The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

June 1956 CINE TECHNICIAN 83 A POLICY FOR BRITISH FILMS T^LSEWHERE in this issue we print a review of some of the achievements of the British film industry during the sixty years of its life. On this page we are concerned not with individual pictures but with the industry's economic health particularly as it affects all Trade Unionists employed in it. Nobody working in films has ever been assured of his job for next year. Often enough he has not even known where he would get work when the picture in hand was finished, or if he would get any work at all. It has been a story of boom and slump, slump and boom, a story of continued uncertainty. The position bus been discussed often enough in the past and nearly always as many widely-differing remedies have been put forward as there have been advisers. This month we are able to report a change which, in many respects, makes Trade Union history. As our members will recall, the National Film Finance Corporation was asked some time ago by the Board of Trade to report on the measures that it considered necessary to help the British film industry. Before preparing their report the Corporation asked both the trade organisations and the Trade Unions concerned to state their own opinions on the subject. In answer to this request the six unions involved, A.C.T., Actors' Equity, E.T.U., Film Artists, Musicians and N.A.T.K.E. met to formulate their views. The result of those meetings is a great step forward in Trade Union collaboration. Many points of view had to be considered. Many differing ideas had to be reconciled. But the final outcome was a unanimous document, a report without any of those qualifying footnotes inserted by one party or another which so often weaken documents of this kind, and without any of those discordant arguments which one so often finds attached as a separate minority report. Because of the importance which we feel attaches to this unanimous statement of the views of the Trade Unions in our industry we print below an extended summary of their report.* The six Unions open their report with a scathing criticism of the Board of Trade for what it has done and what it has not done in the past. No Confidence " We desire to place on record ", they say, " our complete lack of confidence in the Board of Trade, as judged by its policy to date, to take any measure to benefit British film production. The opportunity provided by the 1956 Budget and Finance Bill to deal effectively with some of the industry's problems has now been missed for another year. The Board of Trade has ignored the approaches of the unions on the question of Studio Space and has so far been deaf to appeals for nigency in dealing with the continuance of the British Film Production Fund. ... In our opinion the Board of Trade is going about things the wrong way and sheltering behind enquiries in order to postpone or avoid the urgent action which the circumstances merit." " Does the film production industry require Government assistance? " This was the first question that the six Unions were * Members wishing to study the report in full can obtain copies free from Head Office. called on to answer. Their reply was an emphatic and unequivocal " Yes ". The Unions add: " British film production requires special assistance and encouragement from the Government because it operates in competition with a product from other countries, particularly the United States of America which, because of its size, is in a position to dominate the British film industry, which, in fact, it does." It was basically because of this that the first Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 was put on the Statute Book and, as the Unions now recall, the main arguments in the House at the time in support of Government protection were that it was essential in order to: Repress foreign domination of the trade and remove trade abuses. Alleviate unemployment by creating a new industry. Publicise Britain by pictorial means. Make use of the cinema from a British rather than a foreign educational standpoint. Reasons Still Good These reasons for assistance still hold good. What is more the film industry is a dollar-saver. It saves dollars to the extent to which American films are not imported, and on the other hand, it earns dollars by the distribution of British films in dollar countries. In short, the British film industry is an essential industry. That being so, it is entitled to Government support. All types of films should be given assistance but at the same time regard should be paid to their respective problems and needs. " Broadly speaking, the greater the production and financial risk the greater the need for Government assistance, but a film industry to be successful must be comprehensive, and one can no more develop a film industry which makes only first features than one can develop an industry which makes only shorts. But first features form the backbone of programmes and are entitled to receive our first consideration." Second Features This emphasis on first features does not mean that the plight of second feature films is neglected. The decreasing amount of revenue that these pictures are getting from the box office is particularly noted and one of the suggestions for dealing with this situation is that the British Film Production Fund returns for second features should be weighted similarly to the added weight given to shorts. It might also be stipulated that they should be booked on a percentage basis like first features. In principle help must be given to all sections of the production industry and at the same time the over-all aim of a balanced industry, {Continued on putie 84)