Protest against TV sponsorship move

Press, 16 February 1978, Page 13

Protest against TV sponsorship move

Independent filmmakers in New Zealand have reacted angrily to what they see as a TVI proposal to seek commercial sponsorship for television programmes.

The protest has come from the newly-elected president of the New Zealand Motion Picture Academy (Mr John Reid). He was reacting to a statement in the “Listener” by TVl's director-general’ (Mr Alan Morris) that he was looking at the possibility of “programme association,” by which a company pays for a project and has its name at the end of it.

“As long as this is done with integrity, Morris sees no reason not to try it,” the“ Listener” said. Mr Reid said this .was the last straw — the final area of independent filmmaking was being invaded by broadcasting.

“What kind of country are we living in? How Communist are we going to be?” he asked.

“Are we going to allow the State to take over completely?”

Mr Reid, a Wellington film director and actor now appearing in Roger Hall’s “Middle-Aged Spred,” was elected president of the acadmey at the first meeting of its executive last week-end.

The academy represents all sections of the film industry, including actors, directors, producers, cameramen, and other staff. It was formed late last year.

Mr Morris said yesterday that the Broadcasting

Act provided for association with sponsors who were prepared to co-oper-ate in the production of programmes of substance

For example, a company or organisation might approach TVI with an idea for a joint productioi in which the company’s name would be associated with the programme.

In today’s economic conditions, it was difficult to obtain funds for production of programmes on this basis, the directorgeneral said. The channel had not pursued this in a deliberate way and the last thing television wanted to see was independent filmmakers going out of business.

“They are a vital and very important part of the film industry, and we are at present considering ways in which to involve them in television production,” Mr Morris added. He indicated that TVI had no major plans to embark actively on making programmes in association with sponsors. The director-general, however, said he couid speak only for TVI. Noone had a copyright on ideas in the film industry.

It is believed that TV2 is considering a project involving sponsorship by a Government depanment of a series of programmes.

Mr Morris, in the “Listener,” was quoted as saying he was proud of TVl’s record of commissioning work from outside film companies — "an almost traditional oblig-

anon that has been somewhat alleviated this year by the setting up of a film commission."

But Mr Reid said the commission’s budget was only $lOO,OOO, compared with TVl’s $22,500,000.

Television had virtually stopped commissioning outside films in the last two vears, he said.

It had recently begun to produce television commercials at rates well below those private producers could afford to charge, because of television’s facilities and staff "below the line.”

Now its proposals to move into commercial sponsorship of programmes was threatening to siphon off independnet producers’ sole remaining source of income,fro m companies which used to spend their public relations budgets on indepen-dently-made films. "This time television has gone too far," Mr Reid said. “Already we have experienced technicians and artists in the independent film industry thinking of leaving or looking for other jobs. They are simply being put out of work,” he said. “Most of us are finding it very, hard to make ends meet.”

The independent film industry, which had produced four feature films in 1977, was contributing to an emerging sense of national pride. One .of every five New Zealanders had seen a New Zealand feature in 1977.