Motion Picture News (Jul-Oct 1914)

THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS 37 The ILxhibitors' rorum THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS assumes no responsibility for any opinion or assertion made in the columns below, nor does the publication of a letter mean that the statements it contains are endorsed by the NEWS. All letters must be signed. No attention will be paid to 2inonjmious communications. Getting the Right Kind of Pictures THE question this writer asks in his communication should command the attention of exchange men and manufacturers, for the problem is one requiring a satisfactory solution in the shortest possible time, in order to remove a chaotic condition menacing the prosperity of the motion picture business. The correspondent in making the declaration that film buyers should be supplied with what they want strikes the right keynote. He also makes an observation on the changing conditions among theatres, which might be viewed in the light of a prediction which will probably come true in a very short period. He already sees in the distinction now made in the "uptown" and "downtown" houses of his city, with the different class of films in use by the various managers, the approach of a time when all motion picture theatres will fall into well-defined classifications, according to the character of pictures shown on the screen. Rochester, N. Y., Aug. 30. Editor, The Motion Picture News, New York City. Dear Sir: — How can the manager of a motion picture theatre, who cares enough about the quality of the pictures he presents to feel a personal interest in them and in their selection, be sure that he is getting just the pictures that he wants, and that he feels his audiences will appreciate and approve? This is one of the big questions confronting managers to-day, and one which must be solved correctly, or managers will find it impossible to build up the kind of trade they want, and hold it. In the dramatic world it is easy for a manager to know in advance just what sort of an attraction his house is going to present. He is in a position to feel sure that his attraction will be of a certain grade. In fact, dramatic houses themselves are classed according to the nature of the entertainment offered, falling naturally into different classes such as houses presenting only first-class attractions at top prices; second-class houses, stock company theatres, vaudeville theatres, and burlesque houses. Patrons are able to inform themselves accurately in advance as to the class of house they are going to attend, and concerning the nature of the attraction they are going to see. THE motion picture business has not reached that stage of development yet, but is fast coming to the point where some sort of classification must be made, not only of the pictures themselves, but of the houses as well. Before very many months, if the picture business keeps growing as it has during the past twelve months, theatres will be known by the grade of films they show, and ranked as -the dramatic houses are to-day. Managers of the picture houses which use first-run films depend almost entirely on the reports and judgment of agents in booking their films. Very rarely have they seen the films themselves before they are put on, and the judgment of an agent may not be at all like that of the manager himself as to whether a film is suitable for presentation in a certain house or not. Enterprising managers should make it their business to let the manufacturers and agents know exactly what they like and what they do not like in various films sent them for use in their houses. The exhibitors are the wholesale buyers of films. The films must be as they want them, or the manufacturers will soon come to grief, through the falling off in business of the man who buys at wholesale, and retails to the public. THE solution problem, then, is the interest shown in the films by the exhibitors. They should have ideas of their own concerning the films, and should not be slow in expressing them. If they have no opportunity in advance to see the pictures they are buying, they can at least express their opinions concerning them, so that the same mistakes need not be made in future releases. It is the man who has these ideas of his own, and who lets the exchange man and the manufacturer know them, who builds up a trade in his house. It is individuality that counts, and no manager should fall into a rut and take whatever the manufacturer decides to send him, just because he is using a certain service. There are too many feature services to be had these days for any manager to feel that he must tie himself up to any one manufacturer, and take what he sends, no matter what the nature of the films. Rochester. Sticking to a Policy Baltimore, Sept. 2. Editor The Motion Picture News, New York City. Dear Sir: — Having a well-defined policy, to be adhered to under all conditions, is perhaps one of the greatest assets and business builders a motion picture theatre can boast of. A well-thought-out campaign, and plan of procedure, with a definite aim or object in view, should be possessed by every manager of a motion picture house. If he has studied conditions sufficiently to form a correct conclusion, having a definite aim simplifies the task of any manager, and makes it possible for him to go about the job of building up a suitable clientele. Nowadays there are so many different kinds of picture houses that the first thing a manager must do on taking charge of a house is to determine into what classification he shall put his theatre. He must determine how much he can charge at the door, how much he can give for the admission fee decided upon, and the nature of the films to be shown. Determining upon the admission fee is one of the big problems of any manager new in a given field. The tendency of any manager is to run toward the higher figures, knowing that they will make it possible to give a better show than the five-cent admission, but there are many things to be taken into consideration before any house advances its figures above those at which the picture houses started. In the minds of many people picture houses are always associated with five-cent pieces, and when anything more than five-cents is demanded they think they are being imposed upon, and it requires a great deal of explaining to convince them that the performance is worth more than five cents. Seating capacity should play an important part in fixing the scale of