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THE
-e^m
DAILY
Monday, January 13, 1930
**SEE AND HEAR" By .^h
Interesting Facts About the
Development of the World's
Greatest Amusement
Chapter III — Continued
Organization of an Industry
rro insure support for the better type of pictures, the industry invited great national citizen organizations with miUions of members interested in social service, education, religion, civics, to associate themselves with the organized industry in bringing about the results desired. The result was an organization which was unique — a Public Relations Committee.
Among the sixty or more organizations represented on the committee were: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, National Education Assn., Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America, the International Committee of the Y.M.C.A., Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts oj America, The American Legion, American Federation of Labor, the National Community Center Assn., Camp Fire Girls, the American Sunday School Union, Chautauqua Institute, Daughters of the American Revolution, National Board of the Y.W.C.A., International Federation of Catholic Alumnae, Russell Sage Foundation, Central Conference of American Rabbis. Associated Advertising Clubs of the World, National Catholic Welfare Conference, American Library Association, et cetera.
The committee had its own officers, a paid secretary, and a smaller executive committee. For nearly three years the Committee was a functioning body. Under its inspiration great interest was aroused throughout the country in supporting the best pictures. Children's performances, known as The Saturday Morning Movies, developed and prospered. In its own office, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, in co-operation with the Public Relations Group, selected fifty-two complete programs of pictures of special interes.t to children. They were shown in many theaters throughout the country on Saturday mornings with a standard admission price of ten cents. When the programs became outmoded, they were withdrawn but the movement
WILL H. HAYS
continued. Now in many cities and towns special Saturday morning performances are given under the auspices of interested public groups who co-operate with the exhibitors, the pictures being selected from the current output of the studios.
In the spring of 1925, the Public Relations Committee, finding the work it had sponsored had become a permanent and actual part of the organized industry, asked that the committee be dissolved and a Department of Public Relations be established within the association. This was done. A small active committee remained and the advice and assistance of tbe larger group are still gladly received. The policy of the new department became immediately that of "The Open Door." This meant that every individual and every organization wherever located was cordially^ invited to bring constructive advice and suggestions to the industry. The response has been most gratifying and out of the cooperation have come splendid advancements in many lines.
In 1926, a Department of Industrial and Public Relations was opened in Hollywood in an effort to rnake sure that the working conditions of motion picture employees was kept the best in the world and to develop still fu/ther the material used in the pictures and its treatment. A Studio Committee was organized, with a representative from every studio responsible for what goes into pictures. In advance of production expert advice is asked, from our State Department, from ambassadors from foreign countries, from church groups, education officials, civic leaders, and others whose opinions can be accepted as authentic.
One very concrete exaniple of how the Open Door has helped is to be found in the establishment in Hollywood of an institution that is unique in business — a free casting bureau for extra people. The free casting bureau is operated, without cost to the employees, by the producing companies and there are registered eighteen thousand persons who are qualified to work as extras. Some are qualified because they have a wooden leg, others because they possess a fine growth of whiskers, some because they look like Italians or German or French, some because they own dress suits and can wear them in a distinguished manner, some because they own horses and can ride them.
These extras work from day to dav. _ Each day's work is a job; 330,397 jobs were given in one year — an average daily placement of 90S at an average wage of $8.59 — all without cost to the employee. Their total wages for the year was $2,838,136.30.
Of the average daily placement last vear of 905. the number of men ner day was 603, of women per dav 269. and of children per day 33.
These figures are a blow to the beautiful^ girls who believe that HolIvwood is longing for their art. and for mothers who think their children would add distinction to the movies. An average of onlv twelve children a dav is employed through the castint?bureau. These children when at work are under the care of teachers assiened by the Los Angeles Board of F,ducation and paid bv the producers. _ No children mav act in the movies unless they are well up in their school work. School hours are maintained in the studio.
In its desire to increase the general usefulness of motion pictures, the industry is cooperating with a church committee in the use of pictures in religious education. After several years of intensive work with ereat educators, several companies are preparing teaching films for use in classrooms. This method of education will have an enormous efifect for good upon the teaching methods of schools and colleges.
Pictures are being shown to immi
grants. The films give the newcomers a concrete idea of the country to which they are coming and outline ' ways and means by which they can become good citizens. Films have been sent to leper colonies in the it Canal Zone and in the Philippines !% and to Eskimos in Alaska. Enter i „ tainment is furnished gratis to thousands of "shut-ins" in prisons, hospitals, orphanages and homes.
One of our companies in co-operation with the American College of Surgeons has just completed the first two of a series of pictures for use in clinics and hospitals. Pictures will be made of surgical operations, performed by the masters, in colors, in slow motion or magnified so that the details of the most intricate operations can be studied by surgeons in all parts of the world over and over again until they will be able to duplicate the work of the masters.
In the matter of commercial arbitration, the industry has shown its progressiveness. Disputes arising over contractual relations are necessarily inevitable in an industry of this sort where millions of contractual relations obtain for the showing of hundreds of thousands of pictures. Delays, one thing or another, may bring disagreements. The natural inclination is to rush into court. Pictures can't be tied up by courts. Time is too precious. And so the industry has adopted the arbitration system. In the key cities, there are arbitration boards, each composed of three exhibitors and three distributors.
In the last five years, the arbitration boards have disposed of 73,652 cases involving $17,724,380.82. Only a negligible few cases were litigated after submission to arbitration.
(Continued Tomorrow)
Copyright, 1929, by
Motion Picture Producers and Distributors
of America
TO-MORROW
Third Installment of Chapter III
"Organization Of An Industry"
American leadership in film production and progress. . . . Figures showing the amazing growth of the business
Told in this serial appearing
EVERY DAY
in
THE FILM DAILY