Agfa motion picture topics (Apr 1937-June 1940)

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a better career as a specialist in outstanding exterior photography. Another, apparently out of luck as far as Hollywood’s studios go, has become one of the top cinematographers of Mexico. The point we’d like to make is this: that while we certainly don’t wish anybody any hard luck, we d like to remind the men who today are enduring greater or lesser periods of personal depression that anybody can have bad luck, but that the man who really has the stuff doesn't by any means have to remain on the canvas and be counted out. On the contrary, he can get up, go in there punching, and win! In the same breath, we’d rather like to ask some of our other friends who are today among the industry’s tops, if they can honestly say they have the same incentive that drove them up to success when they were young cinematographers, just fighting their way up from obscurity? We know, and they know that they have ability: hut what use is ability if it isn’t coupled with a will to “show the world " on every picture? What use is Academy Award reputation or skill if it takes the easiest way on any production with a budget of less than a million or so? If it complains when assigned to a “B” picture? This goes for directors, executives, writers and players too, if you insist. This industry was made great by folks who were fighting their way up from obscurity — folks who were battling tremendous obstacles, but who were inspired with the idea that they had something better to offer than anyone else. It’s got to be maintained by the same spirit. Qeveral times in the past we have ^commented on the fact that the Agfa Ansco Corporation is an American firm, giving employment to more that 3,000 American working men and women. Realising that our modern civilization is an intensely complex organization, we’ve forborne to guess at how many others such a firm might support. But in a bulletin published by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce we have recently noticed statistics that give an indication of what this might be. Since the Chamber’s figures were for a firm with 1,000 employees, we simply multiply by three, and arrive at a figure which is certainly on the conservative side. Based strictly on averages, a firm directly employing 3,000 people provides family support for not less than 9.000 individuals. In addition to that, the firm, through its employees and their needs, provides business for 30 grocery stores, 24 bakeries and restaurants, 9 clothing stores, 9 shoe stores, 6 hardware and building material firms, 3 furniture stores, a dozen drugstores, dry-goods, stationery and notions establishments, 9 auto accessory dealers and service stations, 3 music, radio and optical stores, and 3 tobacco shops. When to this is added the number of other people directly engaged in transporting, selling and manufacturing not only the firm’s own products, but also the products bought by these employees, you reach a really surprising total. Add to this fact that all these people, when gainfully employed, mean just so many more potential customers for many other things not listed in this survey, including, you may be sure, our own industry’s pro 5