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

MINUTES OF EVIDENCE 121 30 June, 1936.] Mr. S. Row son. [Continued. the cinema industry if blind and block bookings are allowed. Is not the difficulty of getting firm advance bookings to which you have already alluded one of the major causes of administrative inefficiency in the British cinema industry itself? — I agree that administrative efficiency pre-supposes a planned schedule, but the analogy to a building schedule can, I think, be drawn too closely. After all when you have planned your building in all its details the actual work is not an artistic job as it were, brick laying requires expertness but not artistry. Laying stones, and so on, requires expertness but not artistry. But after all, when you have planned a picture and are beginning to make the equivalent of the building in bricks, the shots which you take on the floor, there the major artistry comes in, and there you are introducing a new quality which tends to disturb your estimates that you have been basing yourselves on. But subject to that one reservation, and I think it is only there, that the question of artistry comes in and may upset your calculations, I agree that the fullest details should be prepared, the budget should be prepared in the very closest detail, and, as a matter of fact they are. The trouble is that they are not adhered to. 1240. You do not think an absence of certain guaranteed dates for exhibition for the film when complete is one of the major causes? — No. The absence of guaranteed dates is, I think, a contributory to the very much larger amount of capital required to run an English production business. But beyond that I do not think it means very much. 1241. If a market gardener knows that tomatoes will be ready, that the grocers are ready to take them in a given week, he has every inducement to plan his production to meet demands ; but if there is no assured purchaser, and the only market is Covent Garden, he may allow production schedules to take second place in his mind? — I agree. But we do not control the whole film supply here. We never can get over the primary condition that the market is first of all supplied from America, which by no conceivable possibility do we control. They are made for the American market, and all the pictures being recorded in the same kind of language, or a language that we understand, come here and are shown. They are booked, and they are always formally booked, but an arrangement is made by which they have a guaranteed release at various theatres all over the country. The existence of those pictures which provides the exhibitor with a guarantee that he is not going to have much trouble during the year with his supply of pictures is such an inducement that he is tempted to fill up his dates with these proposals. I will put it no higher, and the abolition of blind booking and block booking would not affect, I believe, that situation very materially unless the British pictures were in number and quality competitive in attraction value to these American pictures. 1242. That brings me back to one point of finance. Is most of the capital now provided on a basis of a fixed charge, or does it participate in profits? — I think, so far as I know, most of it is a fixed charge without any participation, most of it. That is not the German system. It is not the American system, where loan money is provided, but in England most of the loan money is provided at a fixed rate. You pay so much for your insurance policy and so much for your overdraft. 1243. Which would you prefer as a procedure, a participation? — I would rather give participation always, a participation in profits. 1244. The dead weight would be relatively less? — If I borrowed £20,000 I have not much more than £18,000 or £17,000 available, and that £3,000 difference from £17,000 to £20.000 is the amount which is at greatest risk. 1245. With regard to the difficulty of obtaining really competent artists and technicians, I gather that the difficulty is at least as great in regard to technicians for directing management as with regard to artists, is there any system of training, any school or academy? — Well nothing of any real importance, of any real value. My own Society, I think it was at my suggestion, was instrumental in starting a course at the Regent Polytechnic in connection with cinematography that has been running for three years with increasing success, but it ran never hope to provide more than the junior technicians. 1246. Is it inconceivable that the industry in this country itself, if there were to be some organisation, some unification of the industry, could it not set up a school, a series of technical schools or one technical school which would cover the whole gamut? — I see no reason why there should not be, for example, Chairs in some of the Universities as there are in America. Here is one example, a book by Professor Howard Lewis, who is extraordinarily competent and informing on the whole economy and technique of motion pictures. That deals with the economic side, if you like, but there is no reason why there should not be a Faculty in some University of motion picture art. 1247. I have a natural bias myself against including purely vocational training, technical training, in the scope of the University. But there is no reason why a school should not be established, as in many industries for the purpose of training personnel. The London School of Printing is famous throughout the world and has had a profound effect upon printing. It is supported, directed, and encouraged by the industry itself without as far as I know any assistance whatever from the Government; it has raised the whole standard of printing and has been of immense benefit to the printing industry as a whole, and it covers every aspect of printing from the study of paper to the technique of binding and the whole history both of the making and casting of type and the study of layout. As a member for some 'years of the Examining Body of the London City and Guilds Institute, I know of courses established by at least forty to fifty of the major trades in this country laying down what is required before a man can become a competent butcher, baker, or candlestick maker. The County Councils as far as I know do not finance these special schools ? — There is the Manchester School of Technology which is practically a University School. 1248. Yes another Cloth Workers' Company have founded a most elaborate and exceedingly valuable technical institution. Is there anything of that sort at all in the film industry? — I hope it will lie possible, and pari passu at any rate with such a Control Board as you have outlined it may be contemplated. 1249. Is it not implicit in your memorandum to suggest that artistic talent is inborn and inherent, and not an acquired characteristic? With cinema stars the creative faculty is born and not made? — ■ I think they are more made than horn. They are made by the advertising, very often. 1250. And if we had some organisation devoted to it in all its branches, you would build up before very long a school of thought as well as of action which might have very important effect on the cultural growth and would by no means exclude the humourous side which is, to my mind, I freely confess, of greater value than all the rest put together. The depressing surroundings of our industrial cities require as much as we can get of the brightest humour, and I am by no means a killjoy? — 1 agree; T think it is extremely possible and desirable that a future such as you have outlined should be possible. 1251. You are familiar with the origin of the Russian Ballet? — I am not. 1252. Which started with a school of ballet dancing established by royal patronage to which selected children were sent at an early age to be instructed in every possible aspect, whilst being educated at the same time, and one of the world's joys was created, deliberately created by a process ol intensive education. Is it possible in your judgment to hope for such a development in this infant industry? — I say it is not impossible.