8mm Forum: Derann Film Hire Catalogue.

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Posted by David Hardy (Member # 4628) on May 29, 2017, 04:50 AM:

Browsing through my old DFS Film Hire catalogues I note the
following titles could be hired for a full 7 Days for the
princely sums of ...

SNOW WHITE ... £12.00
PINOCCHIO .... £12.00
ALIEN ........ £12.00
ALIENS ....... £12.00
DIE HARD ..... £12.00
STAR WARS .... £12.00
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS ... £12.00
THE MAGIC BOX ...£10.00
THE SMALLEST SHOW ON EARTH...£9.00
GOLDFINGER ... £12.00
THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES ..£14.00
BEN HUR ... £18.00
GONE WITH THE WIND ... £20.00
... and much much more !

[Smile]

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on May 29, 2017, 04:56 AM:

Around the times these titles were made available to hire, the hire service itself didn't seem to last too long I noticed.

I think it was becoming uneconomically viable due to the amount of returned damaged prints.
Buy only soon became the norm as I recall.
Who could blame them? [Wink]

Posted by David Hardy (Member # 4628) on May 29, 2017, 05:06 AM:

Andrew yes Derann were always getting copies returned damaged.
They must have lost more money than profit due to this.
A great shame really as it was a sort of try before you buy
scheme in a way for collectors.

In the early days of Super 8mm Derann sent me a catalogue with
a headed note paper slip stating ...

" Due to the lack of demand no titles are being added to the
Super 8 library ".

I later found out it was actually due to the amount of prints
being returned damaged.

The Standard 8mm film hire library continued to be added to
however.

Oh happy days !

[Smile]

Posted by Melvin England (Member # 5270) on May 29, 2017, 07:54 AM:

David, out of interest, what year would you be talking about?

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on May 29, 2017, 08:34 AM:

Circa 1991 / 92 Melvin.

Silence Of the Lambs was released by Derann almost as soon as the video was made available!

Posted by David Hardy (Member # 4628) on May 29, 2017, 09:15 AM:

Yes that would be about correct Andrew.
I have two of these more "modern" hire catalogues.

They both state " Since re-opening our 8mm Film Hire Library in 1990 ... "

Melvin... what years are you asking me about the earlier or later
Super 8mm years ?

[Smile]

Posted by Melvin England (Member # 5270) on May 29, 2017, 09:25 AM:

David - Am just curious to know between which years did Derann operate their film hire business, as I was would have not been aware of it at the time. Andrew has filled me in on part of it,thanks.Was it in operation both before and after 1991/92?

Posted by David Hardy (Member # 4628) on May 29, 2017, 09:31 AM:

Melvin yes they operated a Film Hire Library way back in the mid 1960s on both Standard 8mm and Super 8mm and also 16mm.

They stopped this for a while then started film hire on Super 8mm
only in the 1990s.

It was due to the Standard 8mm Film Hire Library that full feature prints such as PSYCHO / THE INVISIBLE MAN / GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN / EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN / CITY OF THE DEAD / THEATRE OF DEATH / RAMROD /were on 8mm for the first time.

You could even hire a Scope print and an anamorphic lens for features such as ITS A WONDERFUL WORLD a musical.

The hire fee for this was 80/- and the lens was 12/6.

Posted by Bernard C. G. Pritchard (Member # 631) on May 29, 2017, 06:35 PM:

I hired only one full-length feature from Derann - Speed - and, as I recall, it was for our eldest son's sixteenth birthday party; happy memories!

This would have been in 1997. I don't recall the fee, but it was very reasonable; the film was a great print, and, of course, an exciting yarn (made in 1994). I wonder if anyone here has copies of it?

Posted by Rob Young. (Member # 131) on May 30, 2017, 02:27 AM:

Back in the summer of 1992, I hired both "Alien" and "Die Hard".

As a student, it was an affordable way to enjoy the latest, high quality big screen 'scope films with stereo sound from Derann.

I recall that "Alien" did need a clean as it was covered in speckles of dust, but apart from that they were both thoroughly enjoyed several times by friends and family.

Oh, I hired "Poltergeist" too at some point and remember marvelling at the print quality.

I recall that Derek was very pleased to bring back the hire facility, but as been said, it was quite short lived.

Posted by David Hardy (Member # 4628) on May 30, 2017, 03:50 AM:

Bernard your hire fee for SPEED would have been £14.00.

Rob your hire fee for POLTERGEIST would have been £12.00.

I note Derann also had for hire POLTERGEIST 2 for £10.00.

I think it is still a pity there is now no such thing as any
Super 8mm Film Hire Library in existence these days.
The reason being that as I said before it was a try before
you buy facility in a way.

Also it allowed those of us collectors with less deep pockets
and not so well heeled a great way of seeing features films
on a big screen away from the television screens and VHS/DVD
at home for a very reasonable fee for a whole week.

Never mind I still have my memories of the many film libraries
I used on a regular basis. [Smile]

Posted by Rob Young. (Member # 131) on May 30, 2017, 05:18 AM:

Me too, David. As a teenager I used to hire from the likes of Hingston Films and others. I remember hiring a scope lens and a 400ft scope copy of Star Wars around the mid 1980's. I owned many super 8 films already, including Star Wars, but seeing it at home in scope was just incredible at the time.

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on May 30, 2017, 08:16 AM:

As Derann found out to their own expense at the time David, hiring films just isn't viable given the various state and variety of machines in existence.

It wasn't viable back then when machines were far newer,with less wear and tear as well as having the means to print more films at any given time, let alone now.

To allow the relatively few remaining mint/ excellent prints out for hire now, would be a recipe for disaster now by my own reckoning.

Posted by Rob Young. (Member # 131) on May 30, 2017, 01:33 PM:

I do remember being incredibly careful with these hire prints, as I was only too aware of their value.

Although I'd like to think I was incredibly careful with all of the prints I've ever owned and projected because that's part of the pride in running a good presentation and looking after these valuable analogue commodities.

Looking back, the hire charges seem such good value. I think I'm right, however, in remembering that you had to pay return postage which was quite expensive also.

Still amazing value to screen such gems back in the days of VHS.

Posted by David Ollerearnshaw (Member # 3296) on May 30, 2017, 01:46 PM:

I used Derann from about 1974/75 when I first started with super 8, I never had standard 8. Later I used DJ Hurst, Looney Movies, and some others.

I also in the prime days used FDA Columbia/Warner and Rank. I hired quite a few from them, at that time they were the best prints ever. One major drawback was the cost Lawrence Of Arabia was £25 for one screening, (Shh I used to book them for the Friday showing at my local old folks home and got a few more screenings too).

Posted by Rob Young. (Member # 131) on May 30, 2017, 01:53 PM:

Oh yes, D J Hurst!

Thanks for jogging my memory David.

I used his hire library too in the late 1980's

Happy days. [Smile]

Even as a mere kid, I remember inviting my mates around to watch screenings such as "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in good quality, which of course was banned at time on video! Lol!

Posted by David Hardy (Member # 4628) on May 31, 2017, 11:27 AM:

Derann would only hire out prints if your machine was up to
a certain standard of manufacture.

They refused to hire out to owners of cheap 'n nasty machines.

Of course prints did sometimes get damaged but in general most
handled prints with a lot of care.

The reason being that you would be charged for any damage caused.
Also most film hire companies insured the prints to help compensate for any prints damaged or lost.

The BIG BOYS who rented out 16mm like Rank / Warner / Columbia / MGM / etc would promptly charge you for any damage. The prints
were always inspected on the rewind bench before and after hire.

I still think its a shame these film hire companies no longer exist.

But hey we have got lack of support from film collectors and good
old VHS/DVD to blame for that. [Smile]

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