Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1934)

November 10, 1934 ROUND TABLE CLUB 73 Manager Attacks Press Books; Appeals For Improvement WE wish to take this opportunity of appealing that something be done to improve the "press sheets" that are now being put out by the major distributing companies. We know that time and time again this matter has been brought up — but always in some way, the thing has been more or less dropped and nothing tangible done to find out what exhibitors really needed. We read that accessory departments are losing money, but we often wonder whether or not they are putting out the material that they can really sell or are dabbling in artistic creations. An issue often raised by accessory department heads is the fact that theatre managers do not purchase enough material directly from the departments but prefer to go out and buy from individual concerns. This is very true in chain organizations. I can safely say that I know not one, but one hundred managers, who would prefer buying material from their own exchanges rather than go to an outside concern and purchase material, but that the only reason they do this is because they are forced to in order to obtain the necessary material. Critic Mats Take the ad mats that are put out by every distributing company. They have, for example, what they believe is a class A box office attraction and will flood the press sheet with three and four column mats and pay almost no attention to a small two column or single column mat. The only way we can figure it out is that the distributor does this so that theatres will be obliged to use the larger mats. Paramount and more recently Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer are arranging their ads so that they can be revamped to suit individual theatre requirements, which is a distinct improvement, but at the same time one must also realize that there are a lot of newspapers which, when they are required to cut mats and cast portions of them, butcher them so that the result is hardly what the press sheet means to indicate. Other companies arrange their ads so that they cannot be revamped, by splashing titles across illustrations, etc. Notes Ad Improvement Perhaps I should be fair and say that most of the companies are realizing this, as is shown by some of the press sheets coming in, i. e., "Mrs. Wiggs." An example of ads that cannot be adapted very well were those put out in the Warner Brothers press sheet on "British Agent," the result being that none of the ads that were used really did justice to the picture — Another very important factor that press sheet editors fail to take into consideration is that a great many theatres are running a double feature program and in all cases, are endeavoring to sell both features in space that was usually devoted to the selling of but FURTHER DISCUSSION IS NOW SOLICITED Many of the iinl us try's exhibition sins have, justly or otherwise, been attributed to the press book. Important as it is to theatre advertising, there are many managers who criticize the majority of today's press books as lacking in many respects. The writer of this article, who chooses to remain anonymous, is a very able manager. He has been doing a consistently good job in his various assignments and what he has to say shoidd prove interesting. Readers who agree or disagree are invited to say so in these columns. — A-MIKE. one. Again^ press sheets do not allow room or space for second features unless managers start to take the ad apart — sometimes with good results and more often poor results, through lack of good working material. One thing in particular, which always seems to make us grunt with pain, is that when we pick up a press sheet, we note that there is a space of about one by one-quarter inch allowed for our sig. cut. Even in its simplest form, our sig cut is at least onehalf inch in depth. Of course, we realize that these ads can be revamped by making our own border lines, etc., but one cannot help but feel that when the so-called artists lay out theses ads, they are supposed to be the best that there are. In our own particular instance, we cannot support an artist so that nearly all our ads come from the press sheet. Do not think for a moment that we do not like the ad layouts that come to us in the press sheets, for nine times out of ten they are a good deal better than any we might construct ourselves. However, in laying out these press sheet ads, if more thought were put into what the various theatres actually need, I believe that ad mats would be sold in far greater quantities. Then, at times, exchange one sheets come through with all sorts of colors with illustrations that overbalance the title and cast and everything else, so that if a person were 20 feet away, he would have to guess what the copy was about. I know for a fact that most managers would be more than anxious to spend the few extra cents for a good piece of paper if they were sure of getting" what they wanted. All paper looks good in the press sheet but it is a far difYerent thing that actually appears when you get it up outside in the sun, some 20 or 30 yards from you. It is a known fact that theatre managers have to pick out just one or two angles in a picture and direct their sales force and plans along those particular angles. Why can't the paper do likewise? In other words, if the star is the thing, plug the star, but not the star, title, pictorials and art at once. Another important thing that press sheets lack many times is good heads in various sizes of the all important star or stars. Take, for example, the Paramount press sheet on "Belle of the Nineties." This press sheet was practically above criticism, as it gave us much material to work on. Still, when we wanted a half column head of Mae West or a spot head to use in an ad, it was impossible to obtain one, for the press sheet did not show any. Wants Better Exploitation Then, many times, you'll find the same stunts week in and week out in the exploitation section of the press sheets. We know that the managers are supposed to be original but how can this be expected when ninetenths of the press sheets steal the same gags from each other? Here are just a few gags that are so old now that no manager will use them ; still they are given big displays in press sheets and tell the exhibitor how wonderful they are — Music Tie-Ups, DeLuxe Tie-Ups, Fashion Stills, Typewriter Gags, Perfume Gags, Books and an outlandish newspaper contest where the newspaper is going to give us the newspaper for a few well spoken words from us on the merits of the stunt. The dramatic punch in cutouts is also something that is fast fading away for if a theatre has an artist, fine and dandy, but if he hasn't, as most haven't, it is just so much wasted space. Why can't press sheet editors list these standard, regular stunts in one corner of the exploitation section without all the descriptive copy that most managers already know about and devote the rest of the space to some stunt that will amount to real box office promotion. Some particular press sheets will make a hobby of listing all sorts of tricky animated lobby displays that probably not more than one theatre in a hundred can afford. Sometimes companies will list great national tieups whereby all the manager has to do is go out and contact the local dealer and — bingo ! — he has the choicest of space and all sorts of window displays at no cost. Then, when you write in to their national headquarters, they will courteously inform you that they had not been informed of a tieup between "Grapefruit and Douglas Fairfax." Hopes Publicity Will Help There are of course many, many good stunts listed in press sheets that have proven of vast beneficial use to us at the box office but in the writing of this letter, I am just listing those evils as I see them and have had them happen. It is my honest and sincere belief that exchanges, if operated properly, giving theatres what they need instead of hammering out the same routine stufi on every picture, can go out and get all this business that is going to so-called outside concerns and not only break even, but show a profit.