Film and TV Technician (1957)

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June ''July 1957 EDITORIAL FILM & TV TECHNICIAN 4U1ARK A THORN IN OUR FLESH A FTER eleven years of abortive J-*negotiations A.C.T.T. officially informed American film companies on May 9th that unless in the meantime an agreement is reached over the number of foreign producers and directors employed on quota films made by Americancontrolled companies in Britain its members in film studios and laboratories will be instructed not to work on any film made for a production company which is not a member of the B.F.P.A. after July 1st, 1957, unless all technicians employed on the film are British and members of A.C.T.T. or the production has received clearance from the Union. This action, taken by the General Council with the full approval of the Feature Producer/Directors' Section and endorsed by a very large majority at a crowded meeting of members of the Features Branch on May 14th, marks a decisive step forward in our struggle to achieve an equitable solution of the problem of foreign technicians working in this country. The absence of any agreement on this subject with American companies has been a thorn in the flesh of A.C.T.T., and particularly of our own producers and directors, for a very long time. Recently a London evening paper had this to say of a certain new film: Officially listed as a British quota film, but employing an American director and three Hollywood stars, (it) ... is about as English as the Yankee Stadium. Similar criticisms could have fairly been applied to very many films made here in recent years. That particular film was made by a company with whom A.C.T.T. has no particular quarrel. The company has always employed A.C.T.T. members and has meticulously observed trade union agreements. For our part, while we welcome the employment which work on such films brings to our members, we believe that it is utterly wrong that films made under such conditions should be entitled to the classification of ' British ', especially when one realises the limited amount of screen time available to British films under a Quota Act which in effect reserve:, over 70 per cent of screen time for American products, and also that such films receive " Eady money ". Let nobody suppose that the ban which is to operate from July 1st is a piece of arbitrary action inspired by insular prejudices. The General Council in reaching its decision had no such thoughts in its mind. The decision which has been taken, and which we are confident that all our members will loyally observe, has just one aim, to give our Union the power to force the American companies to negotiate a fair settlement. We have always welcomed the co-operation of outstanding film makers on British productions provided that it was on a regulated basis, and on such a basis we shall most certainly continue to do so. What we find intolerable, and what we are determined no longer to tolerate, is the complete refusal of American companies, either collectively or individually, to enter into any agreement to regulate the number of their producers and directors employed here. With the B.F.P.A. we have an agreement under which B.F.P.A. members may employ each year foreign producers or directors equivalent in number to not more than ten per cent of the total number of first feature films made by B.F.P.A. members as a whole. From our point of view, and we believe from the point of view of the B.F.P.A., that agreement has been a complete success. The agreement has been satisfactory, too, from the point of view of the Ministry of Labour. There is no trouble here. The trouble comes from companies outside the ranks of the B.F.P.A., and notably from the American Companies. Time and again approaches have been made, either collectively to the Motion Picture Producers' Association which represents all American companies, or to companies individually, in the hope of getting some form of quota arrangement on the lines of the B.F.P.A. agreement. A.C.T.T. has gone as far as it could go to make agreement possible but in every case it has met with a negative response. Even an amendment of policy which would enable us in most cases to accept a position whereby either the director or producer could be foreign provided the other key post was held by a British technician has not induced the American companies to negotiate. It may well be that because we have exercised patience over eleven long years the strength of our desire to get this problem settled, both for the safeguarding of our own producers and directors and of British film production, has been under-rated on the other side of the Atlantic. But American companies, like ourselves, are realists, and we believe that they will now interpret rightly our determination to see the present unsatisfactory position ended. Indeed, as we go to press a conference was held under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Labour at which sufficient progress was made to enable us to suspend the ban pending the conclusion of negotiations. FILM & TV TECHNICIAN Editor: MARTIN CHISHOLM Editorial Office: 2 Soho Square, W.l Telephone: GERrard 8506 Advertisement Office: 5 and 6 Red Lion Sq., W.C.I Telephone: HOLborn 4972