FilmIndia (1948)

This section is the monopoly of "JUDAS" and he writes what he likes and about things which he likes The views expressed here are not necessarily ours, but still they carry weight because they are written by a man who knows his job. -IMPOSE THE RESTRICTION ! With the end of war went the footage restriction of ,000 feet, which was imposed on our film producers imarily to accommodate war propaganda shorts in our Jtine playing time and secondarily to control and njlate the stocks of raw films which were short in aplies during the war. This wholesome restriction of footage, apart from ! odious imposition of crudely produced war proganda films, had two distinct advantages. Firstly, it ?vented the wasteful and criminal rape of virgin celoid. at least partly, by our film producers and secondthe filmgoers' torture at the film producers" hands s cut short by at least 4.000 fe^t of film per program, i.e.. nearly 15 minutes of playing time. Vie are very much in the same position today as Ting the war years though for different reasons and Terent purposes. Once again there is a terrific shorte of raw films in the country owing to some mysterib difficulties of the foreign manufacturers and their :al agents. Ahmed Abbas'* story, "The Actress", is evidently being en an attractive shape by Filmistan Ltd., the way they arc doing thing!, with Rehana. Once again there are more producers and less film to go round and once again there is a producers' clique which controls film distribution in association with the principal importers. Once again there is a shameful blackmarket being operated by unscrupulous persons and more raw film is available from illegal sources at blackmarket prices than from the legitimate godowns of the importers. Once again our popular government has revived the film propaganda department though with a different purpose and with an entirely different outlook. Once again there is an economic crisis with our inherent limitations of buying power in the soft and hard currency areas. Contrary to the war-time conditions we are. however, going through a slump of 25rr in box-office returns which necessitates an exercise of economy in motion picture production costs. The torture aspect of Indian films is very much the same — perhaps a little more intensified these days with Indian pictures being turned out poorer in quality, technique, spectacle and themes than ever before. All these are facts and not fiction and as truth is the >heet-anchor of our present national government, facts must appeal to them. W e. therefore, demand an immediate imposition of the old footage restriction of 11.000 feet on all pictures produced or exhibited in India. Indian or foreign. Such a restriction will have the following advantages: 1) It will prevent the unnecessary waste of the precious raw film which we have to import from hard currency areas. 2) It will balance the production economics more equitably, cuttine down the cost of production by at least 259c. 3) It will provide a playing time for governmentproduced cultural films at all theatres whether playing Indian or foreign pictures. 4) It will lessen the torture of filmgoers by 45 minutes and increase the chances of accidents of good pictures happening in Indian pictures. Such accident are more probable in a shorter footage than in a longer one. 5 i No raw film should be wasted on preparing advertisement trailors as there is enough other media for motion picture advertising. Besides a trailor of 400 feet with every copy of a film will require between 12.000 and 15.000 feet of positive film per picture i.e.. an aggregate of 30.00.000 feet I three million^ annually for 200 Indian pictures — apart from the waste of original negative. II