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Author Topic: Derann Film Hire Catalogue.
David Hardy
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 955
From: Johnshaven Village , Montrose, Scotland
Registered: Jan 2015


 - posted May 29, 2017 04:50 AM      Profile for David Hardy     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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] [Smile] [Smile]

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" My equipment's more important than your rats. "

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Andrew Woodcock
Film God

Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012


 - posted May 29, 2017 04:56 AM      Profile for Andrew Woodcock         Edit/Delete Post 
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]

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"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

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David Hardy
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 955
From: Johnshaven Village , Montrose, Scotland
Registered: Jan 2015


 - posted May 29, 2017 05:06 AM      Profile for David Hardy     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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] [Smile] [Smile]

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" My equipment's more important than your rats. "

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Melvin England
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 707
From: Hull, East Yorkshire, UK
Registered: Feb 2016


 - posted May 29, 2017 07:54 AM      Profile for Melvin England     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
David, out of interest, what year would you be talking about?

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Andrew Woodcock
Film God

Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012


 - posted May 29, 2017 08:34 AM      Profile for Andrew Woodcock         Edit/Delete Post 
Circa 1991 / 92 Melvin.

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

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"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

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David Hardy
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 955
From: Johnshaven Village , Montrose, Scotland
Registered: Jan 2015


 - posted May 29, 2017 09:15 AM      Profile for David Hardy     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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]

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" My equipment's more important than your rats. "

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Melvin England
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 707
From: Hull, East Yorkshire, UK
Registered: Feb 2016


 - posted May 29, 2017 09:25 AM      Profile for Melvin England     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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?

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David Hardy
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 955
From: Johnshaven Village , Montrose, Scotland
Registered: Jan 2015


 - posted May 29, 2017 09:31 AM      Profile for David Hardy     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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.

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Bernard C. G. Pritchard
Junior
Posts: 21
From: Royston, Hertfordshire
Registered: Jun 2006


 - posted May 29, 2017 06:35 PM      Profile for Bernard C. G. Pritchard   Author's Homepage   Email Bernard C. G. Pritchard   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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?

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Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003


 - posted May 30, 2017 02:27 AM      Profile for Rob Young.     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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.

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David Hardy
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 955
From: Johnshaven Village , Montrose, Scotland
Registered: Jan 2015


 - posted May 30, 2017 03:50 AM      Profile for David Hardy     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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] [Smile] [Smile]

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" My equipment's more important than your rats. "

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Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler

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From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003


 - posted May 30, 2017 05:18 AM      Profile for Rob Young.     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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.

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Andrew Woodcock
Film God

Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012


 - posted May 30, 2017 08:16 AM      Profile for Andrew Woodcock         Edit/Delete Post 
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.

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"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

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Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003


 - posted May 30, 2017 01:33 PM      Profile for Rob Young.     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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.

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David Ollerearnshaw
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1373
From: Penistone Sheffield UK
Registered: Oct 2012


 - posted May 30, 2017 01:46 PM      Profile for David Ollerearnshaw   Author's Homepage   Email David Ollerearnshaw   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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).

--------------------
I love the smell of film in the morning.

http://www.thereelimage.co.uk/

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Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003


 - posted May 30, 2017 01:53 PM      Profile for Rob Young.     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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!

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David Hardy
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 955
From: Johnshaven Village , Montrose, Scotland
Registered: Jan 2015


 - posted May 31, 2017 11:27 AM      Profile for David Hardy     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
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] [Wink] [Wink]

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" My equipment's more important than your rats. "

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