom that at the end of a day's shooting in a certain studio the Director in charge of the floor must report to the London Headquarters the amount of minutes put in the can for that day. The following conversation is alleged to have taken place: Enthusiastic director, ringing Headquarters at 5 p.m. — " I am happy to inform you that we have 25$ minutes in the can today." Headquarters reply — " Don't let me stop you, you don't finish until 6 p.m.'' Gossip Round the Globe MORE FREEDOM IN FRANCE: American film director Jules Dassin, whose alleged left-wing sympathies cut his Hollywood career short, said there was more freedom in France for film directors than in Hollywood. He later admitted, however, that he would like to return to work in the California movie capital, according to a report from the Cannes Film Festival carried by the Daily American. Rome. FILM WRITER HONOURED : When the World Council of Peace awarded the international peace prize to the well-known Italian screen writer and film-lover Cesare Zavattini, Zavattini declared : " Today the time is past when people can merely wear a white sheet and proclaim ' Long Live Peace ! ' Today people must struggle for peace, and the artist has a great responsibility in this." — L'Unita. • ANTI MONOPOLY! Twelve people died near Bangkok, Siam in a plot to murder a Buddhist abbot because he gave film-showing rights at his temple exclusively to one group of exhibitors, Reuter reported recently. The abbot himself survived. Nine people were arrested on charges of putting arsenic in sweets given to priests, nuns and guests at a temple fair. YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS ARE WELCOMED The Editor will be glad to receivt contributions to this feature, but PLEASE keep them short, mid pit dsi be sun t<> send lull details of the source and date of each item.