Motion Picture News (Oct 1914-Jan 1915)

Construction, Equipment and Operation Everything for the Modern Picture Theatre TEL. 7650 BRYANT TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY WEST FORTY-SECOND STREET NEW YORK CITY Volume X DECEMBER 19, 1914 Number 24 OLD FILMS MADE NEW BY A SPECIAL PROCESS Good Will of a Theatre, a Vital Quality Depending on the Pictures More Than Anything Else, Can Be Maintained Only Through a Proper Supervision of the Service — Celluloid, Affected by Fluctuations of Temperature and Other Causes, Loses Transparency THE good will asset of a moving picture theatre, or, in other words, the property created in establishing good will for such a theatre is purely psychological. The good will consists solely of the mental attitude toward the theatre which is found in the minds of the general public from which the patrons of the theatre come. The good will takes the form of, or tendency, or inclination to patronize the theatre and a predisposition to derive pleasure and satisfaction from the patronage. Good will for a motion picture theatre manifests itself in the favoring attitude of the public toward the theatre. People who have the favoring attitude toward a theatre are less critical of its service and are more easily satisfied with the films which are shown. People who are animated by good will are looking for satisfaction. They are in a state of expectant attention which leads them to overlook defects and to see and magnify merits. The good will created for a theater grows from the pleasure and satisfaction which are regularly experienced by those who view the pictures shown there. One who uniformly experiences pleasure and satisfaction in viewing the films exhibited in a certain theatre becomes favorably disposed toward that theatre. When such a person desires to go to a picture show, he will make it a point to go to the place which his past experience has shown him to have regularly a satisfactory film service. Attractive exterior and interior finishing, comfortable seating, lighting and heating, generous ventilation, cleanliness and courteous and efficient ushers contribute largely to the satisfaction of the patrons, but without good film service they are like the play of Hamlet with Hamlet left out. Films which give pleasure and satisfaction are the most important factor in making a regular patron out of the casual visitor. The chief endeavor of the exhibitor who wishes to create good will must be to secure the best quality of film service. Good Film Service Essential to Patronage The service of the film exchange which supplies the theatre creates good will for the theatre when the films it furnishes give such pleasure to the spectator that he feels inclined to visit the theatre again. Such a satisfied visitor becomes an advertising agent, as by his conversation he influences others to visit the theatre. Good will for the film service rendered by the exchange will crystalize clearly and definitely in the mind of the man who manages the motion picture theatre, as experience shows him that the films furnished by the exchange please his patrons and to increase their number. The manager of a motion picture theatre will naturally become a regular patron of an exchange that regularly furnishes him films of such quality that they attract a desirable class of people to become regular patrons of his theatre. Good will must be continually renewed to keep it alive. When an exchange fails to give film service which satisfies the patrons of the theatre, it creates ill will for the theatre. Unsatisfactory service is a positive injury to the business and will cost too dearly, no matter how low the price. Whether an exchange service is creating ill will or good will for the theatres which use its films depends largely on the condition of the films it furnishes. The wise exhibitor is looking out for a film service of such excellent quality that his patrons will leave the theatre cheered and invigorated. When he has shown good judgment in selecting which should please his patrons, it is very annoying for the exhibitor to find that his films are in such bad condition that they fail to give satisfaction. The greatest bane of the film service is the tendency of films to become streaked and blurred with advancing age. The blotched and "rainy" appearance which a film takes on after it has been run a few times causes annoying eye strain to the patrons of the theatre. One leaves with a feeling of ill will and disgust for a place where he has been imposed upon with a film which is noticeably in bad condition. The desire to prevent such ill will and to gain and hold the good will of their patrons is responsible for the "age craze" among the exhibitors, and for their demand for films which have just been released. The Causes of Bad Film Conditions A film consists of a strip of celluloid which has been treated with an emulsion of gelatin containing photographic chemicals. The exposure of the film to heat and light while it is being exhibited causes changes to take place in both the celluloid and the gelatin coating. The celluloid loses some of its transparency and becomes dry and brittle, so that it breaks easily. The moisture driven from the gelatin coating by the heat causes the film to shrink and curl, or warp, or buckle. A film in this condition produces unsatisfactory pictures and wears out rapidly. When running a film the first time the gelatin coating of the film may adhere to the tension of the projecting machine and gather on it in small pointed masses. The pin-like points of these masses of gelatin adhering to the tension spring tend to cut the film and weaken the edge containing the sprocket holes. Insufficient oiling will cause the idlers to stick. In that case the gelatin adheres to the idlers and scratches the film in the center. Such scratches mar the beauty of the pictures. A film "sweats" as the result of exposure to heat and to changing atmospheric conditions. This so-called "sweat" causes fine particles of carbon from the electric arc and particles of atmospheric dust to adhere to the film. The accumulation on the film of sweat and of opaque particles of dirt obstructs the transmission of light through the film. The loss of transparency is distributed irregularly over the film and gives it the blurred or blotchy appearance known as oil spots, or rain streaks. One who looks at the pictures produced by a film in such a condition finds it difficult to distinguish the various features and experiences a painful eye strain. The dirt adhering to the film obstructs the transmitting light. A small opaque spot will be magnified many thousand times in the picture. A little dirt may cause very objectionable blurring. But this is not all. The sharp particles of dirt scratch and corrode the film as it is being wound and rewound. The adhering dirt thus causes a rapid deterioration of the film. It must be evident to every film exchange man and every exhibitor of motion pictures that any process which will prevent or remove these causes of bad condition in films will prove of great value to the motion picture business. (Continued on page 146.)