Moving Picture Age (Jan-Dec 1921)

16 MOVING PICTURE AGE February, 1921 $6,200 in Sales Resulted from Our First Showing How one manufacturer was persuaded to film his product and some of the results he has obtained By Harwood Frost Pres., Brown Portable Conveying Machinery Co., Chicago SOME years ago the General Electric Company filmed some of our piling equipment in connection with a film showing the uses of their motors. We knew about it but paid practically no attention to it. Among the early releases was a showing to a Californian gathering of Rotarians at which one of our Western representatives was present, and he was indeed surprised to see our equipment thrown on the screen. He was a quick thinker, however, and jumping to his feet gave an explanation of how the machine worked and what it did. There was no lecturer with the film. On account of the interest aroused in other members, as shown by the questions asked, he wrote me an enthusiastic letter regarding the value of motion pictures in our sales trade, which was favorably received and promptly acted on. Then came the surprise to the producer — we went to him to buy film instead of his coming to us to sell. What Our First Reel Did Our first attempt was a one reel production of some of our warehouse equipment. Just after its completion and before I had purchased a projector, two out-of-town warehousemen visited my office in Chicago. I had tried for some time to sell them but had not been able to show them an installation in operation so that they could see what our equipment would do. Incidentally, I told them of a new film I was having made. They were interested at once and anxious to see it. I made arrangements over the telephone with the Rothacker Film Manufacturing Company, who were making the film for us, to get the use of one of their projecting rooms, and took the men out to their plant. On the way back down-town I sold $1200 worth of machinery and have since received orders for $5000 more from these same men. This early start was encouraging but has more than once been duplicated. Frequently material-handling equipment makes such big savings over old time methods that the salesmen's statements sound exaggerated. The prospective customer is inclined to believe that the installations where such phenomenal savings were possible, and he is often skeptical, are not like his. However, in much of the work covered by our own lines these installations are much alike. Unless the customer sees that they are similar he is hard to convince, however. It is here that the moving picture film comes in. On the screen he sees that his men are doing the same thing ; the building and arrangements and surroundings are pretty much the same and he has no opportunity to come back with "Oh perhaps it did what you say with Jones but my place and work are different." He sees that it is not different, that it works there and should as well for him and so loses what to many men is their best and final argument against buying — "My business is different." How We Get Showing at Conventions We have had several other films made since and expect to produce more. Some of our films have been made for special conventions as for example, we had one showing our equipment at a railroad terminal speeding up the handling of freight and so relieving congestion. This combined animated cartoons and pictures and was shown at a gathering of terminal engineers in New York. Because a manufacturer cannot get the convention floor for his film is no reason for him giving up hopes of getting the picture before at least a part of the men in attendance. We found that out at a haymen's convention in Chicago some time ago. When rebuffed on all attempts to show the film at the convention or even in the hotel we made arrangements with the manager of one of the small theaters nearby to run our reel at 3 :00, 5 :00 and 7 :00 p. m. He agreed for a financial consideration. We then had tickets printed for the three days of the convention. Each member of the association received two tickets by mail and an invitation to be our guests at the showing of our film. Also our representatives passed around additional tickets at the convention. About 150 took advantage of our offer, according to the tickets which were turned back to us by the theater to redeem. Because of the hazard attached we have not been able to get moving pictures of some of our equipment in action, especially that used in piling and storing baled hay. We still wanted to show some of these machines so took a strip of film of a series of still photographs. These we have found are received with greater interest than are a handful of loose photographs. Up to the present most of our selling by films has been done at conventions or other gatherings. We have tried out the plan of sending the films out with a salesman and a projector, and have found it so successful that this spring our plan is to equip several of our salesmen and then look out for the man who says, "Maybe your equipment did that for Jones, but my problem is different." Putting Sacred Songs on Film IT is generally admitted that the more people who can be induced to take a personal part in any service, the greater will be the success of that gathering ; they feel that it is "their" meeting. Everybody likes to sing, from the "kiddies" to the "grown-ups," and so singing offers the best opportunity to get all to take part. Many churches use these songs on slides so that all may join in but now they are being put on film. The Sacred Film Production Company, 1127 East 43rd street, Chicago, make one and two reel biblical features, illustrated sermonettes and illustrated sacred songs in film. Their first releases will be sacred songs in film, such as Onward Christian Soldiers, Dare to Be a Daniel, Stand Up, Stand Up for How Firm a Foundation, Jesus, Happy Day, Wonderful Words of Life, Nearer My God to Thee. My Jesus I Love Thee, It is much more difficult to exploit films in the nontheatrical field, and not lose financially thereby, because there are not more than one or two exhibitions a week, as compared with several a day in the theatres. International News' 1921 policy will be one of selective news, and will devote more attention to the country-wide presentation of local news as well as to that which has world-wide interest. R. V. Anderson, sales manager for the International News, who superintends its distribution by Universal, estimates that for each issue of the 1921 news reel, there will be such a variation in the prints for different sections of the country, the entire output for each edition could be gathered into a five-reel news feature. The Director of Public Safety, Newark, N. J., has issued instructions to exhibitors that all films in which criminals are shown at work are not to be shown in the city. Until now, the police have banned pictures in which the criminals go unpunished and posters depicting acts of violence.