Mow Films Are Sold.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 February 1924, Page 1

Mow Films Are Sold.

(Moniia Ewer in ‘'Daily Mail"). A liliii goos through many complicati'! financial t runsaetions before it reacho- the- kinemu public-. For tbe Dim ihidusi rv hie. levoMed throe hip: depart moil ts am! a peculiar selling teilininuo of its own. Ai one end thorn is the producin'; company, the people alto do Lite real work in the studio. Then comes the middleman in the shape of the renter, lie buys lhe picture in order to sell it: again to the exhibitor. This lasts sells it to the public in cheap seats. The whole hears a family resemblance to the house that -Tack built. The studio folk always to try to -el! a picture before it is made. If they have a hip "star” or n hip producer, they can some times sell a whole series of pictures before they even know themselves what they are going to lie about. The renter in bis turn sells the unmade pictures to the exhibitor. Very often, too. it is impossible for either of them to secure a particular picture unless they agree to take a number of inferior pictures as well. In the host-class kinemas they often do not even show these pictures, but just reckon them as part of the price they have to pay to secure the one they wanted. The renter resorts to many practices to get a better price for his pictures. The most popular at the moment is the "special presentation”—that is, the showing of a film for a special run in a West End theatre. This is often done at a heavy loss, but the good publicity enables the renter to got better terms all over the countiy. “Han for four weeks at .” hut there is no need to say how many people paid to see it during that time. Tile price of a picture is nearly always a matter of bargain. A “first run” when the picture is new and the print in good condition is the most expensive. When a film is released, the first three days of the week are more costly tluui the second half. Tf the exhibitor has no competition in the town he can afford to wait six months and get the nicture at a big redution. Tn some cases the price is decided by flic seating eanaeitv of the kineiun, and with their four houses a day most of them can fake a fair sum of money.