The Film Daily (1929)

THE ■:&^ PAILV Sunday, June 23, 1929 Warners Policy and Product Outline is Completed Production /^osts Up Warner Bros, are spending five times as much on their product this year than last year, said Jack Warner in a telegram read at the sales convention at the Pennsylvania Friday, In part he wired: "The advent of color in our productions is exceptionally costly and color alone in any one of our productions costs 25 per cent more than many of our productions cost in their entirety on last year's program." $2,000,000 to Be Spent by Warners at Studios West Coast Bureau. THE FILM DAILY Los Angeles — Aggregation of $2,000,000 will be spent by Warner Bros, in improvements and additional equipment for its Coast studios, Jack L. Warner announces. In carrying out its $15,000,000 production program the company will erect three new $200,000 sound proof stages in East Hollywood, work starting soon. (Continued from Page 1) director of publicity and advertising, spoke on publicity. F"ollowing luncheon on the roof garden, the sessions were resumed. Jacob Wilk spoke on the story end of production, telling of the difficulties encountered in obtaining suitable material and of its increased cost due to the buying of dialogue and other rights. Albert S. Howson, Eastern scenario editor, discussed censorship and closed his talk with a description of the product on the new year's program. Bryan Foy, who has charge of production at Vitaphone studio in Brooklyn, spoke on production activities there. Policies for the new year were outlined by Sam E. Morris. The session, which marked the close of the convention, ran into the evening. This morning the conventioneers sail up the Hudson on the Peter Stuyvesant as guests of the WarnerFirst National-Stanley Club on its annual outing to Indian Point. Program for the day provides a card of sports and a dinner. Warners will keep "open house" at the home office Sunday and late that afternoon and evening the branch managers will start back to their respective cities. Warner Lights By ARTHUR W. EDDY LOYALTY has been a mighty factor in putting the Warner organization on its present basis, said Harry Warner in urging the conventioneers to go out during the coming season and keep the ball a-rolling. ing, he was Charles Gilmore of Denver: He plugged airplanes as a speedy means of bringing in contracts. One of the new promotees (which is perhaps a means of describng a mxin who gets a better job) is R. Sulley whose p. o. address is Albany. He recently climbed up the ladder from salesman to branch manager. ' It seemed as if H. A. Seed, Buffaloian, was the only chap at the gathering who owned a workable fountain pen. Incidentally, he wore out a lot of good shoe-leather in trying to get it back from the gentlemen who borrowed it. Beau Brummel days of the old South were represented by M. W. Davis of Charlotte, who exemplified what the well-dressed man had better wear. During the torrid temperature which the much-cussed Weather Man focused on the convention, R. F. Cloud, who hales from Cincinnati, smiled continuously. Life in that Middle Western hamlet has prepared him for the worst. Every good convention nowadays has an expert on aviation and in the instance of the Warner gather E. C. Almy, who tells Cleveland cxhibs how good Warner product is, leached the convention via Havana. Why he went there is strictly his own private business. Probably Major Albert Warner would have been cooler on his new yacht but he stuck to duty as becomes a military man. Frisco's contribution, M. A. Walsh, wowed 'em along the Atlantic City boardwalk with his snappy white flannels and nearly got drafted into the "white wings" brigade. J. S. Hebrew of Philadelphia, who was with Warner as far back as 1915 and rejoined the organization when they took over Vitagraph, did considerable hand-shaking with old friends. Dashing between tables and sometimes hurdling them was A. C. Brauninger, sales promotion impresario, who was running^ around as chairman of the convention committee. Froyn the great, open spaces of Calgary, where he has been corralling contracts, came H. C. Davis to join the perspiring roundup. A coupla of flappers are reported to have asked C. R. Osborn, Montreal resident, for his autograph. They thought he was Lewis Stone. H. M. Warner Promise First I National ''Every Co-operation'' (Continued from Page 1) contrawise improper building presages failure. Sam E. Morris, vice president of Warners, brought the felicitations of the latter company to the First National group. The major portion of the day was consumed with detailing of the percentage only policy by Ned E. Depinet, general sales manager. The new policy, exclusively outlined Friday by THE FILM DAILY, calls for a guarantee and split on all pictures of the company. Spyrous Skouras, head of Warner theaters; Gradwell Sears, western sales managers of First National; A. W. Smith, Jr., eastern and Canadian sales manager and S. Charles Einfeld, director of advertising and publicity, were among speakers at yesterday's session. Product for the new year was discussed by Ned E. Depinet, A. W. Smith, Jr. and G. L. Sears. S. Charles Einfeld, publicity and adver The F. N. Decalogue Know Your Product. Know Your Territory. Sell Everything. Sell Everywhere. Get Good Prices. Get Playdates. Sell Accessories. Watch Expenses. Deal Fairly. Merit Promotion. tising director, talked country-wide newspaper and magazine campaigns to back up First National releases. Jacob Wilk told of the care exercised in selecting story material. An address by Depinet closed the threeday session. Friday night the branch managers attended the premiere of "Broadway Babies" at the Central and today go on the First National-Warner-Stanley Club outing to Indian Point. FIRST NATIONAL and its customers are inter-independent. Each needs the other and their relations must be mutually profitable. This was one of the highlights of the convention, and was stressed repeatedly by Ned E. Depinet. Each contract must be fair and equitable, otherwise the general structure is damaged, he pointed out. Wotta day, the boys had Friday. After a morning session and a hurried bite of lunch, they went into conference from 12 to 8 o'clock. Despite the heat, there was ten m.inutes of sustaijied applause for Depinet, when he finally concluded he could call it a day, and declare the business sessions ended. pheum in "When Julius Caesar Ran a Newspaper." "Wally" is a veteran scenario writer. Fred Myton has been writing the complete dialogue scripts of "The Isle of Ships" and "The Great Divide." In his spare moments, Fred can be found pounding the tennis pellet. Floyd Brown, Indianapolis, is confident of record business next year for his branch. F. V. Merritt of the Marvin Wise chain, Birmingham, dropped around to convention headquarters to say hello to some of the boys from the south. Harry Warner made a profound impression in his address. He certainly talked turkey, calling for square shooting in all dealings. At the windup, all of the boys were presented with a handsome desk clock in a leather case on which the name of each was embossed. At the rear of the convention room, the current Warner pictures got a break, with enlargements of newspaper ads lining the hall. Ed Alperson of the Warner theater department and Paul Swift of Vitaphone, were introduced and took a bow. H. M. Warner certainly had a world of praise for Herman Starr and Ned Depinet, guiding forces of First National. We first saw Waldemar Young when he played the Minneapolis Or There are plenty of new faces at the convention. New managers, who have won their spurs are: Fred M. Jack, Atlanta; Harry Thompson, Albany; Walter Brandt, Cleveland; Joe Luckett, Dallas; Carl Lesserman; George Almon, Memphis. G. M. Hoyt, St. John, is the youngest manager in the First National outfit, but he doesn't seem to mind it. I However, H. Paynter of Toronto, looks even younger than Hoyt, using the looks to real advantage in selling film. M. Isman outdoes the California in selling the advantages on Winnipeg, which he is always urging the bunch to visit. "Old Joe" Luckett Dallas, is still rolling along, taking the sound development quite enthusiastically. F. E. North, Detroit, couldn't decide whether he wanted a motor boat or airplane trip most of the way to New York', so he took the train.