Examination of Witnesses (Questions 5020
- 5039)
5020. Mr Elvin: I think there were six
or seven on the director's cut. Sorry, I am taking Mr Taylor's
role as the resident anorak!
(Mr Johnson) In actual fact, the directors'
commentaries have often increased the category of the disk because
quite often the director of a family film will use strong language
when describing why he chose that particular shot rather than
another one, so we have had a number of examples where a director's
commentary, just the use of single words, has resulted in an increase
in classification for the disk as a whole.
5021. Mr Binley: Mr Elvin, I am amazed
you have time to do your job!
5022. Mr Elvin: Can we come now to the
theatre please. The screen, and the members have already seen
the screen, does it take up the space from floor to ceiling and
from wall to wall or does it have a surround and other fittings?
(Mr Johnson) A cinema screen has to have a
matt black frame around it, as I understand the technical requirements.
It does not reach the floor because if it did, you would not be
able to see it from the seats. It is as big as we can accommodate
in that area. If we could make it any bigger, we would.
5023. Let us just have a look at the floor plan
which is, I think, in Mr Thorney-Taylor's appendices, which is
A59, tab 3,[13]
and it is the floor plan right at the back, the first of the floor
plans. Is this the surround we see separated by the line?
(Mr Johnson) I believe so.
5024. There is also space before you get to
the exit, is there not, where the wall juts out, before you get
to the exit?
(Mr Johnson) Yes.
5025. Which is at least approximately the depth
of one of the surrounds?
(Mr Johnson) From that plan, yes.
5026. Is it not possible that there could be
some adjustment to the location and the framing of the screen
to make sure that the screen can be moved just a little to accommodate
the works? Have you looked at it and measured it?
(Mr Johnson) In the time that I have had since
the proposal to insulate the theatre was put to us, I believe,
yesterday afternoon—
5027. Yesterday morning, in response to a report
we received at four o'clock on Tuesday.
(Mr Johnson) In the time since then, the advice
that I have had from those who understand engineering issues far
better than I do, it is not my area of expertise, is that it would
not be possible to provide sufficient insulation in the theatre
without reducing the screen size.
5028. That is on the assumption that you cannot
move the screen or reduce the surrounds. The black frame, is there
any legal requirement for it to be of any particular size or could
it be reduced, not completely, but to a degree, to allow the screen
to be accommodated?
(Mr Johnson) I am not an expert on the technical
fitting out of the cinema screen. However, my understanding and
the best of my knowledge is that the screen that was installed
was the maximum size that could be accommodated in the space available
and we believe that that size was just about sufficient for our
purposes.
5029. What is the space shown here for? Is that
just the gap between the seats and the screen?
(Mr Johnson) Yes, if you get too close to the
screen, as you will have experienced sometimes if you have sat
in the front row of a very large cinema, it makes it impossible
to watch.
5030. I just wanted to explore this possibility
because it seems to us that you are being unnecessarily defeatist
about what appears to us to be a sensible solution. The gap between
the seats and the screen, and the Committee will have seen the
gap for itself, is far greater than the gap you will get in a
multiplex cinema where you would find a screen of comparable size
for viewing by members of the public. That gap is quite a big
gap for the size of the screen.
(Mr Johnson) I am not sure that I would accept
that.
5031. Well, the members of the Committee have
seen it for themselves and they will form their own view. Is there
not a possibility of moving the screen forward slightly, not a
huge degree, to accommodate it, even if there were a small reduction
in the screen size needed, to make up for the reduction in size,
so the screen is moved slightly closer to those viewing?
(Mr Johnson) I can only repeat that the evidence
I have received in the last 24 hours is that such a solution would
not be possible. As I say, I am not an expert on engineering solutions
for the fitting out of cinemas.
5032. Who did you get the advice from? Who did
you speak to?
(Mr Johnson) I have spoken to our sound expert
in terms of the amount of insulation required and also to our
surveyor.
5033. Have you spoken to anybody though about
the possibility of moving the screen slightly closer? Have you
spoken to anybody about what the minimum black frame is needed
for the screen?
(Mr Johnson) Not in the last 24 hours, no.
5034. So that remains a possibility which you
cannot preclude, does it not?
(Mr Johnson) I presume so.
5035. This number of seats, I have counted 38.
Is that right?
(Mr Johnson) It is in that region, yes.
5036. We have some figures from you about maximum
numbers attending from Sharpe Pritchard yesterday which I am not
going to trouble the Committee with by giving them more documents,
but my count in that letter, if you had a maximum attendance of
the council of examiners, plus the children's board, you could
not accommodate them in any event in this theatre because you
would have 40-odd attendees.
(Mr Johnson) We do not use that combination
of viewing.
5037. So in that case, on the figures you have
given us, the maximum is 27. Is that right?
(Mr Johnson) I think in the figure I gave you
the maximum was 29 which is when work is screened for the entire
examining body, including—
5038. So the loss of a few seats is not going
to impair the ability of all 29 to get in there because we have
38 seats?
(Mr Johnson) That is true.
5039. So there is room in that case perhaps
for taking out the front row of seats without necessarily losing
the accommodation you need and moving the screen as well. Have
you considered that option in order to try and make a solution
work rather than spend millions of pounds on a property?
(Mr Johnson) My advice to date is that we cannot
achieve the effect within the space if you make the space smaller.
13 Committee Ref: A59, British Board of Film Classification,
Existing Floor Plans-Basement Plans (WESTCC-14805-114). Back
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