Exhibitors Herald World (Jul-Sep 1929)

jgustJ, 1929 EXHIBITORS H E RALD -WO RLD 61 THE EXPORT MARKET The European Motion Picture i Equipment Market Continuing the reports from overseas representatives of the II. S. Department of Commerce on the conditions confronting American exporters of motion picture equipment in the countries of the Old World, as compiled | By N. D. GOLDEN Assistant Chief, Motion Picture Section, U. S. Department of Commerce FANCE (Continued) Fn report by Thomas Butts, American trade comnsioner, and A. Gaulin, American consul general. owever, the motion picture is not absolu y unknown in any corner of France. Tire are itinerant showmen whose equipm t is carried either in a horse-drawn circus w;sn or an automobile truck and who go fn one village fair to another or follow in thwake of a small circus. Still other itiner ts travel by railroad, with nearly obsolete ecpment which they usually set up in a d?:e hall; the young folks often walk into th village from great distances to attend dres, and a very short program fits in nicely w e waiting for the dancing to begin. le Pathe organization made a very careful suey of this situation and found that, even if : could not induce either the itinerant sh.men or village merchants to invest in rmern equipment, the rural field could be m;? to pay. The Pathe concern perfected a poible projector which can be installed in th average dance hall or schoolroom when need and kept out of the way when not in us The new projector is called the Pathe Ri.l. le Pathe showed that, out of more than 30,0 rural communes in France, not to excel 10,000 were large enough to furnish payin; mdiences as often as once a week. The co >any plans, therefore, to equip exhibitors in hese 10,000 villages, block-renting its eq >ment and programs at such prices that it u afford to guarantee the exhibitor against an loss. Each such exhibitor has exclusive rig s in his village, but must not exhibit beB the limits of the commune, composed uslly of one village or sometimes of two or thi villages or hamlets. A ~s program was hardly started when the i*a ; factory burned down, but it is annoired that the firm's original plans will be car;d out and contracts are being made eve before the rebuilding of the factory. Ob nisly, when this program has been put "ir gh, Pathe will possess all of the country bmess which is likely to pay its way. T;re are also many German and American •"a > of amateur cameras and projectors soli in "France, most of which use standard nln The only one which can be used as *J-rt rofessional or small-theatre equipment is yie erman Kinobox, made by the Ernemann«i Ikon consortium, which is very capably J*P;ented in France. It retails at about vX francs. ^ ording to a French authority on photoBra ic and optical questions, the Kinobox is tar, ad vance of French apparatus in sev eral respects. It is economically and accurately made in quantity production and has rough aluminum castings for all but the working parts, polished aluminum where there is any danger of friction, and only a minimum amount of iron or steel. The method of manufacture results in larger useful dimensions than similar French equipment with no increase in weight. The Debrie firm, of Paris, is designing a projector, suitable for quantity production and with standard interchangeable parts, which eventually may compete with the Kinobox not only in the French market but more especially in foreign markets, where the Debrie professional camera is widely used and held in high esteem. Evidently this new Debrie project is to replace its present portable outfit. A Local preferences and prejudices. — French official institutions, such as schools, colleges, hospitals, asylums, agricultural offices, and chambers of commerce, are forbidden to use public funds for the purchase of foreign goods when French goods accomplishing the same purpose are procurable. When the French goods in question are more expensive than similar imported items, and some private funds as well as the official appropriations are involved, the difference is made up in a special subsidy granted by the Government or, more often, by the local authorities. Private consumers have no prejudice against foreign goods. In the photographic trade, they show a marked preference for American cameras and for German lenses. Sales methods and advertising. — Importing jobbers in photographic goods prefer to work on the basis of exclusive representation for France and its colonies ; the usual contract for exclusive sales privileges runs one year and is indefinitely renewable for further periods of one year. The jobber, as soon as he is assured of his exclusive right to import a new make, features it in his large, well-illustrated catalogue, which also includes all of the standard French photographic apparatus. Retailers and prospective customers eagerly scan the new cataloeues as they came out, and the retail trade is followed up by visits from the jobber's traveling salesmen. Small cameras, assorted lenses, and sometimes even the amateur motion-picture cameras and projectors are often placed on consignment with the leading retailers on the main boulevards of Paris and the principal streets of other large cities, on condition that they be attractively displayed in the show windows or on the counters. This method of advertising has not been used much of late. Trade advertising can be confined to two or three publications, reaching the motion-picture profession and amateurs. Advertising to reach the general public is very expensive, and the choice of mediums should be left to the French agent. Credit term. — So far as importing is concerned, once an American product is well launched in the French market, the usual export terms are considered satisfactory. However, when the agent has no immediate sales prospects and must wait sometimes for months, until after the publication of a new catalogue and the showing of the machine to retailers, he would doubtless desire to secure his first shipment on consignment. In the domestic trade, the photographic business is notoriously one of short seasonal activity and of slow turnover. Wholesale terms are adjusted accordingly, but since the wholesalers' most active sales efforts precede those of the retailers by only a short period, terms longer than two or three months are seldom granted ; interest is charged on extensions. The discount to retailers averages 30 per cent of the retail list price ; the discount granted to wholesalers or jobbers by French or German factories ranges from 45 to 55 per cent. Reliable credit data can be obtained from most French banks, if cited as financial references, and also from American credit agencies. Import duties. — Cinematographic apparatus imported into France is dutiable at the following rates: Projectors, 12 per cent; objectives for same, 14 per cent ; other detached parts, 13 per cent. Exception is made of lamps for projection which, if imported separately are dutiable at 36.75 francs per kilo with their fittings, or at 48.30 francs per kilo if without fittings. Goods of American origin must be accompanied bv a consular invoice and certificate of origin in order to obtain the foregoing rates. GERMANY From reports by Douglas Miller, assistant commercial attache, and P. \V. Buhrman, American consul, Berlin Standard projectors.— -The German industry for the manufacture of motion-picture projection machines of all kinds is very highly developed. The city of Berlin alone has seven manufacturers of these articles, including the Allgemeine Elektrizitaets-Gesellschaft (German General Electric Corp., generally known as A. E. G.). Two wellknown manufacturers are located at Dresden, the lea A. G, and the Krupp-Ernemann Kinoapparate G. m. b. H. The well-known