The Cine Technician (1938-1939)

110 T H E CINE-TECHNICIAN Nov. -Dec, 1988 THANK YOU, MR. STANLEY A second open letter to the President of the Board oj Trade Dear .Mr. Stanley, We wrote to you in these pages eight months ago. We are still hoping to hear from you in reply. You will remember that we reminded you of the capabilities of British technicians and asked if you would give them a chance to get hack to work. We thought it wasn't asking too much. Apparently we were mistaken. Whileyou were steering the Cinematograph Films Hill through the Houses of Parliament you were not unaware of the fact that eigbt\ per cent, of British film production workers were unemployed. We looked to you to remedy this. Now we merely feel that the initial date of the operation of tin' new Act April 1st was more appropriate than even the biggest cynics forboo'e. Perhaps one da\ \ou will visit Wardour Street. You w dl see many people there. The\ hoped you would help them once. Now thev are just waiting for the job which the inadequacies of the Government's legislation ensures will never arrive. Perhaps you will look into the A.CT. office. We hope you w ill. 'I he following are just a few extracts from many of the letters we could show vou. "Eighteen months ago I had a car and small boat — both sold at a great loss to pay to lire. Sold articles of RECENT ADVANCES IN ELECTRONICS [Continued from page 1141 4. A receiving and projection system which provides a screen illumination only a quarter Or even less of what the average cinema requires and which uses equipment whose life and reliability have still to he proved. 5. A complete sound pick-up and reproducing system which can provide anything in quality and range that is demanded of it. Thus we have in a completely electronic system in general, at the moment, and as far as the picture part is concerned, nothing to compare technically with what the present established system of cameras, negatives, prints and high illumination projectors provides. FUTURE RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE THE SOLUTION Remedies for all the above mentioned deficiencies are in their fundamentals envisaged not only by the research theorist but by the practical scientist. Much research has still to be done. It is reasonably safe to predict that all the processes of taking pictures and of distributing t hem to large audiences are likely to be revolutionised by the electronic method, which though now only in its early stages will undoubtedly in time provide, by less cumbersome methods, all the entertainment and education and interest required. It has often been suggested that television in the home will eventually have a devastating effect on the attendances of cinema audiences. Personally I don't think thai universal home viewing will have such an effect. The new opportunities in cinema entertainment presented by the advances of television technique appear to have gnat potentialities. Meanwhile it is our duty to be certain that all the members of our industry are accurately informed with regard to technical progress, so that when the time comes no opportunities are lost of taking full advantage of technical developments as and when they are perfected. furniture and effects for same reason. Landlord put bailiffs in and removed and sold whole of contents of my place. All pa-u nable articles of jewellery, belonging to my wife and myself, are pawned, together with one of niy cameras. Served four and a half years in the Great War (four medals). Invalided out with rank of Lieut .-Colonel . So pension. Am still waiting for a job." That technician has now got a job, Mr. Stanley. He is a temporary clerk at a Labour Exchange. Then we could show you a letter from a niembei who at one time was a sound recordist and maintenance engineer. He was one of the 80% and eventually took a job as a radio salesman working HO hours a week and earning, with commission, if lucky. C4 a week. Then he became ill through overwork. His next job was at £2 10s. Od. a week, during the course of which he received a call from a studio offering him two flays' work. He had to refuse it as he could not risk losing his £2 10s. Od. job outside the industry. \\ e could tell you of the film editor who used to earn 620 a week. He is married and has a child. He became a bricklayer's labourer. An assistant director wrote us the other day. He had saved £250 over a period of years. That has now gone and he is considerably in debt. He has just landed a job and is back in the industry. He writes to tell us that he is the only member of his original unit who still has connection with the film business. "The director is abroad in some two-pence ha'penny job. the production manager is in a motor firm, the secretary is in a commercial office, and the two assistants are still out of work." He says he i< bitter and very pessimistic. Can you blame him ? A camera operative writes to say he has been more fortunate than most. He has averaged about thirty-five shillings a week during the past eighteen months. Some films are still being made, you may say. That provides work for somebody. The following letter may help you assess the value of it. It's from a leading technician at present at liberty lint who has done some work during the year. He says: "It would appear now that reputation and good work do not count nowadays but rather it is the price that really matters — as long as there is a man with the unit who can expose a film and make the print, the quality obtained does not apear to enter into it at all! 'How cheaply can we hire So-and-So?' would, I think', sum up the chances of a good still-man nowadays. What has the still-man done except do his best under lousy conditions (more often than not) to assist in the sale of the production to which he has been 'allowed' to attach himself at a much below recognised salary?" There is the old problem of the foreign technician. You will remember that our proposal to reduce the amount of foreign labour employed in film production was not accepted. To-day it is harder than ever for the top-grade British technicians to land a job. We will quote just two cases among many. The first — a lighting expert of good standing — has not worked since his studio closed down a year or so ago. He has a wife and children to support. Another has had one job and earned exactly €90 during the past twelve months. One of them writes: "The cameraman is hardest hit by the importation of foreigners. Many of the foreign cameramen over here are no better (Continued at foot of next page)