Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

BRITISH SHORTS BID FOR QUOTA PLACE Producers Resent Denial of Petition; Seek Better Position in Market by PETER BURNUP in London Dissatisfaction now long a-brewing among Britain's short film makers has become openly manifest. Short subject producers claim, and with apparent justification, that in the present heyday of British production they have been given the wrong end of the stick. They felt slighted six months ago when they were deprived of their representation in the producers' section of the reconstituted Films Council. They feel more aggrieved now that the president of the Board of Trade, Hugh Dalton, has coldly rejected their demand that a "labour cost" condition be incorporated for shorts, as it has been for feature films, in the Quota pattern. Shorts Market Poor The shorts market, this side, always has been a poor one. It's even worse now, with the plethora of little films sponsored by the Ministry of Information and by quasi-official organizations like the British Council. Short makers themselves admit that the war has brought them considerable prosperity, for it is the brutal fact that a certain number of persons consistently engaged, since the war's beginning, in the propaganda production field (and at much profit to themselves) might otherwise have found themselves in mighty sore straits. Against this consideration, of course, must be set the readily acknowledged circumstance of the remarkable flow of high-grade documentaries which has emanated from a number of organizations tilling the field of shorts. It's not indeed present day conditions that short makers worry over ; the Ministry of Information and other propaganda-conscious bodies continue to hand out film-making commissions on a cost-plus-percentage basis. What gives concern to the more forward-looking in the fraternity is the contingency that at some time, not so remarkably remote either, a more rigid economy may prevail ; that officially sponsored productions may be few and far between ; that a short will require to live on its box office takings just as any other production must. War Prosperity May Boomerang Anxiety, assuredly, is to hand in this regard; for, in the opinion of many, producers have fashioned a rod for their own backs in the wartime prosperity they have enjoyed, in the very plenitude of their present, largely officially sponsored, output. This department lately made an analysis of the returns of eight short films which played at more than 1,000 theatres. The average booking works out at slightly over 10 shillings (about $2) for a three-day booking and 15 shillings for those booked for a week. These figures give a rather better picture than normally prevails, as most films only show at 650 -700 theatres. It is no uncommon thing to find one-day bookings taken at the figure of one shilling. Producers ascribe the blame, firstly to sales 30 practices currently obtaining among distributors ; secondly, to the absence of that labor cost clause in the quota regulation. They aver that distributors are concerned only with a bare fulfillment of their short-film quota obligations and not with making financial profit therefrom. Allegations are made that the average outright sum paid in the past to the producer of a quota short is roughly £250 (about $1,000) ; that the films, in consequence, are hired to exhibitors at ridiculously low rates, being — on occasion — given away for nothing, either to fill up a program or as an inducement to the exhibitor to take particular feature films from the distributor. Booked As Make-Weights If these allegations be true — inspection of a series of typical contracts lends considerable justification to them — the plight of the short producer ready to take a modest gamble with his own product is manifestly parlous. Terms of his percentage booking contract with a distributor are related by and large to the prices ordinarily obtained on the flat booking scale ; in particular to the circumstance that a short is almost invaria-bly booked as make-weight to a principal feature. It is said that the most advantageous price for short films hired on a sharing basis is at present about three per cent of the total charge for the whole program; this percentage commonly being split, fifty-fifty, between distributor and producer after deduction of cost of prints, trade shows, carriage, exploitation and insurance. On this basis, producers maintain that the average maximum they can hope to achieve for a good short is £750, with maybe exceptional examples reaching the £1,000 level. Films, they say, comparable in quality with those in a similar category produced in America, cannot possibly be made for the money. They see their remedy in a compulsory regulation that their films be booked separately on their merits and that each should have a separate contract. Seek Aid Of Rank And Korda The Association of Short Film Producers goes much further, however ; produced some time since a voluminous Program of Action which it has submitted to the Board of Trade and to whose support it is now endeavoring to enlist the aid of J. Arthur Rank and Sir Alexander Korda, the producers' representatives on the Films Council. Condensed, the program postulates : 1. The creation in the country's theatres of a commercial market for short films of high quality by means of a drastic amendment in existing marketing conditions and the inauguration of a "cost test" for shorts. 2. The continuance of officially sponsored film production. 3. The development of an adequate program for the production and distribution of films for schools and other educational organizations. 4. The encouragement of research and an adequate system of training in the shorts field. Claims the association : "The work of the short film producers during the trying prewar period has been found to be of value during these years of war. The value of the short film for propaganda and cultural purposes is now universally recognized, and there is little doubt that British ideals can best be propagated o\ seas by the universal medium of the cinema. "This country has a growing body of ski, technicians, skilled in the production of b theatrical and non-theatrical short films. Tr' work has been praised and welcomed in countries where it has been shown. If the a ficial economic handicaps which beset the sh films can be set aside there is an opportunit) lay the secure foundations of an industry wh should benefit Great Britain both nation; and economically." Circles in closest touch with the Board Trade feel that short producers must av their turn at the end of an inordinately 1< S queue of supplicants before anything is done amelioration of their lot. Under a recent statutory order, the she quota has been steeply increased for both ( tributors and exhibitors, the relative particul being : Quota Kear Renters Exhibit* 7945-46 22'/2% 20 °j 1946 47 25 % 22 V20/ 1947 48 25 % 22'/2°/ The percentages now applying are 15 ; I2yi respectively for renters and exhibitors. Officials point out: "That's about as far authority may reasonably be expected to go the time being." Government To Release 14 More British Stages With 30 unrequisitioned sound stages currei in use in England, covering 243,000 square and spread over nine studios, the Board of Tr plans to derequisition by autumn a further 200, square feet comprising 14 stages in seven stud it was disclosed in London last week. Repair and re-equipment of additional buildir meanwhile, is being given high priority beca the Board of Trade is anxious that peak i production be reached as soon as possible, peak, however, is unlikely to be attained bef autumn of next year. Seven studios currently requisitioned incl Sir Alexander Korda's Amalgamated, Nettlef one stage at Denham, one at Pinewood, So City,. M„ P., and Worton Hall. Others requisitioned but scheduled for derequisitio include Associated British Picture Corporat British Lion, Twickenham, Wembley, one st at Amalgamated and four at Pinewood — cove about 150,000 additional square feet. U. S. Seizes Hungarian Films and Copyrights The United States has taken over all Hungar owned films in this country and copyright inten therein, the Alien Property Custodian announ in Washington last week. It named 62 H garian companies as film owners ; but it did t disclose how many films were taken, nor titles. It was indicated the Hungarian Govern had an interest in several of the pictures. Settle Yellen-Dipson Suit Litigation between Samuel Yellen and Dipson Realty Company, Inc., has been dropj and by mutual consent, the petition for an rangement under the Bankruptcy Act has b withdrawn, it was disclosed in Buffalo last Thv day. The notes for which Mr. Yellen was su jj as well as his stock in the various Dipson Enrl prises in Buffalo have been purchased by yk Dipson interests. Mr. Yellen had severed all c|j| nections with the Dipson Realty Company, I it was explained. Reopen Drive-ln Theatre The Dartmouth Auto theatre, on Grand Ar Highway, between Fall River and New Bedfc Mass., will open April 29, Ray Allard, gene! manager, who also manages the Interstate Cent has announced. Herbert Gifford of Westptf Mass., who managed the theatre last year, v again take over those duties this year. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 21, l|