Harvard business reports (1930)

200 HARVARD BUSINESS REPORTS Exhibit 13 Rental Summary Used by Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation Summary of Rentals Group Cumulative to First Full Month May June July Aug. Sept. Total to Date Personalities Commander Specials Leader Specials New Show World Specials Summary of Rentals Picture Cumulative to First Full Month May June July Aug. Sept. Total to Date organization of other major producers differs, in some detail, from that here described. In the main, however, the operation of this department is very similar among the large producers. A number of factors had made necessary certain changes in production organization. The introduction of sound, the use of color, and the gradual adoption of the large screen caused many changes. The attempt to get away from block selling to some extent, and the apparent attempt to offer a larger number of plays in completed form to exhibitors before the actual sale, were important factors. Increased efforts to adapt stage plays to screen presentation, a desire to produce a larger number of program pictures and a smaller number of extremely costly ones, and efforts to adapt dialogue pictures to foreign exhibitors, all introduced changes of greater or lesser significance in the production departments. Of these factors, the introduction of sound probably created the greatest change in the organization of motion picture producing companies. This innovation has been indicated in the case. Most of the other changes, though important, were of secondary significance, not likely to affect the major production organization of larger producers. November, 1929 H. T. L.