Business screen magazine (1938)

FAIR MOVIES The New York World's Fair is the first great exposition to undertake a definite program for llu' dissemination of its publicity througii all im-diiims of the motion picture field. Under the supervision of our motion jiicture department an extensive program has been worked out and as a result several precedents already have been set in obtaining widespread screen publicity although the opening of the World's Fair still is many months away. The motion picture publicity program for till Fair takes advantage of every avenue of llu industry. Considered of first importance are the newsreels, both American and foreign. To properly serve these news film services an impressive set-up is planned to house their representatives. Several thousand feet of floor space in the Press building in the Fair grounds has been set aside to be used exclusively by the newsreels. As headquarters for the newsreels this space will be .so divided as to provide offices for each of the five reels, with an extra officefor use by foreign newsreel representatives. In conjunction with each office will be individual darkrooms to be used for loading and unloading cameras and magazines and for test developing of film. Each reel also will have a storeroom for camera equipment, film and lighting paraphernalia. There also will be a spacious asscml)ly room for newsreel cameramen, soundmen, contactmen, electricians and helpers. Each of the five newsreels will have at least one staff sound crew assigned to cover the Fair as soon as it opens, who will be stationed in newsreel headquarters. Meantime each reel .dreadv has a regular eontactman and scuind crew by Capt. Claude Collins. Director, Films, N. Y. Fair to cover preliminary activities at the World's Fair. During the past few months these crews have been almost as busy as they will be after the Fair opens. No exposition, or any other enterprise, ever before has gotten so much screen pulilicity in such a short period as has the Fair. Starting with the World's Fair Preview and Parade on May 30th. on which the newsreels had more equipment assigned than to any other news story, this coverage has inehiiled fashion shows, novelty subjects, construction of the Fair, the recent visit and the two speeches made in the Fair grounds l)y President Roosevelt, and lastly the Howard Hughes' flight. Up to this time more than a score of subjects have been covered and released in the newsreels. These subjects have been shown on the screens of every motion picture theatre in America and in every other civilized country. It is estimated that more than ••>4(),00().(l()() people throughout the world have now seen newsreel pictures of the New York World's Fair. In addition to publicizing the Fair through the newsreels plans include the use of trailers, a nation-wide screen contest, educational pictures, travel shorts to be shown in chilis, colleges and other schools: technicolor and lilaek and white shorts to be releas(:>d in theatres, and tie-ups with exhibitors to assist them in the production and exhibition of their pictures. To furnish news pictures for foreign newsreels and dissemination through other sources the Motion Picture Department of the Fair may in addition maintain its own motion picture camera staff to be available at all times for fi'atiu-e and spot news assignments. These jair buildings jeature films: iAIxn^e) Lucky Strike; Cosmetics; Textiles; Federal court and (right) the Petroleum Buildinij. k «*»»