Chapter 286: Royal Film Studios
No matter the country, there is always a phenomenon that can be summarized as "what's said at the top makes everyone below run around." What does this mean? It refers to how a decision made by those in power can cause a flurry of activity among many in the middle and lower levels.
This is especially true for someone like Arthur, who holds immense power as the monarch. A single word from Arthur can mobilize the entire Australasia.
This power can be a double-edged sword. If used well, it can push the country toward greater strength. But if used selfishly, it can drag the country into a deep abyss, a place from which it may never recover.
The good news is that Arthur, before giving any orders, always takes great care in considering them. When unsure, he even gathers the Cabinet and other officials to discuss matters. Although Arthur has experiences from future generations, he is still just an ordinary person and can make mistakes.
However, as a national leader, Arthur has many subordinates and government officials to discuss matters with. These officials are seasoned in governance, making the decision-making process very efficient for him.
Under Arthur's decision to strongly develop sound films, the three major film studios in Australasia and related researchers quickly sprang into action. Hundreds of literary professionals, including writers, novelists, historians, and artists, were gathered.
Their task was singular: to write stories about the Australasia nation to promote unity and national culture. The stories could reference historical facts or be completely fabricated, as long as they appeared realistic. As long as they adhered to the overarching theme of national unity, Arthur allowed them to creatively invent or even fabricate the stories.
After all, Australasia was in control of its own history, and no other nation would challenge its claim to this region's historical narrative.
The experts, eager for the task, knew that the stories they created would not only be adapted into sound films and shown across the country and even worldwide, but some of the best would be included in Australasia's textbooks. Their stories could potentially make them famous for generations to come. After all, by choosing to become citizens of Australasia, who wouldn't want to have a good reputation in the country?
In Sydney, the Royal Film Studio was the most prominent, fully controlled by the Royal Consortium. Of course, the other two major film studios, Victoria Film Studios and Australasia National Film Studios, were also backed by the Royal Consortium. The Royal Consortium could be said to be the big boss behind the scenes, and the three studios were in competition with each other, although this was allowed. A bit of commercial competition would help the industry develop smoothly, rather than letting one dominate the market and leading to a decrease in film quality and services.
Karen worked as a film projectionist at the Royal Film Studio. A projectionist's job involved taking film equipment to small towns or villages without cinemas and showing films to the locals. Initially, it was a promotional strategy by the film companies to expand their reach to rural and small-town areas. Over time, some people had become accustomed to this form of entertainment. When they had enough money, villagers would gather funds to invite a projectionist for a movie screening.
In Australasia, very few people had access to movies. If a village could afford to invite a projectionist to show a film, the villagers would boast about it for a year. But for the projectionists, things weren't always easy. In small towns, it was okay since the transportation was convenient. However, for more remote villages, it could be a nightmare since the film equipment would not even fit into a single cart, making trips to these areas a real challenge.
Despite the hardships, it was a strategy used by film studios to expand their market, and it was also the livelihood of the projectionists. The good news was that showing a movie wasn't cheap. Including travel expenses to remote areas, the cost of a single screening could equate to more than half a year's salary for an average worker in Australasia.
For this reason, most villages and small towns would choose to pool money together to fund a movie screening. However, even though the income was significant, it didn't come often. In some small towns, movies were only shown once or twice a year, or even once every few years, leaving projectionists like Karen with irregular work schedules.
Despite this, Karen was unwilling to give up his job. While it wasn't easy, his income had been rising steadily. Just a few years ago, projectionists like Karen could go half a year without finding any work. They had to sneak in screenings in city squares, fearing they would be reported for stealing business from the local cinemas.
With the overall increase in the film market, Karen wasn't willing to give up his profession. Moreover, with some extra income from screenings in city squares, Karen's annual income nearly doubled the average, making this a relatively high-paying job, despite the hard work.
After just finishing a screening and planning to rest for a while, Karen received a notice from the Royal Film Studio, asking all projectionists to gather at the studio for an important announcement.
This news made Karen furrow his brow. Normally, they were only called in to collect new films or settle equipment rentals.
Indeed, the projectionists rented their equipment from the Royal Film Studio. They had to give up half of their earnings for each screening as payment for the equipment rental.
The good news was that after twenty years of paying half of their profits, the equipment would finally belong to the projectionists, and they would only need to pay for the rental of films, not the equipment.
Karen's dream was to earn enough money to open his own cinema in a big city like Sydney. He had heard that cinemas in Sydney made tens of Australian dollars per film screening, with hundreds of Australian dollars coming in daily, which made Karen and many projectionists envious.
With a bit of worry, Karen arrived early at the Royal Film Studio, feeling somewhat uneasy as he waited for the office door to open.
"Karen, you're here so early?" After a short wait, Karen's friend and colleague, Trick, came over and greeted him warmly.
"Yes, Trick. I wanted to know what the studio needs us for. I hope it's not bad news," Karen replied with a slight smile, trying to reassure himself.
"Let's hope not. With the way the film industry is going, I don't think it's bad news. If it were, the studio could have just notified us without calling us here," Trick said, trying to comfort Karen.
"Maybe you're right, Trick." Hearing his friend's words, Karen's mood lightened, and they waited together for the others to arrive.
After a while, most of the projectionists from Sydney had arrived and gathered in groups.
Finally, at eight o'clock, the office door opened, and Frank, the head of the Royal Film Studio, stepped out with a big smile. Looking at all the projectionists, he went straight to the point and said, "Gentlemen, I have some good news to share. The Royal Film Studio is expanding its market and plans to build more cinemas in big cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Cities with populations over 100,000 will have a chance to build cinemas, and you may become the managers of these cinemas."
Frank's words were like a reassuring balm, instantly calming the worried projectionists, who looked at him with eager anticipation.
"I know you're all curious about why we are suddenly building so many cinemas. Let me reveal a little secret. Recently, sound films have been born, and His Majesty has decided to heavily invest in developing the sound film industry. He has already invested a large amount of money into the project," Frank explained with a smile.
He didn't mention that the other two film studios had received the same investment. After all, this occasion was meant to energize his own staff, so he emphasized the importance of the Royal Film Studio.
Hearing that Arthur was committed to developing the sound film industry, the projectionists couldn't contain their excitement.
The King himself was backing the film industry's development, so they no longer had to worry about losing their jobs.
For projectionists like Karen, who had ambitions, the prospect of managing a cinema in the city was something to look forward to. Although these new cinemas would be owned by the Royal Film Studio, being in charge of them would allow them to gain experience and earn higher wages, which would lay a solid foundation for opening their own cinemas in the future.
"We are currently working hard to develop the technology for sound films. We expect to start shooting sound films within six months. This means that within a year, we will begin screening sound films. This year and the next will be a golden opportunity for all of you. During this time, we will be building at least ten cinemas and hiring over 20 projectionists. Whether it's cinemas or projectionists, the main job is to show our free films to society and ensure that most of Australasia's people get to see them."
"Mr. Frank, did you say free films?" someone raised a question.
After all, projectionists made money from charging for films. If suddenly the films became free, how would they earn?
"Yes, the Royal Film Studio's main direction will now be to create public service films about our nation and people. These films will be shown for free to all the people of Australasia. But don't worry, every time you show a public service film, you will still receive your fair share of the earnings," Frank explained, nodding.
The cost of showing a film wasn't small. It could easily exceed thirty Australian dollars.
This led to a problem: even if the films were about national unity, the number of viewers would not be too high, as the cost of watching was still a burden on the people.
Therefore, after much thought, Arthur decided to make these films public and free.
As for the cost, the government and the Royal Consortium would bear it. According to an agreement between Arthur and Prime Minister Walter, the government would cover 40% of the costs, while the remaining 60% would be borne by the Royal Consortium.
Even if the number of screenings increased, this was still affordable for the government and the Royal Consortium.
By making the screenings free, more people would be encouraged to watch, and the films could have a greater impact.
The free nature of these films alone would draw a large number of small towns and villages to request screenings.
Of course, there were still costs associated with making the films, including production, scriptwriting, and so on.
However, these costs weren't huge, especially for the relatively small film industry of the time. It was also an opportunity to expand the film market.
After hearing Frank's explanation, the projectionists sighed with relief.
After all, they had families to feed, and the thought of losing their income from public service films was a real concern.
(End of Chapter)
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