Page 3 - RD_2023-03

A complimentary copy of the first issue is included with this issue - It has been reproduced from
an original held by Edward Nicielnik - thanks Edward!

The Visit!
Then came trouble, I had a visit from a representative of the Australia Film and Video Security
Office with a copy of RD in hand. (I still have no idea where or from whom he got that copy!).
He had some very strange ideas, he tried telling me what I was doing was illegal, that actually
owning a film of any gauge was against the law, and so on. He actually had no idea that you could
buy films outright (I didn’t tell him I referring to 8 mm).

I kept saying that owning any legally obtained film was definitely not against the law, I even
showed him a copy of The Big Reel, with heaps of films listed. It became obvious he was way
out of his depth and was just repeating stuff he had been told, still insisting that I was breaking
the law and they would close me down or worse! And there could be serious consequences.

After a cup of coffee and a long chat and me repeating several times that he had things wrong and
that he needed to check his “facts”, he eventually went away, saying he would have to discuss the
matter with his bosses. I heard no more!

Even so, I reserved the right to be cautious with the advertising of 35mm features from that time.
At a later date, we even had some of the big film distributors advertising their offerings in RD,
so it wasn’t all bad.

Loss of Regulars
Over the years, we lost some large and regular advertisers, many of whom had become friends.
Long-time subscribers will remember people like Phil Hunter and Harry Moll, who always had
several pages of films for sale in each issue.

As the number of advertisers declined, I started writing a few articles, and then others offered
them for publication, which helped to keep the interest in RD going. Today, we are running with
around 50-50 advertising and articles.

Of course fresh articles are always welcome, even in simple point format. They can always be
expanded. An article on your home cinema or your collecting interests would be most welcome,
and would be of great interest to others.

The Future
Now with 30 years on the clock, it is perhaps an appropriate time for a look at the future of RD.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t intend chucking in the towel - not just yet anyway!
The subscriber base has been holding steady at around 160 for some years, with new people
basically replacing those who drop out.
It has always been my intention to run RD on a ‘break even’ basis, producing it as part of my
hobby and in a small way, putting something back into the hobby which has given me much
pleasure over the years.

REEL DEALS March 2023 3