Minutes of evidence taken before the Departmental Committee on Cinematograph Films (1936)

118 COMMITTEE ON CINEMATOGRAPH FILMS 30 June, 1936.] Mr. S. Rowsox. [Continued. 1187. You are careful to dissociate yourself from the view that cost is necessarily any criterion of merit? — I quite appreciate that. 1188. But I suppose we could apply this method of cost with an appeal to some kind of independent body in the case of a cheaper picture qualifying on merit? — I have always advocated that. 1189. And in that case we can put the automatic qualification of cost considerably higher and deal with the other pictures that did not come up to that? — I have always advocated that pictures costing less than the minimum should be permitted to apply for registration on the grounds that they have special merit. 1190. In that case would there be any danger in putting the automatic qualification considerably higher than you suggest here? — -There is no serious danger; only I do not think it is necessary. I think it is already a very hig increase for the people who have been spending £5,000 and £6,000 to be compelled to spend £11,000 and £12,000, and the fact that they are compelled to spend £11,000 and £12,000 means that they are going to give far more attention to getting worth out of their spending than they did before. 1191. The producers recommended that quota should in future be based on the percentage of foreign pictures shown, the proportion of foreign pictures shown, not on the combined percentage of the two. Personally I was not able to feel clear what was in their minds. Could you tell us whether there is any advantage in that? — I think I can. I read the evidence on that subject and I agree with you, Sir, that at first sight that is merely a mathematical distinction and no real distinction. They were advocating two kinds of British films, those which are necessary in order to satisfy their quota liability, and those which are made otherwise than for satisfaction of quota liability. The pictures that were made for satisfaction of quota liability should be in number as small as possible. You do not want that liability to be extended more than is absolutely necessary. If, for example, to take a case, 80 pictures were being imported by a particular company, you could have a liability of 25 per cent, on the 80 pictures or a liability of 20 per cent, of the 100 pictures, and the effect is precisely the same, but if the company importing those 80 pictures wanted to make 30 British pictures then you would have a total of 110, and you would have 22 subject to your minimum price liability instead of only 20. It is only when the minimum number is being made that it makes no difference, but when you are making more than your minimum it does make a difference. 1192. But there is no compulsion to bring in these foreign pictures. I could see that if it was working the other way? — There is no compulsion, but we are taking the importation of foreign pictures for granted. They are importing 80 pictures and the people who are importing them are compelled under a 20 per cent, all-over liability to find 20 more pictures of a British kind, but supposing they want to make 30 pictures, then you have got 110 pictures, and a 20 per cent, liability would represent 22 pictures subject to the conditions that you may lay down in the Statute, instead of 20. I hope that is clear. There is a difference. 1193. Yes, I see you do not want the British number to count in the basis figure? — We do not want the British number to count in determining the number of British pictures that have got to be made. 1194. Yes, I see the point now, T am afraid I did not before, but you have succeeded in enlightening me. — Thank yon. 1195. You speak in paragraph 33 about the excessively high remuneration demanded by certain artists under technical personnel. Is tins due to a kind of monopoly position that the quota Act has enabled those people to enjoy? — I think it has arisen mainly, my Lord, through the desire to find sonic element in the British picture which would enable them to sell it more easily to a possible producer. Supposing you want to make a picture hoping that you might be able to sell it to an American Company. It is quite clear that you have got to find some feature in that picture which will make it acceptable for advertising purposes. It might be an American star, an English star being unknown, no matter how eminent that star may be he is of no value in America. It might be a United States Director, who, at any rate, is a guarantee to them of making a first class picture for release, and you have got to put in perhaps an American camera-man who is wrell known to the American organisations as one who is turning out excellent work. The result is that there is a pressure on American technicians and American stars and American Directors for the making of pictures, especially so far as they are permitted in the English picture to be excluded from the 75 per cent, cost qualification under Clause 27, and this successive pressure through the demand, as it were exceptional demand, for these various purposes has caused a rise in values to take place quit-e beyond the intrinsic worth of the artist or person concerned. 1196. Do you think that the 75 per cent, requirement is reasonable or does it shut out opportunities which should be available to the British producer, opportunities of drawing on foreign resources? — Well, the only person who at the moment is excluded is one star or one director, who is excludeable. 1197. Is that enough? — Well, personally, I am inclined to the opinion that the exclusion of the star or director is no longer necessary. 1198. You think that they could get those in this country? — No, I think they ought to get it within the 25 per cent. cost. I think the 25 per cent. margin should be enough. 1199. Yes, I see? — Especially as you are going now to aim at raising the cost of the picture so that the 25 per cent, margin will, ipso facto, he represented by a larger sum. 1200. Yes. Then you refer to the serious administrative inefficiency. Would you care to develop that sentence ?— 'Well, I will sum it up in a piece of information that was given to me which I think is of interest and perhaps you might regard it as of importance. I am not criticising the British methods, but an executive chief, one of the financial chiefs of one of the great American organisations, told we a few days ago that their last 49 pictures made in Hollywood, not an odd one, averaged 29 days on the floor, that within three to four days after the last day of shooting a copy was available for the executives to see in their theatre in Hollywood, and within 15 or 21 days from the last day of shooting there was already a first run in New York. say under a month from the last day of shooting. Compare that with not an uncommon experience in this country. No important picture is now made within the period of 29 days, they take six to eight weeks, even when they are very smart, and they frequently take many months. After the last day of shooting it usually is many weeks before there is a copy available for the officers to see, and assuming that a trade show represents something like the earliest day when a final picture is available, it frequently is three or four months from the last day of shooting that a trade show takes place. Now, all those stages are controlled by administration, and I think the comparison is very much to the disadvantage of the English administration. 1201. Have you seen any improvement in the las! few years? — Not serious, in fact 1 am not sure if it is not getting worse with big pictures. 1202. What is it. Is it that they have not got the right sort of men in the industry?— I think that is so. 1203. That they have got people of artistic temperament where the Americans put a business man? —I think that is so. 120-1. And does the artistic Side benefit by that in anv wav?— The artistic side is certainly benefited;