Minutes of evidence taken before the Departmental Committee on Cinematograph Films (1936)

14 COMMITTEE ON CINEMATOGRAPH FILMS 5 May, 1936.] Mr. R. D. Fexxelly. [Coni constant exhibition of foreign films on the sentiment, habits and thought of the people is obvious. The pictures show the foreign flag, styles, standards, habits, advertisements, etc." The President went on to say: — " If that be at all true of the importance oi this matter from a trade point of view, I submit that the need for the development of the British film, from a national point of view and from a trade point of view, is firmly established ; and if it cannot be developed without Government intervention then, I submit, the case for Government intervention is made out." He then dealt with the various parts of the Bill before the House, and concluded by saying : — " You cannot treat the film industry as if it were an isolated industry or trade, the activities and the success or failure of which affect only those who are engaged in it. On the success or failure of the British film industry much more depends than its own future. It inevitably involves great interests, national and Imperial, and the anxiety which was expressed at the Imperial Conference, and the determination which wras registered there to remedy an intolerable position, are shared, I believe, by the majority of British people throughout the whole Empire. That determination must be translated into action, and I commend this Bill to the House as the only constructive proposal which has yet been put forward to achieve that end." I think that that remains true to this day; the Government attach enormous importance to the film industry both from a cultural and trade point of view. 3. Have you seen any great increase of export of films to foreign countries concurrently with the improvement of our films? — There has been an increase, but the extent is difficult to judge. Trade statistics are not of much use; they show only lengths (and value) of film exported, and it may be fifty copies of one film, or one copy of fifty films, we cannot tell at all. In Europe at all events, the market is expanding, probably slowly, but it is expanding. Most European countries in recent years have adopted some sort of restrictive legislation, quotas and what not, not exactly like ours, but usually quotas on imports, in order to build up their own national industry. That must to some extent act as a deterrent to any increase in trade especially as the Americans are there first. 4. Is there generally an import duty in addition to a quota requirement? — That I could not say. 5. In our case is there an import duty as well? — Oh, yes. 6. On the made film?— Yes, a duty that varies according to whether the film is a positive or negative. There are certain exceptions, like educational films and scientific films. 7. The inducement is to bring in the negative and make the positive here?— That is the tendency, yes. One other point about the European and any foreign market is that nowadays when you have sound the producer is put to a certain expense in what he ■ ■.ill dubbing his picture. He has to put titles across it in the language of the country where it is being shown, or in some cases obtain local speakers speaking the local language and impose their voices on the original film. There are two ways of doing it. 8. You can suggest no evidence to us to show there are useful experiments which we can copy fi;om abroad? — I will put in a memorandum of all the information we have of what is happening in foreign countries.* 9. There is only one other ma iter of importance I want I" ask you. Probably the members of the Committee know more aboul films than I do ami maj Appendix VII. think the question rather elementary. Reading your paper it does not seem evident that the rent, i quota has very much effect. I do not know whether when they passed the Act they imagined that the renters' quota would be the controlling factor, or the exhibitors' quota, but it seems that the renter by having this quota, which is really only an obligation to offer films, not a compulsion to sell them, has rather been encouraged to market bad films, and to force them on a reluctant public, and it would seem to me that the method which has proved effective is the exhibitors' quota. Is the renters' quota working in the way you anticipated when you brought it in? Did you think it was going to be effective and that the renter would be able to market all his films? — To go back, I believe when the Bill was being discussed they did think of imposing a quota on the renter by himself and also of imposing one on the exhibitor by himself. I think the conclusion was that if a quota were imposed on the renter only he would have a lot of films on his hands, and not necessarily a market for them unless there were a corresponding obligation imposed on the exhibitor ; whereas if an obligation were imposed on the exhibitor only, to show a certain proportion of British films, unless there were some assured supply of films, in the long run he would have been forced to make films himself. That is carrying it to extremes. 10. The position is very different now. There is a surplus, and the supply and demand would appear to have obviated that difficulty? — When the renters' quota was arranged it was laid down in the Act that a renter had to acquire a certain proportion of British films for the purposes of booking. I have the exact words of the Act : — " shall acquire for the purpose of renting to exhibitors a certain proportion of British films." At that time it was felt that that provision would operate sufficiently to make the renter produce good films that he could book. Later that rather broke down because the foreign-controlled renters were in general not prepared to spend money to any extent to make good films. 11. There is no restriction as to the age of the film. The exhibitor can take an old film and show it again? — Yes. 12. As the renters' quota is now working do you see that it achieves any purpose? Does it get anything which you would not get by having an effective exhibitors' quota? — I think the exhibitors would be very unhappy if there were not a corresponding provision imposed on the renters to offer them British films for booking. 13. Can you tell me how you are able to apply your seventy-five per cent, qualification to Empire films? How are you able to ascertain the expenditure on films outside your own administration? — All these details of expenditure have to be certified by an incorporated accountant, and when we get a form in from Australia or Canada, if we do not know the man we make inquiries at the office of the High Commissioner where they usually have all the reference books necessary. In the long run you have to trust the accountant. 14. You mentioned there is difficulty in certain cases in finding out how much is paid for tic services of assistants: Yes. 15. Does not that apply far more intensely outside your administration? — That particular trouble does not apply in Australia. It has only arisen over here where firms borrow stars from one another. 16. If the Committee found a case for putting on a cost qualification of films to rank for quota, could that be administered outside our own area? — Personally I have always though! that was one of the difficulties of a cos! qualification, apart from the objection which the Dominions and Colonies might take to it, which is another point altogether. 17. Generally speaking, are the quickies short filmor long films?— Do you mean over three thousand feet?