Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Saturday 20 October 1934, page 20


BONUSES FOR FILMS.

Mr. Stuart Doyle's

Suggestion.

QUOTA PROPOSAL DISCUSSED.

At the formal opening of extensions to the Cinesound studio at Waverley last night Mr Stuart F Doyle suggested that the Federal Government should grant bonuses aggregating say £50 000 a year for dramatic films exported from Australia which would bring credit to

Australia abroad

Mr Doyle had mentioned that Cinesound (of which he is managing director) now had 144 permanent and 450 intermittent employees

In view of the amount of employment which the industry can gh c if sympathetically treated he said I do not think it would be asking the Feacial Government too much to introduce a bonus of 5/ foi every £1 spent on worthy story telling films «ent out of Aus-tralia The propaganda value of such filmo

is inestimable

In our opinion Mr Doyle continued the quota system which the State Government is

considering Is unsatisfactoiy and will needi revision It is proposed that a quota shall be I applied to distributors as well as exhibitors That is the American finns releas*""- American films heie will each be required distribute a certain number of Austi alian j es Eng land s experience has taught ti« i I "ils would induce foreign distributo te ft-ut. Australian films at the cheapest possible price met ely to complv with the quota law and the standard of local productions would be dragged down There is no section of the industry which wants a distributors quota I would ralhei have no quota at all than thp wrong one

BUSHRANGING ON THE SCREEN

home months ago a film aboui the Kelly gang was banned In New South Wales Mt Doyle apparently had this incident in mind when he announced in the course of his speech that Cinesound had the world rights of Rob bery Undei Arms but thal the ptoductlon of the film had been held up because in New South Wales a decision could not be given whethei the plctuie when complete would be acceptable or not The stenaiio was teadv and eveiy word to be spoken could be scrutinised but because no guarantee could be given by the authorities the spending of about £15 000 had to be deferred A Hollywood company had made an offei foi the storv lights and if Cinesound »ould no1 ptoduce The film it would have to sell those rights and £10 000 which would otherwise be sp«>nt on wages in Australia would be spent in Hollywood Yet it was hardlv possible lo find a bush storv I of the early days Into which bushtanging was|

not introduced

Mt Dovle also m-de a plea for the i eduction ¡ of duty on intilcate filmmaking equipment that cannot be made in Austialia The cost

of " Debri« camera just tmpoited hv Cinesound '

was £2500 and the dutv amounred lo £750

The extended studio was formally opened by the Premiei (Mi Stevens) who congratu lated the company on its progiess The Waverley studio had become the centte of a growing industry Ii »as the Governments policy lo extend what help It rould to worth

while industrie« and the film industiy was one of them The question of the quota hp said was too controversial foi him lo deal with on such an occasion j

Mi Stevens then piessed down a switch thus lighting a gallery of lamps whlct illuml

nated an outdoor set which has been built in the studio foi the making of scenes In Granddad Rudd a îural comedy by Steele Rudd The audience of several hundí ed in vited guests watched the actual taking of sevetal short scenes for the film and latet

saw a screening of Strike Me Lucky a farce in which the comedian Mo appeals This film wa« projected by means of Raycophone equipment an Australian production