The Life of a Film.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 26 June 1914, Page 8

The Life of a Film.

The moving-picture is first taken on | a strip of prepared celluloid, a strip • which is less than an inch wide, but is from 100 ft. to 2,000 ft. in length. From this strip, upon which pictures have been taken in the special camera, any numbers of copies may be taken, though in practice it « is considered; that twenty-five copies form the limit so far as good results are concerned. As a rule, however, a smaller number of films is prepared. After the films have been prepared by the manufacturers, they are usually placed in the hands of mid-dle-men, who deal direct with the theatres. A film is not sold straight out, but is loaned to theatres, usually for three days and nights, as it is the custom of picture-theatres to change the programme twice weekly. After the films have been prepared in this way they are first offered to the principal of the cinema theatres as "exclusives"—that is to say, one ©r two picture-houses have the exclusive right of producing the new films up to a certain time. Usually a high price is charged for the special right. There are five stages in the life of a film. First it blushes into all the glory of an "exclusive," and then it gradually descends in the. scale. After its short but brilliant appearance as an "exclusive," it is placed on the open market, where any theatre may have its use, provided the necessary sum is paid. , When on the open market the next stages of its life are divided into periods of six weeks each. During the first six weeks a charge of a little over £6 is made for each lease of half a week. When the six weeks have passed away the film has suffered somewhat. So during the next :ix weeks a less sum is charged for the letting, this being a little over £4 for each let. In the last period the sum charged is only £2 a let. This is not the limit of degradation, however. The last hirer is allowed to keep the film as his own property. Its new owner thus hires or sells the film to the little pic-ture-houses, where twopence is the highest charge for admission.