The Cine Technician (1939)

12 T H E C I N E -TE C H N I (" I AN April-May, i Cinema Lo ProducerRenterExhibitor Combines. Production losses claimed to have been made by Producer-Renter-Exhibitor combines rather point to too man}' book entries and not enough cash passing between production and theatre departments. It is no good making; expensive pictures and then selling them cheaply to your own theatres. You can't make the profit out of the rest of the exhibitors. Also, those people who are in a position to know what their patrons want and to distribute their product on very economical terms, go on for years making films that they know must make a loss. France and Italy in Film Pact. An agreement has been signed between France and Irak' for the exchange of films, giving France right to export twelve films to Italy in exchange for eight Italian. ,::ed between Charge d'Affaires Count Blondil and Minister of Foreign Affairs Count Ciano. Exact film lengths and monetary stipulations are not yet to hand. Perhaps Mr. Neville Kearney, of the F.B.I. Film Group, will find time to look into the British film interests. A spot of export would be very welcome, particularly at the present time. G.B. Finance. The following details will be of help to readers in following the present G.B. crisis. Passing dividend of preference shareholders would raise questions of voting control. If preference dividend is six months in arrears, these shareholders have one vote for every CI share held. G.B. Preference Capital of £3,250,000 against Ordinary Capital of 5,000,000 10 voting shares. 2,915,000 of these are held by Metropolis and Bradford Trust, and majority of A' ordinary voting shares of this Trust are held by the Ostrer Bros. Passing of dividend would give voting power to Preference shareholders to wrest control from Metropolis and Bradford Trust and American interests, if supported by privately-owned ordinary shareholders who are opposed to present control, on account of the passing of last year's dividend. Voting position would then be Metropolis and Bradford Trust 2,915,000 votes. Preference shares 3,250,000 voti Ordinary shares 2, 085, DUO v • ■ Giving anti-control majority, subject to considerable modification of 1,420. I India. Paul Perry, American cinematographer, writes that he was surprised at the motion picture activity in India. Says there are over fifty studios making 300 pictures a year. Fi iture films run from eight to fifteen reels. Bombay is India's film centre, with Calcutta second. Bombay Talkies most important — heads of departments are man ; these include directors, cameramen, sound, laboratory men and art director-. Film City Studio lease studio space in Bombay : Imperial Pictures make cinecolor pictures ; in Poona, Wadias By KENNETH GORDON Films and Prabhats have studios. Northern India has a large studio owned by the East India Film Co. Modern automatic developing machines are used of European make. Cameras are about fifty-fifty British and American. The same applies to the lighting equipment. Sound is nearly all American. Cutting plant is mixed. There is still a big opening for equipment — it's up to you British equipment manufacturers, and there may be a chance for a spot of British labour. Joe back at Elstree. Had a chat with that old-timer, Joe Bamberger, who tells me that he has again taken over the J.H. Studios at Elstree and is busy getting together equipment to bring it up to date : says he is not quite sure yet what he is going to do there, but I know Joe, and it is a safe bet to sav you'll be hearing about him soon. First met him before the war, when he was running the Francis Claire & Bamberger Enterprises, who had their studios in the Crvstal Palace. He taught me a lot for which I am thankful, so we will sav "Good luck, Joe." A Good Time coming to Beaconsfield. Tudor Films, under the direction of the Marquess of Ely, have taken a long lease on the British Lion Beaconsfield Studios, where they will shortly transfer their production activities. They have been filming at Highbury studios. News from Strand Films. R. Bond, member of A.C.T. General Council, has nearly completed his first directorial effort for Strand Films. The film, which is being made in conjunction with the National Council of Social Services and the Land Settlement Association, deals both with the depressed areas and with rural communitv life and takes the form of a "story" documentary. Real people are cast as characters, but, contrary to previous documentary work, a considerable part of the film was shot in the studios. Considerable progress has been made by this new Company, which, in their first year of production, have made 14 films. "Cover to Cover," the film of books and writers, is now having a wide showing, after a ten we< West End run. Four films about London — "Rooftops." "Statue Parade," "London Wakes Up" and "People in the Park" are being especially successful. "The Way to the Sea'' recently received its London premiere. Bond's film is one of 12 new films that Strand have in production for 1937 (3 more are being scripted). Financial Chat. Overheard in Wardour Street : "What's the financial standing of Artful Studios? " "Quite good, old man, I have always found they pay cash on receipt of writ."