Motion Picture News (Apr - Jun 1927)

2264 Motion Picture ZL-S D Ivcf; The Week in Review prooiem oi production costs in the picture business. The Wall Street Journal said in a recent article: "In addition to the shoNSTiian's dimculn of hitting on a great popular success, the other great difficult}before the industry is to keep the cost of a picture within the bounds of preliniinar} estimates. This is a tangible problem with which the industry has been grappling with considerable success." Continuing, the Journal declared that "imnecessan.delays or attacks of temperament can play havoc with the cost of a film. To give one unusual example, a recent film which was to have cost $100,000 on schedule actually cost $700,000, on accoimt of a series oi vmfortunate occurrences. "Conditions which permit this, however, are being changed as rapidly and as completely as possible. All films are now made on a budget basis, with a carefully worked out allotment for each item of expenses . . . . ^\^len on account of some unusual circimistances, the budget is upset, it frequently results in the star or director responsible being eliminated. There are many persons of considerable ability* who cannot rum out their work on a basis that will permit the ii'.ni to make a good profit. These indi\-iduals are gradually being weeded out of the stafits of the large filir. producers." THE Jjurnj^'s remarks are inieresting chiefly because they represent the A-iewpoint oi large financial interests which have, some time since, placed their O. K. on pictures as attractive and safe investments. It is. of course, true that some steps have been taken to curb production extra^-agances. But this movement, contrary to the optimistic note sounded by the JVall S: : :s decidedly in its infancy. The ^ :...:::: j; :::oney which will be poured into Hollywood for next season's pictures is in the neigliborhood of Si 20.000.000. This by no means indi cates that production costs are coming down. On the contrary-, it indicates clearly enough that they are rising. And one of the biggest factors in the rise is the matter of salaries. On this point, the Journal is equally optimistic; ■\\Tiile in one sense producers are tn.-ing to do away with ■■ ^ -vster: thev will never be able entirelv Comment on Passing Affairs to eliminate it, since in the motion picture field, more perhaps than anv other, great abilit\ or great drawing power can command its own price."' That is unquestionably true. In other words, the public makes the stars, after which, or during which time, the budgets are adjusted accordingly so far as star salaries are concerned. But to complete the Journal's argument: "What the companies are able to do, however, is to develop yotmger talent, build up stock companies and cut tlie salaries of minor figures who can be replaced. Stars will be kept as long as their salary demands do not reach proportions that endanger the margin of profit in a film." ALL of which soimds ver\ simple, but unfortunately the situation in Holh-vvood cannot be reduced to any such formula. The elimination of stars is not the sudden process the Journal writer seems to believe it is. The public artends to that — over a pe ric«d : not the picttire producers. And what would be a minor figure in Holl\-wood? Has the Journal writer ever been out to Holl}-wood? Minor, some of them may be in fact, but facts dont govern in HoU}-vs ood. As we have pointed out, Hollywood is the world" s prize provincial cit)-. And this has a lot to do with extra\-agant salaries. Your studio folk — most of them — live in the small world depicted for them by slush-stories in the Los Angeles newspapers. Their ideas of themselves are large — ^ven. large. There are exceptions, but the number of high-hats in Holl>-wood greatly exceeds any other kind of headgear worn out there. And you may take it as a fact that high-hats cut a big figure in this same, tough problem of production COSIS. Editorial 2263 We*k in Review 22ft4 Picrnres and People 226>-<9 Key Citj Report* :.. 22S2-S4 Clas^ifie<l Ads 22^5 The Cbeck-Up 22S6-5: ExUbiteis' Serrice Boreaa 228&-W St««« Briefs 22S»-»1 Skert Subject Reviews 2292 Featmre Reviews 2295-« Kesiosal News 2257-23«4 Accessory 23te-*S Rriease Chan 23»-12 }fo*icn :■ -V«-^v»-, It:: .re . . c-n. Vol. XXXV. No. 2i !K Sef^tcmbcr. 1913. PtMicatiom OMce. J29 Scv^'Kih Azt.. \c:e Xca: York City; Bramch O^ces 845 Jf. Wabash Avt., Chi^jjc. -— •:•..--.: ^resktrnt; E. Kendall GiBett, nV.'-fr.v/J.-KJ; mamagmg editor; Fred J. Bef croft, cdvertisiKj fepteseutatht. Subscription price, $2.00 fcr -"f sowu other cornntries. Canada. S3 jOO: i Great Britain. Titie registered in the jw:-: re. IQ27 Mcficn i^i^ :d uvetly by y. York, N. y.; Editori.: Hi.; r ' ^ ^ .:. A ■■■■'■■■ irsiic . tnctsager; L. H. Mason, Chicago ref'r^. : ■» McCormack. . ' States. Mes . .no Rico, Philipc.'.< .. f ;. 1027. by >re Xevcs, Inc., in I'niied L'nited States Patent , ::i foreign countries. IVestem Union cable address is 'Picknews" Xem York. EnUred as second doss matter at the Post Orice. Xe^ York, X. 1\, AprS 22, 1926, under the Act of March 3, i87t>.