A look at some of the numerous meetings that we undertook in order to issue 8mm films to our customers.
Contracts & Rights Chapter 20
As far as I can remember, during all our regular visits to Soho, we only made two calls to this small but lively 35mm theatrical distributor…. and both times we came away empty handed. But this hadn’t always been the case, Derek had completed a deal for the 16mm rental rights for several of their films, well before I became a member of staff. The offices were a cut above most of the other small distributors and our contact was a very smart gentleman, who sat behind his highly polished glass topped desk, sporting a crisply ironed brilliant white shirt, with his suit coat carefully hanging over the back of his chair. Derek would begin with the usual ten minutes of pleasentries, before broaching the subject of film rights and as I’ve indicated previously we never managed to get any product. However in 1972/73 during his earlier visits, Derek had been able to add a number of titles to the ever expanding Derann 16mm library. ‘Psychomania’, 1973; ‘The Possession of Joel Delaney’, 1972; Z.P.G. (Zero Population Growth), 1972; ‘Bad Man’s River’, 1971 and ‘Lady Frankenstein’, 1971. I believe that there may have been 8mm rights for at least one of these titles as the final image accompanying this post is a page from the 1974 8mm library catalogue.
…. to be continued.
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