Exhibitors Herald (Jun-Sep 1919)

EVOLUTION Number Three The Trade Papers oj June 28th and July 19th carried my first and second advertisement "EVOLUTION." THE ECONOMIC TRINITY: Producer — Middleman — Consumer are inevitable BEDFELLOWS; but the end-men are usually kicking the middleman under the blankets. This is true of FILMS as well as of FACTORY and FARM products. While the actual CONSUMER of films is the PUBLIC, for TRADE purposes we may consider the EXHIBITOR to be the consumer: the EXCHANGE is the middleman. Sometimes the producer tries to ELIMINATE the middleman and deals directly with the ULTIMATE consumer, as when the Super-feature is placed in a THEATRE leased for special exploitation. The MIDDLEMAN, however, serves an important function and CANNOT be ELIMINATED. Being an INEVITABLE factor in the business of getting films to the public, the exchange must function EFFICIENTLY and remove the prejudice by SERVICE, to Exhibitor and Producer. A review of film DISTRIBUTION since the birth of the NICKELODEON in 1906 shows that it has steadily IMPROVED. The dinky exchange of that period, with its LACK of SYSTEM, its endless ERRORS in bookkeeping, its INCOMPETENT handling of films — in booking, in repair and shipping rooms, its DESTRUCTIVE COMPETITION, cannot be compared with the PRESENT DAY exchange. In spite of current fault-finding, it is vastly SUPERIOR to its predecessors. It has a BROADER and more SYMPATHETIC attitude toward the exhibitor. With exceptions, of course, with exceptions. I am laying a foundation for PRODUCTION and DISTRIBUTION. To be enduring it must be FLEXIBLE. I do not believe in long-time contracts in this business, except of the most general nature. PARALLEL INTERESTS will hold business men together better than formal contracts. MUTUAL CONFIDENCE is the best cement. Producer, Distributor and Exhibitor must be CO-ORDINATE POWERS in the industry. The Producer, grinding out product in UNENDING footage, compelling a GROANING exchange to force it upon a RESISTING exhibitor, is FADING out of the scene. The Exhibitor is no longer compelled to eat an eight-course dinner to get the single dish which he wants. Let the Producer take his HEAVY HAND off the Exchange; give it reasonable FREEDOM in the SELECTION of films, and freedom in DEALING with EXHIBITORS EQUAL RIGHTS, no DOMINATION, FREEDOM of action, mutual RESPECTwithin the Trinity — are on the horizon. There is no ROYAL ROAD to successful production. With the beginning of every new feature, FAILURE is knocking at the door No Producer DELIBERATELY turns oul failures. The diatribes of some critics read as if th( making of a POOR PICTURE were a delighi and the pastime of men who love to WASTE money. There has been waste, due to the con ditions that controlled the industry, but it i; being lessened as the business becomes sta bilized. The film business has ETERNITY ahea( of it, but the businesses composing it may b SHORT-LIVED. Success and Failure follov each other in quick succession. Film concern that do not yield to EVOLUTIONARY PRESSURE, die. I am neither a REFORMER nor a RAD ICAL: I dislike reformers, except those wh reform themselves; and radicals usually lik change for changes' own sake. I try to analyz trade conditions as they affect my business, t read the barometer of the FUTURE, and ha\ ing a distinct OBJECTIVE, to drive towar it; always believing in co-operation, to ad momentum to the DRIVING FORCE. My own Productions will be made LE. SURELY, each department in COMPETEN hands, avoiding . above all things a SE quantity within a given time; I believe i INTENSIVE work upon one theme— the BI THEME, if it can be found, in the hands of BIG DIRECTOR— not necessarily a SPOr LIGHT director; not caring particular whether the product is one or twelve Supe features per annum; built without HAST but without WASTE. They will be marketed through SYND CATE SUPER-FEATURES, INC. and w be offered to— not forced upon — the AFFIL ATED INDEPENDENT EXCHANGES C THE WORLD.