The motion picture almanac (1931)

314 The MOTION PICTURE ALMANAC 1931 (Continued from preceding page, column 1) Paraguay 9 Haiti 9 Bermudas 8 2 British Guiana S 1 Dutch West Indies 4 British Honduras 2 Total 4,954 527 ♦Arrangements completed for 16 additional installations. AFRICA AND NEAR EAST Sound Country Theatres Installations South Africa 480 56 North Africa 211 22 Egypt °5 36 East Africa 9 2 Madagascar 4 Syria 20 X. Palestine 21 Persia 26 Iraq ' Total 843 117 FAR EAST Sound Country Theatres Installations Japan 1.327 25 Australia 1.276 540 New Zealand 443 189 India 355 20 Philippine Islands 282 China 23 3 40 Netherland East Indies 214 *17 Siam 42 British Malaya 42 19 French Indo China 34 Ceylon 24 Fiji Islands 0 Society Islands 5 Total 4.283 905 *Six additional installations ordered. Preliminary figures of American motion picture exports for the first nine months of 1930 show an increase of 8,900,540 feet and a value increase of $719 212 over exports for the corresponding period in 1929, says C. J. North, chief of the Motion Picture Division of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. The United States shipped to all markets of the world during the 1930 period 210 037 969 linear feet of motion pictures with a declared value of $6,168,703 as compared with 201 137,429 linear feet valued at $5,449,491 for the corresponding period in 1929. This 1930 total incidentally is the largest since the Motion Picture Division began to make compilations on the subject back in 1925. The largest increase was in exports of positive motion pictures which amounted to 201,320, 49. linear feet valued at $5,166,805 in the first nine months of 1930 as against 195.018.280 linear feet valued at $4,610,723 for the same period in 1924. Exposed negative film also shows an increase, the. figures for the 1930 period being 8,717,477 feet with a declared value of $1,001,898 as against 6,119 149 feet valued at $838,768 for the 1929 period. It is interesting to note that of the motion picture films exported from the United States during the first nine months of 1930, 5,208,810 feet of negatives and 132,239,581 feet of positives were sound synchronized As 1930 is the first calendar year in which sound films received a separate classification from silent films in our export statistics, no comparison in this regard can be made with the 1929 period. Dutribution of American Pictures Since the introduction of the sound and dialogue film Europe has become by far our largest quantity market at the same time maintaining us position as our best source of revenue. For the first nine months of 1930 American exports of motion pictures to this region reached the unprecedented total of 93,537,82feet or not far below half of our total film exports. This figure furthermore shows an increase of nearly •>i Od fect more than for the 1929 pen. id which in turn topped 1928 by nearly 25,000.000 feet. As a matter of fact. Europe accounts for something more than our total gain in film exports, for both Latin America and the Far East showed declines from 1929. The former, which was our largest quantity market as recently as 1928, fell about 850,000 feet below its 1929 figure, while the Far East totals declined just over 8,000.000 feet. This latter was due almost entirely to the falling off in film exports to Australia. Of other regions Canada showed a gain of nearly 2,000,000 feet and South Africa an almost equivalent loss. The accompanying tabic gives in detail the quantity and value of film exports to the various regional divisions of the world. America Film Exports by Geographical Location First 9 Months of 1929 First 9 Months Countries Linear Feet Vilue Linear Feet Europe 74.366,404 $2,324,219 93,537,822 Latin America 57,695,969 1,438,356 56,851,729 Far East ; 47,049,888 1,030,348 38,878,767 Canada 10,609,548 462,734 12,534,397 South Africa 3,459,097 87,155 2,608,288 Other Countries 7,956,523 106,679 5,626,966 Total 201,137,429 $5,449,491 210,037,969 of 1930 Value $3,212,341 1,362,808 918,281 501,469 70,805 102,999 $6,168,703 Distribution by Countries — Europe — Latin America The United Kingdom remains by far our leading individual film market, showing an increase of nearly 10,000,000 feet over its record 1929 figures. France, which stood ninth in the 1928 period and seventh in 1929, went to second place in 1930 both in Europe and in the world. Her total of 17,318,513 linear feet is well over double her film importations from the United States during the first nine months of 1929. Germany, our third largest market in Europe, has declined from fifth to sixth place as a world market even though our exports of films to Germany for the 1930 period were nearly 1,000,000 feet greater than in the 1929 period. Spain appears as our fourth largest European market and the ninth in the world. This is the first time this country has been in the first ten of our world markets. The three countries in Latin America which almost invariably appear among our ten leading film markets are (in that order) — Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. This year is no exception to the rule, but Argentina has dropped from third to fourth though there is declined nearly 6,000,000 feet. The only other Far Eastern country which stands among the first ten markets for American films is India which as for the same period last year holds tenth position. Curiously enough just 2,344 feet less of film was exported to this market for the first nine months of 1930 than in the first nine months of 1929. Exports by Countries The accompanying table gives details of United States film exports to the leading individual markets of the world. American Imports of Motion Pictures For the first nine months of 1930 American imports of negatives amounted to 1,746,114 linear feet with a declared value of $22 1,932 as against 1,926,749 feet valued at $243,254 for the same period in 1929. For these periods the imports of positives were respectively 3,407,355 feet valued at $163,563 as compared with 3,764,797 feet valued at $130,729. In the case both of negatives and positives the total imported during the first nine months of 1930 was. less than during the first nine months of 1929. United States Exports of Films to Individual Leading Markets Countries of Destination United Kingdom France Argentina Canada ... Germany Brazil Mexico ... Spain India First 9 Months of 19J 9 First 9 Months of 1930 Rank Linear Feet Value Rank Linear Feet Value 1 23,111,066 i 1,049,760 1 33,038,668 $1,708,843 7 8,022,510 199,863 2 17,318,513 429,703 2 21,133,317 435,652 3 15,538,612 393,303 3 14,829,125 368,344 4 12,640,569 344,935 6 10,609,548 462,734 5 12,534.397 501,469 5 11,532,705 354,501 6 12,083,870 321,075 4 12,673,107 303,807 7 9,500,083 198,842 8 6,739,505 162,150 8 7,304,112 193,769 9 5,162,151 112,294 10 5,031,522 124,194 10 5,029,178 128,490 only a very slight decrease in our film exports to Argentina. Brazil has dropped from fourth to seventh, while Mexico remains eighth. Exports of films to Brazil declined over 2,000,000 feet while similar exports to Mexico showed an increase of a little under 1,000,000 feet. The Far East Australia, which led the world as a quantity market for American films from 1925 through 1928, continued the decline which set in for the nine months' period of 1929, but nevertheless went up from fourth to third place in the markets of the world. The film footage sent to Australia, however. American Foreign Trade in Non-Exposed Film During the first nine months of 1930 American exports of films sensitized but not exposed reached a total of 60,098,922 linear feet valued at $1,341,543 as compared with 44,965,833 feet valued at $980,202 for the first nine months of 1929. Coincident with this gain there was a tremendous decline in the amount of non-exposed film imported. Whereas for the 1929 period the amount reached a total of 273,357 feet valued at $3,472,079 in the 1930 period this fell off to 103,095,089 with a value of $933,444. Industrial Film Producers and Distributors Personnel Alexander Film Company Colorado Springs, Col. PRESIDENT J. Don Alexander VICE-PRESIDENT D. M. Alexander SECRETARY AND TREASURER R. A. Duncan PRODUCTION MANAGER Mark Fitzgerald Has made nine industrial motion pictures (but not all of them in the past twelve months) for KuncrEmpson Co., Brighton, Col.; Continental Oil Co., Public Service Co., Denver, Col.; Bradley Knitting Co., Dclavan, Wis.; Florsheim Shoe Co., Chicago; Walk-Over Shoe Co., Silent Automatic Corp., Detroit; Radio Corporation of America, New York; three for screening in sales departments, six for screening in theatres. Average footage: from 250 to 2,000 fect; total footage of raw stock used annually: negative 405,101 feet; positive 3,855,044 fect; uses standard, 3 5 mm. raw stock. Atlantic Film Corporation Pittsburgh. Pa. PRESIDENT Chas. S. Stanton TREASURER John A. Scanlon Has made 14 industrial motion pictures in the last year, 1 1 for screening in sales departments, 3 for screening in theatres. Average footage, 500 feet; total footage of raw stock used annually: negative. 30.000 feet; positive, 150,000 feet; uses Eastman and Dupont raw stock. Several hundred shorts were produced for commercial and other uses. Burton Holmes Lectures, Inc. 7510 H. Ashland Avenue Chicago, III. PRESIDENT E. Burton Holmes VICE-PRESIDENT AND TREASURER O^CAR B. DepUE SECRETARY AND MANAGER OF INDUSTRIAL DIVISION Burton W. Depue MANAGER OF LECTURE DIVISION \V. W. Wlstcott Has made 1 1 industrial motion pictures in the last year, for Eli Lilly and Co., Standard Oil Co. (Ind.), American Depositor Corp., Radium Service Corp. of America. Red Top Steel Post Co., and others..