Motion Picture Magazine (Aug 1914-Jan 1915)

MOTION PICTURE MAGAZINE 175 THE ART OF SELLING A PHOTOPLAY A THING MORE DIFFICULT TO ACQUIRE THAN THE KNACK OF WRITING ONE The Photoplay Clearing House Acts as Advisor, Friend and Agent in Setting You on the Right Road to Successful Scenario Writing Established for nearly two years, with a record of hundreds of sales, over 10,000 manuscripts reviewed, criticized and placed upon the market, the Photoplay Clearing House has become the one authoritative and reliable agent for the handling of authors' product in the Moving Picture industry. We have received over 4,000 testimonial letters; we are under the supervision of the Motion Picture Magazine ; our business is in intimate personal touch with all of the leading photoplay manufacturers, and our staff of editors, who personally pass upon . all material, consists of the following well-known photoplay wrights: -Edwin M. La Roche, Henry Albert Phillips, L. Case Russell, William Lord Wright, Courtney Ryley Cooper, Dorothy Donnell, Russell E. Ball, Gladys Hall and others. In order to qualify for our reading staff of editors, it is necessary that an editor be a successful scenario writer, a fair and able critic, and a good judge of market conditions and values. The Photoplay Clearing House was established to. aid and counsel authors and to sell their wares. We believe we have given more definite help to the discouraged, have furnished more practical criticism, and have sold more photoplays at a higher price than all other similar institutions combined. We tell you: How _to Go About It, Where to Market Your Product, How to Revise and Cure Its Weak Points, I he Kind of Photoplays Wanted, and a hundred other details of making and selling a finished scenario. RECENT TESTIMONIALS FROM PATRONS AND STUDIOS. Dear Sirs: We enclose our cheek for $35.00 in full payment for the moving picture scenario entitled "The Great Scheme," by James Serpico, 3 Green Ave., Madison, N. J. Kindly have two persons witness the signature after the enclosed assignment is executed and return this assignment to us. BIOGBAFH COMPANY. Dear Mr. La Roche : I enclose herewith the two releases sent to me for my signature, covering the sale of my photoplay, "A Desperate Expedient," to the Vitagraph Company. When you hear from the other two scenarios which the Vitagraph are still holding, please communicate with me at the above address, as I am now on a four-weeks' vacation. Editorial Rooms, N. T. World. W. S. MERIWETHER. Gentlemen: We are retaining ".Jones, Adjuster of Difficulties," for further consideration. You seem to be doing excellent work at the Photoplay Clearing House, and we congratulate ycu most heartily. It would be much better for the business if more writers would wcrk thru such channels and save them and us useless trouble. Hoping we will hear from you again, we are, CRYSTAL FILM CO., per Howard J. Young, Scenario Editor. Gentlemen : You are doing a great work with your Clearing House, and it has the endorsement, of a great many writers. I am in constant touch with a great many of them. H. A. PETERMAX. Jr., Shreveport, La. Editor, The Picture Xews. Dear Sirs: Enclosed please find our check for $25.00, as payment for a scenario, "His Wife's Sweetheart," by August Pirs, 423 E. 57th St., N. Y. City. Kindly send author's receipt for same. "The Proposal" and "Professor Small's Lucky Jag" we are holding for consideration. DAVID MILES, Inc., Los Angeles, Cal. per David Miles, President. Motion Picture Magazine: Our Company has contracted with the United Program to release two one-reel subjects a week thru Warner's Features, and we would like to have you, thru your Clearing House, submit us a number of one-reel subjects suitable for featuring Miss Ethel Grandin. We would prefer comedy-dramas. SMALLWOOD FILM CORPORATION. Gentlemen : I cannot speak too highly of the many valuable suggestions and assistance you have offered me in this new line of endeavor. The methods you pursue in reading and listing plays show your expertness in this line, and you certainly deserve a great deal of credit toward uplifting the photoplay and a-sisting young writers. 113 W. 96th St., N. Y. City. ROGER R. WILLIAMS. Gentlemen: We are enclosing herewith assignment for $35.00 for scenario entitled "Robert Obeys the Doctor." This you have submitted to us in two reels, but thru an arrangement with the author, we have accepted it in one reel. THOMAS A. EDISON, Inc. And so on thru a long list of pleased patrons and studios, which we will announce as space permits. THE PLAN OF THE PHOTOPLAY CLEARING HOUSE. We are intimately connected with the Motion Picture business and in close touch with the manufacturers. We are advised of all their advance releases, their requirements and the kind of scripts they want. As suitable ones come to us, in salable shape, they are immediately sent to the proper studio. No stale, imperfect or copied plots are submitted. All photoplaywrights are invited to send their Plays to this company, advising as to what manufacturers they have been previously submitted, if any. Every Play will be treated thus: It will be read by competent readers, numbered, classified and filed. If it is, in our opinion, in perfect condition, we shall at once proceed to market it, and, when we are paid for it, we will pay the writer 90% of the amounc we receive, less postage expended. If the Scenario is not in marketable shape, we will so advise the author, stating our objections, offering to return it at once, or to revise, typewrite and try to market it. IF THE MANUSCRIPT IS HOPELESS, WE SHALL SO STATE, and in some cases advise a course of instruction, naming " s books, experts and schools to select from. Fee for reading, criticism and filing, $1.00 (multiple reels. $1.00 per reel), but to readers of the MOTION PICTURE MAGAZINE it will be only 50c. provided the annexed Coupon accompanies each script; for multiple reels. 50c. per reel. For typewriting, a charge of $1.00 for each Play will be made, provided it does not run over 10 pages. 10c. a page for extra pages. The fee for revising will vary according to work required, and will be arranged in advance. No Scenarios will be placed by us unless they are properly typewritten. Pay merit in advance is expected in all cases. RETURN POST AGE SHOULD BE INCLUDED, and foreign contributors should allow for U.S. exchange. Enclose P.O. order, stamps, checks, or money with manuscripts. 1c. stamps accepted. — When answering advertisements kindly mention -lention MOTION PICTURE MAGAZINE.