Cinema News and Property Gazette Technical Supplement (1924-1925, 1943, 1946)

October 2, 1924. Supplement to THE CINEMA NEWS AND PROPERTY GAZETTE. 1Ehe Cinema NEWS AND PROPERTY GAZETTE. The Premier Journal of the Cinematograph Industry. Technical Supplement Published Monthly. Editorial: C. Hartley Davies. Advertisements : H. D. Burr. 89 82, Wardour Street, London, W. 1. Grams—" Faddist, Westcent, London. 'Phones— Gerrard 2506, 2507 & 2508. Glasgow Representative : J. RoberUon, "The Bulletin," 65, Buchanan Street, Glasgow. Manchester Representative : J. W. Hoare, 20, Beech Grove, off Richmond Grove, C.-on.M., Manchester. Birmingham Representative : J. O. Maasley, 55, Willows Crescent, Cannon Hill, Birmingham. South Wales Representative : Horace Hanbury Williams, 92, Queen Street, Cardiff. Berlin Representative : Kurt Hubert, Friedrichstrasse 237, Berlin, S.W.48. Paris Representative : Monsieur Chardon, 17, Rue Etienne Marcel, Paris. Belgian Representative : Henry Parys, 16, Rue du Pelecan, Bruxelles. Hungarian Representative : Andor Latja, Budapest VII., Stefania-ut 23. PUBLICITY MATTER PRICES. SHOULD EXHIBITORS PAY FOR RENTERS' PROPAGANDA? For a very long time now exhibitors have been fighting to secure something approaching uniformity in prices charged by renters for film publicity matter on the one hand, and a definite settlement of the basis upon which such prices should be fixed on the other hand. " Why," they ask, " should some renters charge is. 6d. for a six-sheet pictorial and others up to 3s., with corresponding differentiation in the larger sizes? " Stills show an even more striking disparity, the range being between 2s, and 10s. ; trailers traverse the scale between half-a-crown and a sovereign; while the very essential advance lantern slides vary from ninepence to twice that sum. The ordinary commercial mind would seek for a solution of the puzzle in the direction of quality, and here his confusion would be " worse confounded," for it does frequently happen that the quality of publicity matter put out by the more moderate renters is_ very much superior to that offered by the more expensive ones. _ The real solution lies in the viewpoint of the individual renters. Some regard publicity supply as a service as advantageous to themselves as to the exhibitor, and are prepared to supply at cost, or cost plus a small contribution to distribution charges, while others quite openly claim that they are entitled to get back from the exhibitor by way of charge for such service the whole cost of their publicity departments. In the plainest possible language, and without the slightest desire to be offensive, we say that this attitude is outrageous and unfair. The main cost of the publicity department of a film renting business is incurred in boosting the firm's film output and creating a market with the exhibitor, and such expense must necessarily and in common honesty be a charge upon the profit derived from the productions rented. What right has the renter to ask the exhibitor to pay through his advertising matter for propaganda calculated and intended primarily to benefit the renter? Exhibitors must, as instance, have advance slides, and they should be ready to pay the cost of these plus a reasonable amount toward the expense of preparing and distributing them. The renter who supplies a good slide for ninepence, as one firm does, is charging about bare cost ; a shilling allows of something towards over-, head charges, and is not an unreasonable demand. With regard to posters, a special committee of the C.E.A. recently examined the question from every angle, and came to the conclusion that two shillings for a six-sheet and three-and-sixpence for a twelvesheet was a fair price to both sides. It must not be overlooked by the renter, too, that the cheaper the publicity matter the more the exhibitor will use of it, and the logical result of that must be greater demand for the film. Many a really good film has failed to get a second and third run in an area, because the first run had not been sufficiently " boomed " to make the subsequent bookings worth while. Tackled in the light of common sense and fair play on either side, the publicity matter price problem should be easy of solution satisfactory to all concerned. COMPREHENSIVE INSURANCE FOR CINEMAS AT SPECIALLY REDUCED PREMIUM One Policy. One Premium. 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