Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1924-Mar 1925)

January 3, 1925 EXHIBITORS HERALD 47 The administration building of the Thomas Ince studio m Culver City* F rom this plant has come many of the big pictures of the past few years. Every day was open house at the Ince studio, especially when the callers were visitors. This picture was taken during the visit of Willard C. Patterson, Atlanta, Ca,, theatre man, and Mrs. Patterson to the Coast. the theaters. Without the proper outlet for showing pictures the industry never would have progressed with the rapidity that has characterized it. When the first motion picture was made there were, quite naturally, no motion picture houses. The early films were shown in music halls, beer gardens, tents and public halls — anywhere a screen and a projection machine could be set up. Gradually the cheap variety houses gave them space. In most of these places the seats were hard and uncomfortable, the lighting was inadequate and the ventilation poor. When the motion picture began to be recognized as an established medium of entertainment and industry, theatres were remodeled and made into permanent moving picture houses. In recent years, nothing has been spared in making these houses the finest products of the builder’s art. A million-dollar theatre no longer is unusual. The architecture, decorations and furnishings are the most luxuriant. Every motion picture house that is built today is equipped with the most perfect system of ventilation and the most exquisite plans of lighting. The finest of orchestras are employed to render special musical programs. Everything that lies within the power of man’s inventive genius is done for the comfort and pleasure of patrons. * * * From practically no motion picture houses twenty years ago, there are now about 20,000 theatres in the United States alone, with a total seating capacity of more than 5,400,000. Most of these theatres are filled several times a day. It is estimated that the theatre owners take in each week a total of $14,500,000, or an average of more than $2,000,000 a day. And new theatres are being constructed rapidly. With the universal popularity of the motion picture, I believe the public who see only the finished product and who are uninitiated into the intricate processes which go to make up a finished production, are vitally interested in each step of the building of a picture. Perhaps a complete story of the building of a picture, from its inception to its final release, will not go amiss here. There are three ways of obtaining stories. I have developed a questionnaire, which is sent to various theatres throughout the country and which is, in turn, presented to the patrons of the theatres with the request that they answer the questions so that I may actually feel the pulse of the picturegoing public as to their tastes and demands in pictures. The answers to the questions are averaged, thereby giving me a key to what the public wants in the way of stories — comedy dramas, tragedies, dramas, romances, or educational pictures. That established, I set myself to the task of obtaining the best of these themes. ^ ^ I confer with my staff of writers as to what the public wants. These stories are written, then follows another conference and discussion on each point of the story. Suggestions are made which, in many cases, enhance its value. When I am convinced that everything has been done to insure the public of what it has asked, the story is accepted. That is one way of obtaining story material. Another is the acceptance of stories from writers who are not connected with the studio. The scenario department consists of a scenario editor and a staff of readers, whose duty it is to read and report upon manuscripts submitted. These scripts come from all quarters of the globe and from persons in all walks of life. There are stories from well known writers, college professors, striving young authors, shop girls, groeery clerks, and many others who believe that “the movies” provide a sudden jump to fame and wealth, but who have had absolutely no training or experience in writing. The products which are sent in from the three last mentioned sources usually are the life stories of the writers, and in some cases carry a good idea, but they are seldom written with any knowledge of the requirements of the screen. If the readers see no possibility of using a story it is returned to the writer. If the story is at all available it is sent to the scenario editor, and if, in his opinion, it has enough good points to recommend it, it is taken up in conference, where it is either finally accepted or rejected. The third method of procuring stories is from the literary or theatrical market. Sometimes a play or published story carries real screen value. When such a vehicle is decided upon the screen rights are bought. When a story is accepted from any one of these sources the first step has been taken. It is then put into continuity, which, as I have said before, is a working script, carefully classified, the scenes described in detail and logical sequence. * * * Copies of this continuity then go to the director, who prepares for the working out of his scenes, and to the art department, where specifications and drawings are made for the sets and furnishings. After the drawings have been approved they are sent (Continued on page 90)