[78-L] O/T Films

[Julian Vein]

On 03/08/14 14:08, Don Cox wrote:
> On 03/08/2014, Julian Vein wrote:
>
>> What happens to films after they've been shown in the cinema and on
>> TV? I'm not referring to digital forms of the genre.
>>
> The release prints are sent around to smaller cinemas until they wear out.
>
> Release prints are supposed to be returned to the distributors, who will
> send superfluous copies for recycling of the plastic film base.
>
> But sometimes for various reasons a print may be kept at the theatre and
> not returned. Some may then survive for decades in storage. This is why "lost" films
> are regularly found.
>
> Regards
=========================
I suppose that is the official explanation, but I wonder what happens in 
reality? Have these "lost" films deteriorated during their years of 
storage, because when they get released on DVD they usually aren't very 
good quality. Some are obviously copied off the air, but others are 
copied from the original elements. But, that raises the question: what 
did the TV companies do with their copies? If they aren't returned to 
the distributor, who is the legal owner, and who has the right to 
show/copy/sell them?

I suspect that when cinemas close down and are converted to bingo halls, 
any contents are are trashed and sent for landfill. I would think that 
the reels, unlike 16" radio transcriptions, would be too large and 
numerous to have "walked" out of the buildings.

       Julian Vein