New Zealand Film Institute Inc.
Wellington.

29th August, 1961.

To all societies.

Dear Secretary,

For your information a copy of the new submissions to the Arts Advisory Council is enclosed. These are sent so that all committees can know what representations are being made on your behalf. The Working Committee hopes that these will be considered by the Council - favourably, of course, - at their next meeting on 7th September. You will all be advised of the result as soon as possible.

If it is necessary for further steps to be taken each society will probably be called upon to help which we have no doubt you will all be willing to do. In the meantime, we can but live in hopes of a change of mind on the part of the Council.

Margaret Ritchie,
Secretary.

28th August, 1961.

The Secretary,
Arts Advisory Council,
Internal Affairs Department,
WELLINGTON.

Dear Sir,

Pursuant to my letter of the 2nd August, my Committee has instructed me to make the following points:

The Arts Advisory Council has reduced the grant which has for the past eight years been made to the Film Society movement by 50% - that is from £500 to £250. This reduction appears to have been made on the basis of evidence not supplied by the N. Z. Film Institute and not apparent in the Institute's submissions.

Because this reduction will without shadow of doubt have a catastrophic effect on the Film Society movement and could, to put it bluntly, destroy the movement thus negating 14 years work, the Film Institute has asked me to submit the attached new evidence for presentation to the Arts Advisory Council in support of our request for an additional grant of £250 for 1961 and a grant of £500 for 1962.

Film supply for the societies often must be planned and budgeted for up to two years ahead and the final selection and ordering of films for the whole of 1962 must be completed by next October. I would, therefore, ask for the earliest possible decision by the Council so that either next year's film supply may be assured or not.

Yours faithfully,

M. Ritchie (Mrs),
Secretary.

New Zealand Film Institute Inc.

Additional information for the consideration of the Arts Advisory Council:

Influence Of Film Societies:

Commercial release of first class films. Since the inception of film societies in New Zealand in 1945, the societies have been increasingly successful in inducing the commercial exhibitors to show more films of high calibre from all countries. At that date, the number of foreign films exhibited was pitifully small, but in recent years the number has steadily grown and it has even been possible for such specialised theatres as the Paramount in Wellington and the Playhouse in Auckland to devote themselves almost exclusively to such films.

This development has been directly due to the influence of film societies, and many of the films screened at these theatres have been imported at the request of these societies. Moreover, the success of some of the films imported by the N. Z. Film Institute for the use of film societies has resulted in their being imported and screened by the commercial distributors.

Those film societies, mainly in the larger centres, which can afford to publish a monthly bulletin devote part of the space to recommendations of worthwhile films screened commercially, and the full support of film society members has helped to ensure a commercial success for these films and in many instances has led to the general release of films which the trade considered to be lacking in box-office appeal.

Education in film appreciation. Film Societies have always had as one of their objects the raising of the level of the public's appreciation of film. The foundation of the film society movement can, in fact, be traced to a course of public lectures in film appreciation given by Mr. Gordon Mirams, at that time the only unfettered film critic in the country. Since then the larger societies have annually conducted schools in film appreciation open to all comers and these have been well attended, especially by teachers. Moreover, the number of film critics has also increased and the genuine film criticism now published in some of the newspapers has been very largely helped by film society influence.

The Institute and its members have always been most concerned that children should be taught some appreciation of films. In view of the advent of television this is felt to be even more important now. The Institute and societies have co-operated as closely as possible with Training Colleges and have frequently lent films to teacher groups where film appreciation was studied. A large number of teachers are members of film societies and spend a considerable amount of their own time teaching discrimination to their pupils. As film societies are the only organisations regularly engaged in this work it is regarded as of prime importance. Some of the larger societies have a special reduced subscription rate for full-time students to encourage them to join at an age when their tastes in films can be more easily influenced.

The Institute initiated the visit to New Zealand in 1954 of Miss Mary Field, the Executive Officer of the Children's Film Foundation in England. During Miss Field's visit public meetings were held throughout the country. Film Societies in several centres have also sponsored festivals of films. These, although extremely well attended, resulted in no financial gain for the societies or the Institute as no charge for admission could be made.

Services to country districts. The Institute has among its members film societies in a number of country districts which are exceptionally ill-served by any other cultural organisation. Not only does the Institute encourage the appreciation of film as an art form but it also provides almost the only films of any quality to these districts as well as taking there the other arts, opera, ballet, painting, sculpture, music, thus providing the only continued contact with the arts which people in such districts have. These societies would be the hardest hit by the withdrawal of the Government grant.

Administration Expenses:

The cost of administration is graphically portrayed in the histograms appended. It is doubtful whether any other national body can provide a full time secretary at such a small cost. In fact, three years ago the then secretary resigned mainly because the work involved was much more than his fee (then £200) could justify - at professional rates. Since then the secretary, on a semi-voluntary basis, has drawn an honorarium of slightly less than £3 per week - for what is in effect a 20 hour week. The Working Committee has always controlled costs, particularly administration, most carefully by working to a strict budget each year, realising that the less spent on Administration meant more to be spent on the main function of film purchase and supply.

From the point of view of public relations it was thought desirable that the Annual Conference should be held in a different centre each year but three years ago it was decided, reluctantly, that this practice was too expensive and that the Conference should meet in Wellington every other year. Conference expenses are much less when it is held in Wellington but the centre of gravity of film societies at present is considerably north of Wellington as the map appended shows.

With 54 societies affiliated, the Institute distributes 600 programmes each year. The amount of work involved in this is so great that it is considered impossible to do on a purely voluntary basis. The total cost of each programme, apart from film hire and purchase, is 18/4d. which is only possible because of the amount of work done voluntarily both by members of the Working Committee and by committee members of the film societies. (The very minimum commercial charge per programme is £2/10/-)

Acquisition of Films:

From its inception the Institute has regarded the building up of a permanent collection or classic films as one or its major functions. To date this collection numbers 102 films purchased either outright or with some slight possibility of recall in their nature. These are available to film societies and to educational institutions for the study of film. Older films are still available under these terms but it is becoming increasingly difficult to acquire films made in the last twenty years. These more modern films are tied up by copyright and are impossible to get except on hire. The owners refuse to rent the non-commercial rights for more than a limited period, usually 5 years.

All moneys spent on films have been shown in our accounts as film hire whatever the terms under which they are held. In the histograms attached, these have now been separated into film purchase and film hire. The value of the films in the permanent collection is £2007. In view of this figure an independent accountant has been consulted and in nature the balance sheet will show the cost of the permanent collection as an asset with a corresponding reserve for its depreciation.

The Institute is also interested in the acquisition and preservation of New Zealand films. We have been co-operating closely with the Film Archive Committee recently set up, in an endeavour to preserve as many of the old films in New Zealand as are able to be preserved and warranted from an artistic or historical point of view. Such films which have so far come to light are mostly on old inflammable stock and some have deteriorated. Those selected for preservation must be copied on non-inflammable film which is a very costly operation. The Institute is most anxious to help in this work and we have been working in with the National Film Archive of the British Film Institute, the Museum of Modern Art Film Library, New York, and the Film Archive of the Australian National Library, who have expressed the most intense interest in the existence of material of international importance which is known to be in this country.

Film Society Expenses:

Many of the film societies are situated in small and often fairly isolated country districts where there is an evident desire to see regular film programmes of a standard higher than that normally available through commercial channels. Most film society members pay a substantial annual subscription. In 1961 the Institute has, for the second time in three years, raised by 25% the fee paid by societies and this has meant a rise in the societies' own subscriptions. In addition the minimum fee payable by the smaller societies has been increased. The larger societies in the main centres contribute 40% of the Institute's income and are, therefore, in effect subsidising the smaller societies in country districts. They would find any increase in their payments to the Institute an almost crippling burden, their costs of operating being very high due to high rents for halls and projectors. The metropolitan societies could, with a very severe struggle, continue without benefit of a subsidy, but it would be virtually impossible for the country ones to do so. And the special reduced subscriptions offered by the city societies to encourage students and teachers would have to be withdrawn.

The very specialised nature of film handling and distribution makes ordinary voluntary assistance from individual members quite out of the question. The only way they can contribute is financially but the extent of financial contributions in this, as in every other field connected with the arts, is severely limited by the small population of the country.

The £ for £ subsidy granted by the Government in 1952 was to encourage societies to help themselves. At the time there were 20 societies in New Zealand, which have not only helped themselves but have given assistance in the formation of other societies, with the result that there are now 54 societies in operation. With this growth there has, of course, been an increase in expenses not so much administratively as in the cost of films, as more films are required for a longer period to supply a greater number of societies. As a matter of interest, the British Film Institute receives a grant of £80,000 per annum from the British Government, the New Zealand equivalent of which would be, on a population basis £3,500, and on a membership basis £5,300.

Other Activities:

An ambition the Institute has been unable to realise owing to printing costs is the publication of a regular bulletin on films. Individual societies have been encouraged to publish their own and an increasing number are doing so. The Institute periodically publishes a Newsletter which is designed to keep societies in touch with each other and give news of activities throughout the country. Because of expense, this Newsletter has not been published for more than a year. Film Societies also run courses for the instruction of projectionists of 16mm film. The results have been beneficial in the care of National Film Library films as well as of our own.

As an example of the scope of film society activity, we attach an annual report and membership brochure of the Wellington Film Society and also an analysis of income and expenditure of the Institute since its inception, on which our histograms are based. These histograms and the map are examples of the work done voluntarily by members of the Working Committee.

JohnBlennerhassett,
Chairman.

M. Ritchie,
Secretary.

(The President at this time was PhilipAllingham)

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