Camera (May 1922-April 1923)

Copyrighted 1922, by Ted Taylor ^^^^^ neff/gesi of tAfMoiio» fiieture /ntAis/r/ DEVOTED TO THE NEWS OF THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY TED TAYLOR, PUBLISHER Entered as second class matter, August 11. 1918. at thepostoffice at L,os Angeles, Cal. under act of March 3. 1879. Ruth Wing Managing Editor Scotty Macnicoll Advertising Sales Manager Ora Brook Circulation Managei Price 10 cents per copy, $2.00 per year in Los Ang eles County. Outside Zone, $2.50 per year. Canada, $3.00; Foreign, $3.50 Edited and printed on Saturday afternoon of each \veel\ at 4513 Sunset Boulevard, in Los Angeles, California. Phone 595-179 IDS lias Vol. V. SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 1922 No. 18 Links in the Chain FROM the time the idea flashes to the author's mind tu tne time the screen flashes it to the spectator's eyes, many persons have for various periods the picture's destiny in their hands. Each sees the film's importance, and his relation to it, in a different light. Each thinks of the others mostly as irritating incidenals to the BIG job — his own. It's good for the artist and good for his work to put all he has into it. It's not good to retain a too-exalted viewpoint. When the individual analyzes his part in putting forth a motion picture, he will find that not upon him, solely, success revolves— that without any one of the others his work would be for naught. * * * The situation was graphically and convincingly brought forth by Harry Wilson at the Wampas meeting the other night. Wilson outlined the great continuity of picture production, and chose speakers to talk from several important viewpoints. * * * SAYS THE MAN WHO WRITES THE STORY: Author alone doesn't stand much chance of putting forth a brilliant screen achievement. Let author, director and scenarist foregather. One furnishes an idea, another sees startling possibilities, the third develops them. Successful direct-for-screen stories are more likely to come from the boys selling films or writing publicity than from "great authors." We're up against a question today, not of getting the story by the censor, but of getting it by the producers afraid of the censors. We're making pictures for censors instead of for the public. — Carey Wilson. * * * SAYS THE MAN WHO BUYS THE AUTHOR'S STORY: Unless we give the exhibitor something to exploit he can't ■do much with a picture. He has to have a picture with good talking points to sell the public. — Sol Lesser. * * * SAYS THE MAN WHO LENDS THE MONEY: I am surprised at the life of films. Films five and six years old — ones we've forgotten about — are still showing somewhere— bringing in from $500 to $1000 a week. They would bring in three or four times that if we can get exhibitors to use more salesmanship to the public. We go beyond all reason in our production costs. Remember all bills are paid at the box office. You can't get crowds of people interested by advertising just to exhibitors. Reach the man who pays the money. — Motley Flint. * * * SAYS THE MAN WHO DIRECTS THE PICTURE: The director must put pep into the story if it lacks it. He must fulfill his obligation by making a picture that will return its investment. — E. Mason Hopper. * * SAYS THE MAN WHO TELLS THE PEOPLE ABOUT THE PICTURE: We publicity men must purge ourselves of the sin of making supercilious snobs in our publicity copy of stars who might be human folks. After a weary day's work the average man isn't interested in stories of girls who live in luxury and extravagance. He wants to know about girls like his own daughter. — Mike Boy Ian. * * * SAYS THE MAN WHO DISTRIBUTES THE PICTURE TO THE THEATERS: A lot of us try to fool the exhibitor. He's smarter than we think. We can't spread too much hokum. We should tell the exhibitor how to exploit his picture. The paper should be carefully planned. Many an exhibitor buys a picture on the strength of the posters alone. We don't want extravagant stories in our press sheets. Publicity stories should have more human interest. Stills should have action . . . few persons in them ... be taken as close up as possible if they are to be printed in newspapers. — L. O. Lukin. * * * SAYS THE MAN WHO SHOWS THE PICTURE TO THE PUBLIC: Exhibitors have been in a rut since 1917. In those days theaters were swamped by patrons Now they have to go out and get patrons — and some of them don't realize it yet. The greatest publicity medium is mouth-to-mouth advertising. The person who tells his friend about the picture he thinks is great doesn't do it in extravagant phrases. He describes some simple scene that struck his fancy. — Harry Arthur. * * * SAYS THE MAN WHO PASSES JUDGMENT ON THE PICTURE: The critic's work is to encourage the art and protect the public. If he's too kind to the art the public kicks. If he's too harsh to the producer of the art, the producer kicks. I believe motion pictures have reached a permanency of style. Picture making is now stabilized that the Shakespeare of the screen can come forward. It may not be for years, but the field is prepared for him. — Edwin Schallert.