The Cine Technician (1943 - 1945)

lul T IIP ( ' I N E T K ( II X I C I A X November-December, 1045 Production The French industry kept going during the war and therefore lias not sufli red in the same waj as the film industry lias in some of the other occupied countries. One or two French film organisations which collaborated with the Germans have been handed over bv the Government to the workers. The Billancourt Studios arc being run by a Committee of French him technicians and workers, because the previous managers of the studios were collaborationists. The operation of the studios is purely administrative. It is not concerned with production policy. There is a great shortage of everything in France and that applies just as much to the him industry as to any other industry. There is a great shortage ot film stock — in order to get a him finished the company generally has to buy stock on the blackmarket. There is a shortage of timber and all other supplies required for building sets. etc. And there is no production of feature films in colour at all. One of the things which French technicians wanted to see most was a British him in Technicolor, so us to see what a Technicolor film was like alter so many years. Transport problems are very bad in France, which makes exteriors and local ions very difficult. And for all these reasons production costs have soared enormously; thej are more than double whal they were before the war. A medium priced picture before the war cost somewhere in the neighbourhood of £15,000 — today it costs anything from £40,000 to £60,000. Another problem which affects the him industry is the large amount of absenteeism by the workers. The reason for this is that in order to live flay have to spend up to two days a week dealing in the black market in order to get extra food to fill the family larders. But despite all these difficulties the industry is active, and I believe at the present time about twenty-five films are in production. For reasons best known to themselves the Government has decreed that all films with the exception of a small number dealing with the French resistance movement must be of an escapist character, and therefore today almost every film made is of that category. T visited three studios — St. Maurice (Paramount) where three films are in production : Gueux an Paradis, a comedy with Eaimu and Fernandel, UEtrange Destin and Cyrano de Bergerac. Whilst at these studios T met the Works Committee and was invited to attend one of their meetings. There v as a very friendly reception and the usual speeches were made, but what 1 was particularly interested in was to learn that the workers in that studio had read accounts in " Paris Soir " of the resolution passed by ACT. General Council at the tin the Rank organisation was preparing to acquire the Gaumont circuit in fiance. At the Billancourt Studios Western Approaches was being dubbed, and one film was in production at that studio called Special Mission. This film was actually made just before the Germans occupied France — the German> destroyed it. and one of the first things the French film industry is doing is to remake it. The other studio I visited was Path. Studios. I also visited one Laboratory, attached to the St. Maurice Studios, and so far as I could judge it was up to the hest standards in this country. Certainly it was a great improvement on some of the older lain .lab iries i iver here. Co-operative Developments. One of the things which French film technicians seem very keen about is co-operative production. They do not seem to have had the same unfortunate experiences as some British technicians. There is quite a movement, started and approved by tiie French unions, to encourage co-operative production on the best lines. Technicians work for a small minimum salary, raise the balance of production costs through the usual channels, and have a percentage -hare in the profits according to their salary. Another particularly interesting development was also a cooperative organisation. but of a different character. This is called " Maitrise Artisanale de l'Industrie Cinematographique." Apparently the French Government has administered for many years certain fie ds available to skilled craftsmen for the furtherance of their art. After a long struggle the French technicians have got hold of some of this money and formed a co-operative organisation to make films where the artistic result is the prime consideration and Fox Office success of secondary importance. Again, as in other co-operative organisations, all the workers and technicians are paid a minimum salary for the job. but they have interesting rules and regulations and one of them provides how the profit, if any. shall be distributed — 50% back to the organisation, 25% to the technicians and 25/ to the other w i irkei There was not much opportunity to visit cinemas or to see any films owing to the Presid< nt ' illness. But there is no recent British film at all b< shown in Paris at the presi nt time, and there are hardly any new American films. Most are French films or American reissues. The French union feels that the Entertainment Tax is liable to cripple the industry — the public are [iess film conscious than in England or America and the Union is afraid that unless the tax is reduced it may have a dangerous effect . Wages and Conditions So far as wages and working conditions are concerned, I attended a meeting of the Onion's Committee and it was just like an\ A.C.T. General Council meeting. There were the same sort of