Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1945)

WPB TELLS INDUSTRY HOVy MUCH FILM AND TO WHoW The motion picture industry was back from Washington this week with an answer from the War Production Board about what it could do about which in the entirely physical matter of how many feet of raw stock. The war consumes film. The theatre consumes film. ^ The answer, broadly, was "as you were," proportionately. Practically it meant less film, fewer prints, on the average, slower distribution — and complications. Along with it, somewhat less officially but significantly, came the mcidental observation out of that "in camera" session of WPB and the Motion Picture Industry Advisory Committee that Stanley B. Adams, chief of the consumers' durable goods division of the WPB, presiding, had incidentally remarked that government regulation "will continue for a long time after the war." . „ The sessions were held in the WPB Building— in more peaceful times the Social Security Building — Fourth Street and Independence Avenue, South West. Two members of the staff of the Department of Justice sat by, listening, while the meeting went on. They pertained to another line of regulation. Specifically the issue was the adjustment of the amusement industry's consumption of film to the total demands for film as a medium of propaganda, of diplomacy, and as a material of war in war photography. # The facts of war and the policies of government relating to a planned economy were m meeting. Only three written documents came out of the mseting — two tables showing the allocations to the 1 1 national distributing companies, and a definition of an independent producer. Other proposed regulations, touching on aspects of the industry not previously under direct control of the WPB, were entirely verbal. They emerged at a press conference held by Mr. Adams following the meetings. It is expected that they may be embodied in officially published directives later. The meetings and subsequent discussions established that: t 1. A total of 256,000,000 feet is allocated to the industry for the first quarter of 1945, representing a 16,000,000-foot cut from the last quarter of 1944, or about 5.5 per cent. 2. A ceiling of 285 is set on the number of prints distributors can mjike for each feature, compared with 300 to 400 heretofore. 3. Allocation of raw stock is to go directly to an independent producer rather than to the distributor through whom he releases; permission granted the independent to transfer his raw stock from one distribution company to another whenever he makes new deals; allocation based on his consvimption of film during the period from 1941 through 19,44. 4. An independent producer is one who has complete financial responsibility for his production or in excess of a one-half interest in it; the censorship of all rights to a production; repossession rights to a production after it has been played out; the ownership or operation of a studio; ownership of literary material and talent rights; authority over sales contracts, or a voice in sales policy. 5. Special provision to be granted by the board to allocate raw stock to qualified independent producers who, because they were with the armed services, did not complete pictures during the 1941-1944 period. Un and for wha\ less an exception is made such producji would get no stock allocations. 6. A new reserve raw stock pool of 10,00 000 feet is to be set up to be used for emei ency and special purposes not yet fully c fined. This 10,000,000 is in addition to %■ 256,000,000 allocated to the industry for i first quarter. 7. Companies which are found to hi, overdrawn their quotas for any one qui ter will be penalized by the WPB, whi will deduct the amount overdrawn from f ture allocations. The first quarter footage allocations may main in effect for the second quarter, beginnij April 1, and may continue for the balance 1945. Mr. Adams made clear to industry he? that the approaching end of war with Germdj would not affect the board's policy of tinned conservation of raw stock. It was learned in Washington Monday, ho ever, that the WPB might change the ore, from a 285 ceiling on prints to a 285 averal This would enable distributors to make 3i 350, or more, prints for a top feature and reduce the number for smaller films. ^ cording to film executives, the 285 ceiling wov slow up releases from three to six months a thereby work a hardship on exhibitors. WPB Stenoffrapher Records Part of Conversations Minutes of the proceedings were taken byf WPB stenographer, but it was noted that k all of the conversation back and forth acn the large table was transcribed into pothoo' curls and curves. Mr. Adams frequently vised the stenographer : "You don't have take that down." Those who attended the meeting wei George J. Schaefer, liaison between the : dustry advisory committee and the WP Barney Balaban, Paramount; Jack Cohn, C Distributor Allocations for Present Quarter and Last Columbia Pictures Corporation Metro-Goldwyri-Mayer and Loew's, Inc. Monogram Productions, Inc. Paramount Pictures, Inc. PRC Pictures, Inc. Radio-Keith-Orpheum Corporation Republic Pictures Corporation Twentieth Century -Fox Film Corp. United Artists Corporation Universal Pictures Company, Inc. Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc., and Vitagraph, Inc. Present L-I78 Quotas* [Previous] 30.253,296 Percentage of Total 11.135% New Qaef^ [Present Quart^ 28.505.61; 42.147.476 15.513% 39,7 13.2!^ 8,170,000 3.007% 7.697.9j 30.722,843 M.308% 28.948,4;j 5.500.000 2.024% 5,181.4^ 27.435,119 10.098% 25.850,8! 18,380,444 6.765% 17.318.4 31.803,298 M.706% 29.967.3i 16,086,803 5.921% I5.l57.7j! 27.448,44! 10.103% 25.863.6ii 33,742.077 12.419% 31.792.6-^ 271,689.797 99.999%** 255,997.* * Except in case of Monogram and United Artists. Monogram quota increased by 2,J22,000 linear feet, which is same amount PRC quota was previously increased. United Artists' quota increased by 1,000,000 linear feet. "The cumulative error of .001% results from the elimination of decimal fractions beyond the thousandths. There are also apparent errors of a few hundred feet in application of the percentages to the footage allocations for each company. These iti have resulted from the use of a draughtsman's slide rule not accurate beyond 1 second decimal place. The errors can be compared to breakage in a parimutuel machii 24 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, FEBRUARY 10, 191