How do specialized media take on the heritage cinema?

On this second day, the debate shifted to the media, interested in heritage cinema and others, particularly on the means to broaden their audience.

Classic cinema is no longer a confidential matter. Long considered as a hobby for connoisseurs, often reduced to the monochromatic aesthetics of Hollywood classics, old movies are back in the spotlight. Part of this renewed success is the result of a handful of media, from print media to digital content, anxious to seize this niche cinema and contribute to its desacralisation among the general public. 

To discuss this fairly recent phenomenon, representatives of all types of media gathered around journalist Pierre Charpilloz to express their feelings about the emergence of this market. The round table brought together Gaël Golhen, editor-in-chief of Première and the quarterly Première Classics, Jérôme Barthelemy and Daniel Sauvage, producers and directors of Viva Cinema broadcasted on Cine+, Marc Moquin, editor-in-chief of Revus & Corrigés, François Theurel, content creator and mastermind of the YouTube channel, Le Fossoyeur de Films. Two international guests joined the meeting, Steve Della Casa, author and host of Hollywood Party on the transalpine waves of the Rai and finally Sheldon Hall, journalist for the British magazine Cinema Retro.

Despite divergent sensitivities, professionals in the sector agree on one of the major challenges facing the specialized media: the need to dust off classics and make this branch of cinema more inclusive. For François Theurel, there is a "primordial need for storytelling" in the rediscovery of film classics. A theory reinforced by the success of his thematic videos on catastrophic shootings or urban legends. Media such as Premiere Classics and Viva Cinema have also embraced a welcome versatility to erase the snobbish image that sticks to heritage film. Thus the inclusion of eighties action masterpieces and other B series films in the same regard as auteur films attracts a younger readership (and viewership), eager to rediscover the films of their childhood.

The appeal of these media also relies on a connection with the latest releases and the thorough examination of their relevance. The excavation of these sometimes unknown films allows for a comparison with the current context, as Marc Moquin puts it, quoting Once Were Warriors as a striking example of the light these works shed on a subject as topical as feminicide. An editorial responsibility that goes hand in hand with the need to dig up unpublished interviews and period documents, adds Steve Della Casa.

Although they claim almost total independence, these media are still forced to work hand in hand with publishers for iconographic purposes. Even if the legislation remains unclear regarding the use of photograms (often used freely, in the same way as quotations), the question becomes more complicated for film shots or promotional photos.

As Gaël Golhen reminds us, magazines like Première Classics are built around a premise of promoting cinema and restored films. Marc Moquin also points out that, despite the impossibility of honouring all photographic rights, the media remain in a promotional dynamic of those re-released movies, even inviting its public to purchase them.

These difficulties affect videographers on YouTube all the more, as François Theurel notes. On the one hand because of the lack of knowledge of the rightful owners regarding these types of content, and on the other hand because of the lack of protection offered by the platform to its creators. Despite the existence of the concept of "fair use", allowing content creators to use film excerpts free of charge as part of parodic commentary or content, they remain powerless when their videos get demonetized after a manual copyright claim. In this case, the income goes to the complainant, without any sort of compensation for the creator. "But mindsets are changing and the rightful claimants will understand that we are not working against their interests," adds the videographer. Potentially.