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

60 COMMITTEE ON CINEMATOGRAPH FILMS 19 May, 1936.] Mr. Paul Rotha. [( 071 ( inued. Pari /'. — Suggested Improvements to the Present Act. 1. Difference of appeal between Documentary Films and Fiction Films. 2. Suggested appointment of a Sub-Committee to the present Advisory Committee of the Board of Trade to consider Documentary Films. 3. Need for a wider interpretation of the term " special exhibition value ". Fart C. — Documentary Films and any new Cinematograph Films Act. 1. The need for the balancing of all foreign short films only by British short quota films and not by an excess footage of long films. 2. Suggested requirements to be made by the Board of Trade by which the makers of Documentary Films would establish the claim of their films for quota. 3. The need for the encouragement of the production and exhibition of Documentary Films by any new Cinematograph Films Act Part A. The Effect of the Cinematograph Films Act, 1927. on the Production, Distribution, and Exhibit am of Documentary Films. 1. The Act was framed before the Documentary Film (Annex II) became an important feature in British production as a medium of entertainment and public education. It is granted that the Board of Trade has administered the Act with as much fairness as its terms have permitted. 2. The Act at present excludes from quota : — (a) Films depicting wholly or mainly news and current events. (b) Films depicting wholly or mainly natural scenery. (c) Films depicting wholly or mainly industrial or manufacturing processes. (d) Scientific films, including natural history films. Renters' quota (or fall quota) is, however, allowed to such films which, if registered, are deemed to have " special exhibition value ". 3.. Many Documentary Films deal with news and current events, natural scenery, industry and scientific experiment. They are thus excluded from full quota unless of proven " special exhibition value ". The difficulties of securing such evidence may be set out as follows : — (a) APress.show — one proof of "special exhibition value "—is difficult to arrange if a film has not been taken by a renter. (Some producers have used a Film Society performance as a solution to this difficulty. But, on the one hand, a Film Society can include only a few Documentary Films in one season and, on the other hand, renters interested in the said films are sometimes opposed to a Film Society showing.) Evidence of " special exhibition value ", therefore, has sometimes to be obtained by the unorthodox method of soliciting advance testimonials from newspaper critics. (b) A renter may, however, insist on full quota before taking the film. As pointed out above, a press show to establish " special exhibition value " is difficult to arrange until a film is taken by a renter. Thus a vicious circle is often formed. (c) It is understood that the normal practice of the Board of Trade is to seek the advice of an Advisory Committee. The members of the Film Trade of this Committee, however, are representative only of the production, renting and exhibition of fiction films. Neither film technicians, nor those who have made a special study of producing or renting Documentarj Films are represented. 4. It is stated that the production of British short films which have been registered under the Act has fallen from 170,000 feet to 68,000 feet between 1929 and 193-5, and that there is a definite shortage of " short " films for quota requirements.* their places being taken by long films. This shortage would not have been so great if Documentary Films had been eligible for full quota without the cumbersome machinery and insurmountable obstacles encountered under the term " special exhibition value ". 5. The situation has been further aggravated by the granting of ftdl quota tc casual descriptive films. and the refusal of full quota to such creatively-made Documentary Films as The Key of .S'< otland and Beside flu Seaside. (*. If it is the intention of the Cinematograph Films Act, 1027, to encourage the best in British Films, we submit that this discouragement of Documentary Film production has been instrumental in holding back the development of films of National. Empire and Cultural value. The output of Documentary Films projecting themes of British and Empire importance might have been greatly enlarged if there had been the incentive of quota. In our opinion, an ill service is being done to what is, in many qualified opinions (Annex III), the most creatively7 and nationally conscious section of British Film production. Part B. Ways in which tin Administration of the Cinematograph Films Act, 1927, might be improved within the terms of the Act. 1. It is submitted that in respect of the difficulties set out in Part A above the National, Empire and Cultural value of Documentary Films should be considered as relevant to the case for special treatmint under the present Act. 2. Such special treatment, it is clear, can only be asked for under the existing clause allowing for " special exhibition value " (Cinematograph Films Act, 1927, .Part IV, s. 27 (1) (i) ). and subject to the provisos laid down by the Act. 3. In so far as the Board of Trade officials do not assess the exhibition value of films, a decision presumably rests upon the advice of the Advisory Committee, the constitution of which (as pointed out in Part A, 3 (c) above) does not represent the special interests of Documentary Films. 4. The producers of such films believe, firstly, that the appeal of their films depends on factors quite distinct from those which constitute the "special exhibition value" of fiction films; and. secondly, that these special considerations (technical, cultural and educational) are not sufficiently taken into account by the Advisory Committee. 5. It is suggested, therefore, that the grant of lull quota to such films under this clause should be made by a special Sub-Committee of the present Advisory Committee, representative of such interests as the British Film Institute, a commercial firm specialising in Documentary Film production, and others who have made a special study of the Documentary Field (Annex 1). Such a Sub-Committee could (a) bring to the Council of the Advisory Committee those special considerations which are inseparable from the assessment of the "special exhibition value " of Documentary Films, and (6) act more quickly than is at present possible. 6. With reference to the interpretation of the term " special exhibition value " it is asked that these further considerations be taken into account. subject to the films coining under the provisos contained in the Act (Part IV. s. 27 (1) (i) )• * Ret. : " A Statistical Survey of the Cinema Industry in Groat Britain. 1!»:U", by S. Kowson. Leading artii le in " Sight and Sound " (Spring. 19:!t5).