Business screen magazine (1946)

To begin with, my astrologist never returned my call. A quick trip to the librar>' proved even more frustrating. The copy of "The Prophecies of Nostradamus" I had planned to consult was checked out by a gypsy fortune teller. How would 1 answer the letter on my desk? The questions asked: What do you sec happening in the factual film field during the ne.xt five to ten years? Knowing only too well that "nothing ventured is nothing gained" I grabbed a crystal ball in the prop room. But ail I could see when the dust settled was a sign: "Property of Abbey Rents". I took to the streets, and promptly collided with a fellow film maker, a 'biggie' just a few years back, gold plated Oscar tie tacks and all. Any way, it seemed Biggie at the moment was operating out of one of Ma Bell's glass phone booths on 46th street. After assuring him I wasn't trying to collect on a script I had written years back, I asked his counsel. Surely he, having glimpsed the view from the top, had a better projection of things to come than I. His comment: "You've got to be kidding! Listen, buddy boy, I was so busy peering into a view finder and staring at a moviola trying to meet dcadlmes and bank payments. I didn't have the smarts to rcali/c what was happening. Never took tht lime to look ahead. When my loyal and bright creative staff walked off wiih my top accounts and set up Iheir own shops, the bottom fell out and I've never-recovered." Side-stepping a pigeon seemingly afflicted with dysentery, 1 listened to Biggie as he used the half-open telephone booth as a confessional. "Why man. I was so busy", he continued "I never saw the handwriting on the wall. The way you've diversified, you've seen the handwriting on the wall. Just tell them what \ou see." So for those of you that realize he wasn't referring to the graffiti found in public Johns and would like a preview of some of the signs my friend insists he didn't see and feels I have — here goes. For what it's worth, this is what I see happening in our business in the next ten years. Opportunities and problems I foresee surfacing are based on a number of projects my company is involved in with a variety of successful audio visual enterprises. Script Writers Will Organize As cassettes take hold for home entertainment, many free lance factual film writers will organize or join The Writers Guild of America to insure they get a percentage of the profits from cassette sales. Most factual film writers will stop haggling with producers and prepare scripts directly for clients and institutions. Payment will be prompt and less of a hassle. lyf'^ (ts. No Place For Order Takers Producers that once got work purely on the size of their studio and now find!' competition rough in the market place, ^ ^ will discover it will get increasingly)^ rougher to sell on the basis of facilities, ^ just as Hollj-wood has. What's on filmi^ will be what counts. Not floor space, j \ Not the size of staff. Not country club, ' i,., school tie or the size of the bells on ,.• your new double knit suit. ^ New cinematic techniques will have ,, to be explored. Old concepts revital Lj ized. To date, most films except for :,j subject matter look alike. Look for a .,-, return to dramatic story lines by a q number of major clients on subjects |j^' that have been overworked. Multi'jjj images, cute opticals, halations and sun j_j burst, if used in the future, will dale ; you. Producers who have relied heavily on government work because of "open end" contracts they have held for years may be in for a few surprises as pressure is exerted by newer independents for a piece of the pie. If treatments are still used as a means of selecting bidders, the government will be forced to reimburse all for treatments by film makers. The criteria used to evaluate proposals will be revised to make sure bidders get fair consideration and the government gets the best possible film rather than one made by the hungriest producer. A better method of evaluation should go far to dispel the rumors that proposals often are graded the way English profs grade freshman English papers at college. Speaking of Colleges Unless pressure is exerted on junior colleges and universities now building Itt massive film and communications centers, equipped with the latest equipment often obtained indirectly from your tax money, film makers will find much of the business they should be getting going to schools who can under |^ bid them. Many schools and Public BroadcastJ''^ ing stations are already getting government contracts. Since they don't need to make a profit, most bid their basic r ' cost, using undergraduate and graduate i students to do the work. Your tax dollars will support them next year, while they go for other contracts. 24 Frames and More As video tape transfer equipment becomes more sophisticated, more and more factual film makers will have to become equally as versatile with tape Gnie Slarhccker is a consultant to 18 companies, winner of an Emmy, 24 Golden EokIcs and a wailful of other awards from Atlanta to Zagreb. 32 BUSINESSSCREEN— September October. 1973 ■J