Year book of motion pictures (1925)

PREVENT TRUSTIFICATION ^ In my opinion the most important task the industry 1'aces is to prevent its trustification. This devolves largely upon the theater owner. Hy lis acts, or rather the lack >{ them, he has brought bout the existing situaion where the trustificaion of the industry is ooming clearly ahead. If the next five years bring a series of continSamuel Zierler uing developments such as the last five brought, the industry will be again in the same boat that it was in the days of the Patents Company — and you know what that was. If the cycle of developments brings us back again to that sort of thing it will be a sad day for the majority of men who today are active in every branch of the business. Producers and distributors of course will suffer a loss, but their losses will be picayune compared to the losses of theater owners. The theater owner still has it within his power to halt the trust-movement. If he dots his buying so that the competitive system of distribution is maintained, and if he divides his purchases among all distributors of worth while product, his property is safe. But if he pursues the foolish policy of * patronizing certain national companies to the whole or partial exclusion of the "Independent Distributor," then, as surely as night follows day, the firms to which he today is giving the major portion of his business will own him body and soul tomorrow. In my opinion, the coming year is exceedingly important in view of this situation. The theater owner is thoroughly cognizant of it. What he does about it may not materially affect his immediate prosperity — but it is certain what he does next year will materially affect his standing, maybe his entire investment, in the near future. NO CAUSE FOR ALARM The year 1925 offers extional opportunities to the motion picture companies who can deliver the goods -and for tliose who have not or can not produce pictures that are up to a certain standard, there is a hard road ahead. It is the old story of the surival of the fittest. Despite the growing tendency towards monopoly and amalgamation in both Sam E. Morris the producing and exhibiting branches of the industry, there will always be an outlet for a product of outstanding merit. The public today is not simply going to the theater because it is open — they are shopping for their entertainment as they do for other commodities and no theater owner can afford to neglect the public's demand any more than a big merchant can refuse to carry brands of merchandise that are advertised and known as representing quality. Competition will be as keen in the coming year as ever but the struggle for business will be between the larger organizations capable of marshalling powerful resources in every branch. The fly-by-night promoter has probably been eliminated from the motion picture business to a greater extent than almost any industry and 1925 will mark a great stride towards the extinction of this parasite. One of the great factors in this has been the recognition by the public of the name and trade mark of the genuine producer who earnestly strives to consistently offer worth while pictures. The business is rapidly reaching the stage when the public will go to the theater and request a Warner or other representative product just as soon as they now ask for definite kinds of merchandise in commercial lines. The transformation of exhibitors into showmen is going to be more pronounced than ever during the coming year and as a means to this end a closer coordination between the producer and the exhibitor will be found necessary and forthcoming. 1925 offers no cause for alarm, on the contrary it is eagerly anticipated by the representative producer. Photo Copyright by Lumiere NEW TALENT NEEDED For the first time in years Hollywood will see considerable production activity during the winter months. I believe the progress of the United Studios can be taken as a fair example of production in Los Angeles this winter. Contracts have been signed for practically capacity production at this plant during the months of December, January and M. C. LEVEE February. Generally at this time of the year production is curtailed and in the past has been entirely discontinued in a number of studios. The capacity production during the winter months in Hollywood is clearly an indication of the fact that production has again swung in practically its entirety to Los Angeles. In a number of specific instances, producers who have left here to make pictures in New York, have returned without even shooting a scene there. At the United plant we have a number of prominent producers who have looked over the New York production facilities and have declared them no better today than they were a year or more ago. Despite anything that may be said, facts are facts and Los Angeles still is and always will be the home of motion picture production in this country. During the coming year I already have indications of the fact that even producers who have long scorned the idea of working in Hollywood, are coming here. I predict that during the next twelve months we will see greater production in Hollywood than ever before disclosed in the history of motion picture making. From the standpoint of a producer it seems quite evident that the demand for names and box office titles will continue supreme during the coming year. If you have a good box office title and two or more popular box office names in the way of stars you will stand a good chance of making a profitable picture. Without names even a worthwhile story will have difficulty in even reaching the public. It is unfortunate that the demnad for names in pictures has become all important because of the fact that it limits the field of actors to a comparatively few and stifles the much needed introduction of new faces on the screen. It also brings up the salaries of these players and places them in an arbitrary position in this connection. Unless something radical is done to develop new talent, motion pictures will seriously suffer and no producer can attempt to develop new talent under the present method of operation which demands that he engage one of some forty or fifty players whose names are considered box office attractions. It has come to a point where a name means even more than the qualifications of an actor to play a certain part, which is certainly an unhealthy condition for the motion picture business from an artistic standpoint. It is entirely within the hands of exhibitors to encourage producers to make pictures with a little more regard for artistic merit and just a little less for box office names. We cannot always give the public the same players and sooner or later must bring new blood into the business. It is therefore only a matter of time when we must begin to develop new players although I do not look for this to be realized during the coming year. Photo copyright by Woodbury, L. A. 373