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PUBLISHED BY – MIKE TRICKETT 245 CHURCH ST. GEELONG WEST 3218

Random Ravings for the Publisher

The CATHS annual Cine Collectors’ Fair was held on Sunday 19 May at the Scout
th
Hall in Seddon (Melbourne suburb). The numbers in attendance may have been down
slightly, but the enthusiasm of the buyers and sellers certainly wasn’t.
It was interesting to see the mix of items on offer. There was the usual mixture of film
gauges, predominantly 16 mm, with a sprinkling of 9.5 mm film and equipment. Most
interesting was the surfacing of so much 35 mm film, including some nitrate shorts and
even some rare Pathécolor films.
Something that has intrigued me for some time now is the almost lack of 8 mm film
being offered (including in Reel Deals). Super 8 seemed to be everywhere in the past,
we heard of people paying high prices for features and shorts from the UK and the
USA, as well, there were numerous local outlets - even Kmart and (the now defunct)
Walton's department stores sold Super 8 films.

Another interesting thing is the almost demise of DVD and BluRay libraries - two near
to me have closed in the last 12 months (one is now a wine shop, which might suggest
drinking is more popular!) I guess instant downloads via the Internet have taken over
that field.

Selling DVDs at the Collectors’ Fair (and Op-Shops) has always been pretty much a
wasted effort. There just does not seem to be any interest in them. I wonder whether
that is because genuine film collectors still find the thrill of finding a much wanted item
is not there when you can walk into a store and buy what you want.

As film collectors, many of us hold films that will never be released on DVD, or be of
commercial interest again. Films from the 1930s/40s staring lesser known actors and
not considered to be classics, appear to be of little or no commercial interest. TV
stations appear to shy away for anything black and white, so there would be little
interest from quarter.

As I look through my collection, I see lots of films that fall into that category, many of
them very entertaining to watch, but when watched offer a nice hour or so free from the
poor diction and loud noises of the current crop of films.

Regards Mike
2 REEL DEALS June 2019