Cinema Canada (Aug 1976)

as possible to make it competitive with private networks. The CBC is already too costly for what it is doing. Concerning cinema, CBC-TV is a stopgap. It can be said that, in part, it is because of television that our cinema was never successful in theatres; this is at least my experience in Montreal. Let us imagine the following authentic scenario: the CBC advertises it is presenting a certain Canadian film on March 27; a small independent theatre advertises the same film for March 29; failure of the film in the theatre. At any rate, most Quebec films were shown on TV in the course of the year. The few persons who were interested in seeing the films reflected that it was not worth going out to see the films since they would see them on TV. State-owned television was certainly not intended as a dumping ground for films nor as a film producer. Even the Sunday program Les beaux dimanches has started showing films. Such dumping can work for American films because, in the case of The Godfather for example, the film has already made a fortune in theatres and can now afford to get a few million more on the various TVs of the world. But such a method is fatal for a film produced here: right in the beginning, the film is handicapped commercially in theatres and the CBC pays only peanuts. (A filmmaker is not paid more than $10,000 while the production cost may be around $350,000.) If the CBC gave the film producer the same amount they pay for a Lise Payette show or an Olympic Lottery special, the Corporation would really be helping our cinema. If state television forgot about film production and left it to private industry, the latter would be seriously reinforced. The CBC’s own production studios are not only detrimental to the independent sector but literally kill it. The great networks in the United States are always using the resources of private industry and I don’t see why we cannot do the same, the more so as the production of a CBC film or show involves a real army of people which makes for a terrible waste of public money. The CBC, as a corporation representing the Canadian taxpayer, should have an obligation to contribute seriously to our film production and not only to overblown projects destined to justify high budgets in Ottawa. Conclusion If I took the liberty in this article of discussing exclusively federal agencies, it is because I believe that the development of cinema depends right now for a large part on the federal government. It is true that the provinces, in particular Quebec, have the intention of doing something in the field of cinema but since provincial institutions are still embryonic and more narrow in their conception than the bureaucratic federal agencies, I have omitted them. I know how difficult it is to break up certain pyramids. But if we believe in democracy, if we believe in the contribution of citizens to the economic-cultural life of our country, it is time the federal government took away the monopoly from its institutions and showed more confidence in private initiative. We have the means, we just have to use our resources in the light of the reality of 1976. ry nation ly, means. . -. Bellevue Pathé. At fe Es goes to show that good news really does travel fast in an industry where you have to produce — or else. And that’s a cue to quality, because that’s the one imperative we demand of ourselves. We set higher standards for ourselves than even the most discriminating client. We have the technical skills in our people and we have the technical facilities in our equipment. Put them both together and the results make friends out of clients. And that’s a cue to quality, too, like: Productions Mutuelles Cinévidéo International Cinémedia Centre Vidéofilms-N.F.B.-Cinepix-Paramount-2Oth Century Fox Columbia CBC Warner Bros. United Artists MCA Universal. Our circle of friends and clients continues to grow. pA A FEW OF OUR RECENT ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS ARE: © BREAKING POINT © JE SUIS LOIN DE TO! MIGNONNE @ LIES MY FATHER TOLD ME © PARLEZ-NOUS D'AMOUR @ TONY SAITTA @ DUDDY KRAVITZ @ THE LITTLE ent hal LIVES o PARTNERS DOWN THE LA CANADAS LARGEST FILM LABORATORY AND SOUND FILM ORGANIZATION BELLEVUE athe TORONTO MONTREAL 9 Brockhouse Road 2000 Northcliffe Ave. Toronto, Ont. MBW 2W8 Montreal, Que. H4A 3K5 Tel. (416) 259-7811 Tel. (514) 484.1186 “A DIVISION OF ASTRAL BELLEVUE PATHE LTO /LTEE August 1976/53