The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (May-Jun 1923)

May 12, 1923. heir Salaries ducer Overpaying Artistes 2 WN FILM DIRECTORS | THE DOLLAR POINT OF VIEW. (By T. A. WELSH.) I SUPPOSE the practice, which Tue Fos Renter hus attacked, of paying enormous salaries to American film stars, will last us Jong as the adventurous spirits who put up the money can be persuaded that this is the only sure way of vetting Bvitish films into America, America linus hypnotised a credulous world into the belief that merit iu filins is a quality measured in absolute terms of dollars, und it seems only necessary to shout loudly—masterpiece —miaslerpiece—MAsrenmEcE—like the quack doctor in the market place, and the crowd will not trouble to test the truth of your statement, Sy, if you winit fo succeed in the film production business, you must spend two, three, four, ten, twenty times as much as the other mai. So—up with the price of stories, of artistes, of setlinus, of everything. A's $10,000 star is twice as good as 000 mediocrity. T realises that he must do something, so gives ix possession $15,000, nid, hey presto! she is better than A's, nnd the public in the mass believes it, and the game goes on merrily. Producers on this side who think they kuow the game sunteh up American stars and offer them more than their American employers ever did, and, surely, that makes them very much hetter, nnd your picture at last gets into the coveted arena of the Stutes, But there must be w snag somewhere. America knows the ganie buekwards. She oviginated it. She holds the ‘ bank,” and, thot she will glidly sell to you with fictitious standards of merit, she will not buy as readily. So someone is going to be disillusioned, Some day pictures will be judged from other angles than the dollar poiut of view, and then screen art, irrespective of its nationality. will come into its own. “STARS AND STRIPES." (By EDWARD GODAI:) 0 ier engagement of American stars at fabulous salarivs, agwinst whieh ‘Tue Firat Rexver has uttered a timely warning, woukl never have been necessary but for ill-advised propensities of certain firms, with morn’ money thur sense, Capital is extremely difficult to xet these days, and the city looks very askance on all film propositions, purticulurly those connected with the manufacturing side of the industry, The fingers of business men are still blistered by vecent film flotations, which, after doing well while the subscribed capital lasted, ended badly. When these capitalists are asked to supply a thousand a week, lor some three or four months, to pay the salary of an imported star from Amoericu, they naturally ask for vom very definite proof that they will ever see their money earobling THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. 9 The first duty of. every British film manufacturer to-day ig to avoid, like the plague, any ‘‘ neck-or-nothing '’. gamble—any desperate experiment, any scheme, which, by its failure, would increase the marked distrust of film ventures already too firmly established in the city. The production of an annual balance sheet, showing a small but normally inereasing profit, will loosen the purse strings of the business man more easily than all the optimistic promises and anticipations of ‘* scooping the pool’ by some stupendous gamble—with his money! To risk £10,000, or. even £5,000, on the salary of a single American artiste, is nothing short of lunacy in the present state-of the market; unless the film has already becn sold for. more -than that sum in U.S.A. before production is commenced. This brings us to the true test of the star's value. There are half-a-dozen) American artistes, whose drawing value is certain on their names alone, irrespective of story, production, or support; and, therefore, the U.S.A. renter, buying in advanee, would be taking no risk. These sie players, however, are not for hire! : How many of all the thousands of film artistes at Los Angeles have really a world-wide reputation? Some are becoming known, others are being as rapidly forgotten; many are mere meteors flashing across the screen (thanks to a lucky’ performance) and then disappearing for ever from the public gaze. For it must be remembered that the Americans are the most fickle public in the world, and that their leading players remain in favcur, on an average, for about three years, and are . then ruthlessly discarded. The English go to the other extreme, and revere and acclaim their favourites, even when they have grown decrepit and senile. I raise this point for a definite reason. Unless this national difference of temperament be taken into account, it is probable the British manufacturer will engage an American star, who, still in fashion here, is already completely out-of-date in the States. The British manulacturcr imports the artiste, quite frankly, in the hope of obtaining a market tor his production in the States. The American market is the prize aimed for, and it would obviously be futile to altempt to scll them a film starring a player of whom they are already tired. Thus the greatest care should be taken by the British mauufacturer, who intends to import an American player, to secure one who is still a real favourite in his, or her, own country. This brings us to a very simple question. If the artiste be really a star, and still in demand over that side, and still capable of unquestionably enhancing the value of a film, then, why does he or she enme over here to work, and what are the American film manvfacturers doing to allow him or her to do so? The only possible answer is. that cither the artiste in question is no longer a star, or, that we are paying him or her a great deal more than their American market value. If the Intter be the ease, we must be the canse of considerable amusoment to the U.S.A. renter, for, knowing that we rive had to pay far more than an American manufacturer would have done, to coax the live star over here, he, the renfer, knows that he can buy our production for considerably less than would have been the ease had that same star appeared in an American production. In other words, we would have bought in the dearest matket and the U.S.A. rentcor in the cheapest! Under these conditions it is not surprising that the London business man hastily buttons up his pockets the moment the word “ films ’’ is mentioned; or, that the newcomers into the British film industry, who glibly pay out their thousands a week to American stars, soon find themselves in that morass of bankruptey or liquidation predicted by Tar Firat Renter. It is ensy enough to take others to task, to destroy, and to condemn, and I realise fully that the value of an article of this sort rests with the exposition of some eonstruetive policy, which will tend towards a solution of this knotty problem. T have proved that the U.S.A. market is open to all films above