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Oct., 1936] THE BUSINESS SCREEN 435
imagination, and often downright genius. His job is really much harder: whereas the studio men strive solely to pick an appealing story and dish it out in a way they hope the public will like, the industrial producer must take the other fellow's story of cheese or pig-iron, and dress it up in such a way that the public not only will like it, but will spend their money, not for the film, but for the product plugged by the film. Otherwise, no more pictures — and all too many firms have had only one picture made.
CHANGES INTRODUCED BY 16-MM. FILM
The advent of 16-mm. sound films had far-reaching effects upon the business film. Hitherto the film advertiser had been limited to the theater, or to portable n on -theatrical set-ups that were generally even more cumbersome to arrange. After his film was made, he was faced with the problem of dragging audiences into specially prepared places to see it, or else he resorted to "free-film" circulating agencies like the Y. M. C. A., or the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and the various State University extension centers. In the theater the advertising film was looked upon as an interloper; in the "free" field circulation was uncontrolled and was sometimes denounced even by some of the very users (teachers) for whom it had been so hopefully designed.
The 16-mm. sound film, like its silent predecessor, made it no longer necessary to drag the audience to the film ; instead, the film could go out to the audience. With this change an important reorientation began to take place as to the content and tone of commercial films, and equally so as to their methods of exploitation. The film sponsor henceforth could control entirely in his own organization the use to which his film production was put, and he was able more accurately to check the results attained. He no longer had to camouflage his interest in his own film; he could speak of his product as frankly as he pleased, provided he did so in a way that would nevertheless keep his story interesting to the people to whom he expected to show it. Thus, refrigerator manufacturers talk of microbes, automobile makers preach safety, loan agencies extol budgets, department stores teach care of children and the educational value of toys, lumber dealers stress termite protection — but all really sell their product in terms of customer interest. The film user's own representatives now carry their whole show in their own two hands, right into the club, school, church, or home where his prospects are gathered.