"TALKIE" FILMS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 258, 31 October 1928, Page 10

"TALKIE" FILMS.

THE FUTURE'S PROBLEM. INSTALLATIONS FOR N.Z. A QUESTION OF COPYRIGHT. "'Talkie' films are the main topic of conversation in the film world of Australia." said Mr. Beaumont Smith, mana?ing director of J. C. Will : anifon Films (New Zealand), who returned from a business visit to Sydney by the Ulimaroa yesterday. Mr. Smith stated that there were 24 installations on their way out from America and three of these were for New Zealand, one for Auckland, one for Wellington and one for Dunedin. Possibly it would be March next before these installations would be ready. The remainder of the installations were for Hoyt's and Union Theatres in Australia, and there had been no preference granted by the Western Electric Company, who owned the patents, the installations to be simultaneous with regard to each firm. Askei what he thought would be the public opinion of "talkie" films, Mr. S>mith said that the verdict was problematic. To-day the "talkie" film might be regarded merely as a novelty, but it was for the large exhibitor to keep abreast of the times and to install what the public needed. He mentioned that the average cost of installation would be fGOOO per theatre; that would be apart from the extra cost of the film itself, which would no doubt be very expensive. He mentioned that a number of publishers of music and holders of the rights of certain plays had notified leading film manufacturers that any copyrighted music or plays held by them in Australia and being included in the films manufactured, would be the cause of injunction proceedings.

An important phase as far as "talkis" films were concerned, stated Mr. Smith, was that Mr. F. W. Tliring, a co-direc-tor of his in Williamson Films, had secured from the Western Electric Company of America, permission to use its installations for British films Ee considered that this wa* a splendid concession, as all the installations were American.