The film daily year book of motion pictures (1929)

13 now used by many of the barber shops making announcements on their mirrors. MYSTERY DISPLAY Tie-up with some local dealer to make window displays of stills with poster cutouts as background and leave out all billing on picture. Offer prizes to persons who submit the best title to display, stating that window decorations represent a certain popular film soon to appear in the city. The strength of the idea lies in the fact that spectators will search for title through newspaper! and advance theater ballyhoo. PRINTED MATTER TEASER ARROWS Place tack cards in form of arrows with red lettering in surrounding vicinity of theater. The cards read: "TO ?" The blank spaces stand for name of feature, which is printed on the cards tacked up in the immediate neighborhood of the theater, thus identifying the stunt properly with the theater. SUBPOENA For play with trial scene. Have fac simile of legal subpoena printed, summoning the public to attend the attraction. "The "subpoena" winds up with : "And for failure to attend you will be guilty of not witnessing a tense drama that will entrance you with the remarkable acting." HERALDS FOR DEALERS Use regular stock heralds for distribution by such dealers as bakeries, laundries, dry cleaning establishments, etc., to be placed in the packages leaving their establishments. Divide the blank space on the last page of heralds between the dealer and the theater for advertising. Heralds should be distributed this way for a week in advance of play date. SPECIAL STUNTS LAUNCHING NEWSPAPER Week in advance post city with one-sheets announcing coming of a new newspaper. Give it an appropriate name. Have the paper issued on Saturday noon. Have the news of that day on the front and second page. The third and back pages are devoted to news of the picture, copy taken from the press book, or written up for the occasion. Have newsboys distribute with their regular papers. RADIO CONTEST Three-cornered tie-up between theater, newspaper and local broadcasting ?tation. The idea is to determine the champion radio entertainers of the reg:on where theater is located. Every night at 10 o'clock the stage is turned into a broadcasting studio. This, of course, is engineered by the radio station. The radio acts are known by numbers only to make the contest perfectly fair. The listeners-in are permitted to vote for their favorite in each class — single, unit and band. On final night there is the champ'onsrip night when leaders perform again for final judgment. Prize cups are later awarded from the stage in connection with a Radio Frolic. A sure-fire stunt for making radio fans friends of your theater. SOLVE MYSTERY A good idea to exploit a mystery production. After several reels are shown, the house lights go up and small printed slips are distributed to the audience. The slips contain a list of the cast, and opposite each character is a circle. The announcement requests the patrons to put a cross in the circle opposite the character which is thought to be the criminal. This sunt can be tied up with merchants in awarding prizes for those who successfully solve the mystery. TIME CLOCKS Make up several half sheet cards with appropriate copy ahout the picture you are showing. Secure permission from the various big concerns to place these near time clocks where all employees will see them. Copy suggestion as follows: "Notice.. On account of the great crowds attending the performance at the theater this week, be on time and you will be sure to get good seats to see ." "WARNING" SIGNS To be used on mystery or criminal pictures. Post sticks after dark in advantageous positions in front yards of residences. On the sticks is a card with the word "Warning" in bold type. Beneath in smaller letters is the suggestion not to miss the picture. Westerns NEWSPAPERS THE WESTERN WORD CONTEST For Western feature. Have newspaper feature the contest for boys. A list of western words is printed such as "rangers," "hog-tied," "cache," "pinto," etc. These words of the cowboys' lingo are to be properly identified with definitions. Here is a good feature for a newspaper, for the boys who follow the Western's closely pride themselves on their knowledge of range language. Passes to the show are issued for correct answers. THE GALLOPING HORSE Teaser advance campaign, to be used on westerns or horse racing films. First ad shows the head of a galloping horse entering the copy from the right with type "Coming." Follow next day with more of the horse and copy reading: "Coming to ihe (.name of theater). Fast riding — Thrills." The third day's copy shows three-quarters of the horse and rider. Copy reads: "Coming to the (name of theater). One of the greatest race horse* (or Westerns) ever filmed." Fourth day's copy shows the full picture, with complete announcement of attraction. LOBBIES CEILING CARDS For decorating lobby, small lettered signs with short and snappy catchlines on the attraction, strung from the ceiling, afford a cheap and attractive display. WESTERN ATMOSPHERE On one wall erect full length cut-out of star of picture, if possible a front view. This can usually be taken from a six-sheet or larger paper, mounted on compo board and cut out. On the opposite wall, have a large cut-out, full size of the villain of the picture or a horse (if that adapts itself to the picture). Place a lasso of heavy ply rope or lash-line, around the horse's neck, or the villain, as the case may be, and the other end in the hand of the hero at the opposite side of the lobby. Some slack should be left on the end of the rope in the hero's hand. On the rope thus stretching across the lobby, can be hung cards carrying copy pertaining to the picture. Atmospheric displays should be used in advance for the lobby and transferred to the marquee on the play date of the picture. COVERED WAGON To be used on a western of pioneer days. A large cutout can be designed to cover the front of your box-office. With the aid of compo board, heavy wire and muslin, make a flat that suggests the front or rear end of a prairie schooner. Only the ticket window is visible through the opening that would normally be the entrance to the wagon. The muslin, drawn over a wire frame, imparts a realistic effect to the idea. Have your artist paint the lower portion of the wagon on compo board which will include the details of wheels, chasm's, etc. The atmosphere can be heightened with cutouts mounted on compo of an Indian and a pioneer placed on either side of covered wagon. BALLY HOOS BURRO RIDER Get over atmosphere of feature Western with a man dressed as mining prospector leading a burro through streets. Signs on burro announce the showing. INDIAN TEPEE On any picture featuring Indian atmosphere. Secure a motor truck on which is placed a small Indian tepee. A man dressed in regulation Indian feather? and war paint sits at the door of .epee smoking his pipe. Banners on sides of truck carry the announcement. 786