Motography (Apr-Dec 1911)

16 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. V, No. 4. everybody around him what rotten acting it is. If a telegraph operator sees the distracted heroine tick off a message in a code that was never known to Morse, he curls his lips with unutterable contempt and tells all his friends about it. The malicious glee with which people hop onto such errors is almost ghoulish. And they always pass it .along like a toothsome bit of gossip. Doubtless they do this to show their friends how smart they are. Just as smart as them critics, by gum! This standard of criticism is vicious because it places emphasis on non-essentials and leads people to look for the wrong things. People who keep their eyes glued on details are liable to miss the spell of the drama. Sharp eyes and a carping attitude do not leave the heart open to emotional appeal. Better forget the details and follow the conflict of hearts and minds. Let the soul expand in sympathy with the action. Hang detailism ! The play's the thing. Y oungstown Ministers Report As the result of an investigation of local moving picture shows carried on under the auspices of the Ministerial association of Youngstown, Ohio, the following report was presented at the meeting of the association by Rev. Olin Clarke Jones and R. C. McAfee: "Photoplay"or "the motion picture" presents a problem and opportunity of unknown magnitude, calling for careful investigation and patient scientific thought. In the United States at present there are about 10,000 motion picture theaters, showing to an audience of 4,000,000 each day. The motion picture audience is five times that of all other theaters. Of this audience between five and six hundred thousand are children between the ages of 4 and 16. Local statistics are even more interesting. Youngstown has ten motion picture theaters showing seven days a week ; two regular theaters showing on Sunday. On estimation of best authority the audience in the ten motion picture theaters for seven days is 50,000. The Sunday audience in the twelve theaters is 15,000. A simultaneous investigation of Youngstown's motion picture theaters was recently made by fourteen men of character, fairness and judgment, each theater being visited at different hours by different men on the same day. The results of their findings are as follows : 1st — In eight of the ten theaters the sanitation was very poor, the air in each instance being foul and heavy, and the floors filthy. 2d — Three of the ten put on vaudeville in connection with the pictures. 3d — All of the theaters are more or less underlighted. 4th — The statutes and city ordinances concening exits and lights at the same, fire booths, number and width of aisles are very fairly complied with by all theaters. 5th — The pictures shown are not highly objectionable, although they differ very materially in grade, and in most every instance there was opportunity for improvement. Three self-evident facts present the motion picture an institution to be reckoned with : 1st — The motion picture theater is a self-supporting, dividend-declaring institution, on a five or ten-cent basis. 2d— The motion picture is real throbbing life expressed in an universal language. 3d— Each day 4,000,000 in the United States interpret through pictures the stories of life. Under sane and fair regulation adequately censored it has shown itself to be worthy of encouragement. With health laws rigidly enforced it becomes a medium of clean, wholesome amusement, with educational possibilities unlimited, and social and religious influence without end. A solution of this problem must be worked out along co-operative lines. A desire on the part of the management to improve conditions should be recognized and appreciated. In a spirit of social service to the community we offer the following suggestions : 1st — That ordinances should be passed and rigidly enforced compelling proper sanitation. 2d — That the motion picture and vaudeville be disassociated, "for it must be remembered that a five or ten-cent theater cannot afford to pay for good vaudeville ; but the lowest price buys the very best that exists in motion pictures." 3d — That the pictures be shown in theaters lighted well enough to read by with comfort, and that as soon as possible all pictures be colored to minimize the eye strain. 4th — That we protest the present photoplay on the Sabbath day. 5th — That a model motion picture theater be established in the congested foreign district with a purpose to furnish clean amusement, and to offer a medium of education and moral instruction. 6th — That a co-operative board of censorship be established, consisting of representatives from ministers, educators, social workers, business men and motion picture managers to. encourage development of photoplay possibilties in the fields of amusement, scientific investigation, civic betterment and character building. Pictures to Boom Real Estate. The beauties of Chicago and Chicago's suburbs are to be shown in an unique series of moving pictures at the Coliseum, April 28 to May 7, when the real estate show will be the center of exposition attractions. The management of the real estate show is arranging to have one of the big moving picture companies make the films. This will be the first time the moving picture idea has been used in Chicago in booming real estate and suburban property. The railroads entering Chicago will be utilized in making the films and one of the moving picture machines will be operated from the rear platform of a passenger coach, thus making a sort of travelogue film. A number of the suburban towns have arranged with the Industrial Moving Picture Company for individual displays. Teaches with Motion Pictures Dr. Frederic S.Lee, professorof physiology in Columbia University, New York City, showed his audience at the American Museum of Natural History on the moving picture screen how the germs of the sleeping sickness thrive amid the blood corpuscles. He had pictures showing how the movement of a rabbit's heart was studied, and a series illustrating how scientists inoculated monkeys with fever germs to study disease, a very similar process to the one which resulted in the recent discovery of a meningitis serum, he said. The last picture showed the monkeys restored to health. The pictures were taken at the Pasteur Institute.