Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

46 Motion Picture News U. S. Projectors Not Employed in French Morocco {Continued from preceding page) Four makes of projectors are employed by cinema owners in French Morocco. They are, in order of importance, Gaumont, Ernemann, Pathe, and Aubert. The following sales prices are quoted at Casablanca for those machines equipped with double projectors and complete : Gaumont, $470 ; Ernemann, $860 ; Pathe and Aubert, $310. In spite of its high price, the Ernemann projector is greatly liked. That make and the Gaumont are easily the favorites, on account of the ease with which they can be taken apart and put together. Those projectors give a clear picture and are equipped with double projection heads and one lantern for the two projectors, the change of projectors being regulated automatically. The French Moroccan market is a small one, there being only 40 theatres in all, and of these six are controlled by the firm of Xiberras, of Algiers, which purchases all its equipment direct from the manufacturers. The cinema owners, therefore, are in the habit of buying direct in France or Germany, and there does not exist in French Morocco any dealers specializing in motion-picture equipment. Nearly all cinemas are equipped with an extra projector in case of accidents. As a general rule, the equipment is old. dated on the average about four years back. Cinemas are popular but are run on cheap lines, the seating accommodations and material comfort being poor on account of the lack of competition. No American projectors are at present in use in French Morocco. Generators. — The Thungar (French) transformer is the most popular. It is equipped with two mercury lamps and is sold fullv equipped for $70. The lamps last about 1,000 hours, and cost $10 each. No high-itensity and mirror arc lamps are used. Screens. — The screens consist merely of a whitewashed cloth, or, in the cheaper cinemas, the whitewashed wall is deemed sufficient. Visual Education. — All schools in French Morocco come under the Direction General de l'lnstruction Publique at Rabat. The question of visual education has been discussed, but so far nothing has been done in any of the schools, which are all public and run by the Protectorate authorities. Should any steps be taken in that direction, it is practically certain that only French equipment would be purchased. Projectors. — In the Tangier consular district, comprising the International and Spanish Zones of Morocco, there are 8 or 10 theatres, four of which are situated in Tangier. The projecting machines used are Gaumont, Ernemann, and one American machine. Foreign projectors are available at Casablanca (French zone) and in Spain at Seville, Madrid, and Barcelona. American projectors, of which there are only two in the district, were imported direct from the United States through an American citizen. It is reported that the price paid at the time (a few years ago) was $1,175 each. No American projectors are on sale in Morocco. The two foreign makes in use are said to be giving satisfaction, their simplicity of mechanism making them popular in a country where Moors are used as operators. The Ernemann projector, in spite of its higher cost, is found in half the theatres of the district. In the French zone, projectors are equipped with double posts and one lantern for the two projectors, the change from the one machine to the other being operated automatically. In Tangier and the Spanish zone, the sing!epost type is used exclusively, requiring a short interval between parts. On one occasion only double posts were imported into Ceuta for the running of an American film, owing to tke le-igth of that production. "George V Alberf Shaw and Einstein are to appear on the radio the same night. At last a little competition for "Amos V Andy"!— A'. Y. Sun. It is not believed that there are any local dealers who would be interested in handling projectors. The market is small, and with stocks in Casblanca and Spain, the local demand is fully and speedily satisfied. Cinema owners are in the habit of writing to those sources, or even direct to manufacturers. Nearly all cinemas are equipped with an extra projector in case of emergency. As a rule, projectors are old, but it is understood that this situation is rapidly bettering itself, foreign companies, like Gaumont, taking back old projectors and supplying new ones for a rea«^nahle cash difference. Generaly speaking, the equipment of cinemas in Morocco is lacking in comfort and luxury, based on American standards. This is due in part to the fact that they cater principally to Moors with a low purchasing power, which element is by far the most important commercially. In Tangier two of the houses, operated in conjunction with casinos, are run more to attract patrons to the main establishments than to make a direct profit. The two American projectors employed in Tangier are said to be the best in the city. They have two inconveniences, however : they are relatively costly, and in case of a breakdown requiring a change of parts it is necessary to write to the United States. Generators. — Transformers are not required in the international zone, where there is a direct current of 110 volts. No high-intensity and mirror arc lamps are used. Screens. — Screens always consist of a whitewashed cloth. Visual Education. — Schools in the international and Spanish zones have done nothing on the question of visual education. In Tangier the chief school is under the Direction General de l'lnstruction Publique at Rabat, and, were steps taken to develop that form of education, French equipment would undoubtedly be purchased Liberia Offers Small Market The market in Liberia for projectors and other equipment is very small. There are no sales agents for equipment, and the possibilities for the sale of such equipment are at present very remote. There are five projectors in the entire country, four of which are American made (one a portable projector) and the fifth French made. Except for the portable projector, used by an American company upon its plantations, they are old models. White cloth sheets are used for screens. There are no real theatres, but a theatre to seat about 300 was recently constructed by a Liberian association in Monrovia. Indifferent motion pictures are occasionally shown in the public halls of the larger towns. Apparently the difficulty in Liberia with the business is the comparatively small number of people to patronize shows. No census has ever been taken of the population of Liberia, but it is estimated to consist of 1.200,000 uncivilized natives in the interior, 50,000 slightly civilized natives forming the fringe of the civilized coastal settlements, 12,000 civilized negroes, principally Americo-Liberians or their descendants, and 500 whites. Except in Monrovia and the rubber plantations, there is no electricity in the country. During the past three years, there have been only two exhibitions for educational purposes. November 1 , 1930 Camera Market Shifts Rapidly In South Africa Projectors. — Nearly all the theatres in the larger towns of South Africa are equipped with two projectors. The greatest number of theatres, however, are in small communities where only one projector suffices. The equipment in the larger towns is quite modern but the great majority of projectors located in small theatres are very old. The amount of business done does not warrant the installation of new machines as long as the old ones will continue to function. Practically all of the newer types of projectors in use give good service. Generators. — There is a small demand for generator sets. Most of the sets in use are of American make. Arc Lamps and Screens. — The great majority of theatres in South Africa use mirrorreflector arc lamps. The high-intensity arc is not favored on account of the high cost of running. Screens in use in South Africa are usually of linen with a coating of paint or other reflecting substance. In a large number of small theatres the picture is projected simply upon the white plaster wall of the building. Visual Education. — Visual education has not yet taken hold in South Africa in the public schools, but there is a steady increase in the use of both cameras and projectors for amateur and business purposes. A number of business men in Johannesburg use projectors in their offices to demonstrate manufacturing processes and products and are finding this method of greatest benefit to their sales. In the last two or three years there has been a decided shifting in the camera market of South Africa. Until 1926 practically .all cameras and supplies imported were solely for still pictures. Several sporadic attempts had been made to introduce various kinds of motion-picture or semi-motion-picture cameras, hut the first popular appeal to the amateur public came late in 1925. For a long time this was confined entirely to the larger cities, and it has only been within the past six months or a year that any particular interest has been shown in the country districts. At the present time, though, merchants are receiving fairly substantial orders in the country districts of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, as well as from Rhodesia. Sales have been most erratic. At times for two or three months large purchases have been made, only to be followed by an abrupt slump in the market. There has apparently been no cause for any changes, which have been purely sopradic and not seasonal in any respect. Cameras. — At the present time there are four American outfits in the market. There are also two German machines already well entrenched in the market. Pathe has maintained a high selling average, holding over 60 per cent of the total sales. It is estimated that bv 1929 the Pathe increased its sales from six to eight times over the 1925 sales. American machines have also made very substantial increases, but not in the same proportion, due almost entirely to price considerations. The lowest-priced American camera on the market sells for £17 ($83). A very popular American product sells for approximately £31 ($151). The Zeiss sells for £20 ($97) with a 3.5 lens. Projectors. — Projectors sell in approximately the same ratio as cameras. The only important projector at present on the market, aside from the American products, is the Pathe, which retails at £8 ($42^. American projectors retail from £20 ($97) with resistance up to £85 ($414). A very popular standard American machine retails at £22 ($107). {Continued on next page)