Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1945)

Shorts Schedules Hit Raw Stock and Newsreels Give 80% of Footage to War News THE war, highlighted by spectacular United Nations victories on the European fronts and in the Pacific, with home front activities and appeals, preempted about 80 per cent of the newsreel footage shown in 1944. The newsreels have been limited since 1942 to 750 feet per issue by the War Production Board, acting on the recommendation of the Industry Advisory Committee. Now a further cut in their raw stock allocations for 1945 is under discussion in Washington. The European theatre, with the Allied triumphs in Italy, in the invasion of the Continent and the liberation of France, Belgium and parts of Holland, and in the great Russian drives on the Eastern front, figured most prominently, with more than a third of the year's total footage from American sources alone devoted to it. Pacific Victories Recorded The war in the Pacific theatre, marked by brilliant victories over the Japanese, and the war effort at home, both also from American cameramen, accounted for approximately another third of the total, with the home front receiving slightly more footage than hostilities in the Far East. The European war was supplemented by footage from Russian, British, Polish, Yugoslav and French Underground sources. Captured German and Japanese film, together with the American footage on -camp and other activities of the armed forces in the United States, filled out the remainder of the 80' per cent. The domestic scene accounted for some 20 per cent of the remaining footage. It included coverage of the Presidential campaign, about eight per cent, a high proportion for politics in a war year, but less than was usually accorded a peacetime Presidential race, the companies said. In addition to politics, about the same amount of footage was given to miscellaneous domestic stories. The funerals of Wendell Willkie and Alfred E. Smith figured prominently. Other personalities, floods and fires, and similar items completed this category. Sports and fashions comprised the remainder of the total, with the exception of Pathe, which showed no fashions. Wide Home Front Coverage All the companies gave extensive coverage to the war effort at home. Working in conjunction with the domestic film section of the Office of War Information, through which all Government agencies channeled their requests, the newsreels informed their audiences on, and stimulated their support for War Bond drives, the Red Cross and National War Fund and March of Dimes campaigns, the recruiting of WACs, Waves and nurses, appeals for workers in critical manpower areas, conservation of light and fuel, salvage and other drives. In addition, the companies produced and distributed 26 film bulletins, each about 225 feet, on various subjects designed to promote the war effort. Currently, these lengthy bulletins are suspended, with the five companies substituting shorter subjects, about 90 feet, in the body of the newsreel. This has been done to continue their aid while conserving raw stock. Although all the fighting services have given the newsreels, since the beginning of the war, formal assurances of prior rights to all combat HOW THE NEWSREELS DIVIDE ATTENTION The manner in which the newsreels allocated footage during 1944 is indicated by the following breakdown by Paramount News, a typical example: (1) American material on the war: la) European theatre 357, (fa) Pocific theatre 13 (cl Home Front activities 76 Idl Armed Forces in camps, training and other activities 4 12) Foreign material on the war: Russian, British, Polish, Yugoslav and Frencii Underground 7 13) Captured German and Japanese fi(m. 2 Total war footage 77% 14) Politics — tfie Presidential campaign.. 8% (57 M(sce77aneous domestic coverage: Personad'ties, fires, floods, etc 8 (67 Sporfs 6 (77 Fashions 7 Tof ai footage 700% The companies each released 104 Issues, each 750 feet, about eight minutes' screen time. film, the companies note with regret that such film has been deliberately withheld by services for their own production, according to Walton Ament, Pathe general manager and editor, and chairman of the newsreel division of the WAC. Mr. Ament said that while the Army had adhered to its assurance, the Marine Corps in its "Battle of the Marianas," and the Navy in its ''Fighting Lady" and "Brought to Battle," had broken their pledges. Goldwyn Attacks Stock Allocations (Continued from preceding page) public has a great stake in the independent producer. "A last point is that raw stock should be made available in increasing quantities for the distribution in the U. S. of pictures made in England and other foreign countries. An honest realization of the place of films in international understanding and in commerce would dictate this as basic and essential. Mr. Goldwyn said at the opening of the interview that he anticipated that raw stock would be a major topic and that his public statement was all he cared to say. He added that to his knowledge no one at present had enough raw stock. One producer, whose name he refused to disclose, cannot continue production because his distributor refuses to give him a contract, Mr. Goldwyn said. He stressed that he was not pleading, in his statement, for new producers, but only for those who have been in the business. Color Bottleneck Major companies are hard pressed to kee^ their promises of short subject delivery to ex-; hibitors for the 1944-45 season because the laclj of raw stock is holding up prints on black-and-j white shorts and the Technicolor bottleneck is delaying color printing. i This has resulted in approximately a sixH month delay in the releasing of short product} Last season there were 500 shorts released, bu' this number included several subjects designati ed in the 1942-43 schedules. For 1944-45, companies plan to produce th^ same number of shorts as last year, but the raw stock crisis may force a decrease in productiorj schedules and will also delay delivery of shorl subjects until 1945-46. Thus far this seasonl most of the companies havfe released shorts which were originally promised for 1943-44^ in addition to their new product. j Planned Many in Color \ At the beginning of the 1944-45 season, sev^ eral majors announced they would deliver thi^ year many Technicolor shorts, based on theii^ experience of successful bookings of color prodi uct last year. The distributors also announcec they were increasing their production budgets and advertising and publicity budgets for shori product this year. Short subject sales managers now repor^ there is a shortage of one and two-reel subject^ as a result of the raw stock and Technicolor difficulties, but they are hopeful that the slacl^ in releasing thus far will be caught up by thd end of the season. I About 700-750 feet of film is used for the average cartoon and approximately 800-850 fee^ for the average one-reel subject. According tc] distributors, the average number of prints fot' one cartoon is about 175, sometimes more, de-j pending on the subject, and the average numbeij of prints for a one-reel subject is about 130-| 150, also depending upon the subject matter) The companies make more prints for the car-j toons because they are in more demand. | The shortage, however, seems to be mor^ acute in single bill territories or in key citie^ where downtown first runs operate on a feaJ| ture, short and stage-show policy. r, Increased Demand a Factor r I Another contributory factor to the situatioi| is the increased demand for one and two-reeU ers by exhibitors who have switched doubly bill programs temporarily for the top seasoq product. [ Some indication of the current releasing problem of short subjects is seen in the fact that Warner Bros, released 27 subjects of th^ 1944-45 schedule from September through January 31, in addition to nine shorts release^' during the first half of this season which werej designated as 1943-44 product. Seven shorts of the 35 released from September through Jan-j uary by Columbia were last season's. i Of the 12 FitzPatrick Traveltalks on th^ MGM 1943-44 schedule, 11 were released bei fore September, 1944, and one after. Other 194344 Metro subjects were released as follows; 13 Technicolor cartoons, seven released befor^ September, 1944, and six after September, as far into the new season as December ; eight Pete Smith specialties, five released prior td September, 1944, and three after ; four Passing Parade subjects, two distributed before September, two after ; nine Miniatures, eight be-j fore September and one after. j 114 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, FEBRUARY 3, I94S