Motion Picture News (Jul-Aug 1916)

394 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 14. No. 3 to see that there was a box office reason for linking up their local advertising with the demand for these pictures, which had been created by national advertising. And the use of the trademarks of producing and distributing companies in exhibitor advertising helps the exhibitor in another way. On the programs of most producing or distributing companies there are certain stars who can fill a house any time they appear on the screen. The use of the trademark of that company enables the exhibitor to make the popularity of the better known stars of a program pull him big business for the stars who, while probably just as talented, are not so well known. I No Longer Necessary to Advise Newspaper Advertising | To advise the exhibitor to use newspaper advertising is no longer necessar}-. To advise him how to use it is of increasing importance. Several thousand advertisements of motion picture exhibitors are checked over in the Paramount offices each week, and from a study of these, information as to the most effective ways of newspaper advertising has been gathered and is at the service of any Paramount exhibitor who will send in copies of his advertisements with a request for criticism. This advice is given by a man who has had practical experience and the criticism is always constructive. But a trait of human nature comes in to make this service less effective than it should be. The man who is doing good advertising will write in asking for criticism and suggestions, while the man who is doing poor advertising goes placidly along his way, undisturbed by doubts of the effective qualities of his advertising ■ — -though he is the man who is most apt to grumble at his advertising bills and is most given to expressing doubts as to the real value of any advertising in his town or his neighborhood. However, the good advertiser who writes in for suggestions of improvement, grabs at any good idea handed him and makes that idea work overtime for him; so the work of giving advice is not without its heartening compensations. How to Arrange Successful Juvenile Programs By James S. Judd, Juvenile Motion Picture News THERE is a very good reason for the present day demand for special juvenile progress in the motion picture theatre. It is due entirely to the fact that the average theatre program is made up largely of film produced for adults. In the book business, which has been established for a long time, they specialize for adults and for children. The same with the stage. In the motion picture industry, however, with a notable exception here and there, and comparatively speaking of small quantity, the production has been entirely for grown-ups. Without entering into a discussion of the psychology of the juvenile mind, sensible people realize that the national demand for better pictures is largely because of the peculiar danger to children in a large percentage of the films now being displayed upon the screen. Later, when producers specialize in films adapted to children, this specific present day demand will probably disappear in the larger idea of the " family group." Then, with the coming of the family group into universal use, the producer will find it generally profitable to turn out only such film as may be shown to the family group, and the matter will take care of itself ; the public will reminisce about the gold old days when they used to talk about censorship — and laugh. In the meantime, however, there are, according to Mr. Cocks, of the National Board of Review, some 250 theatres in the United States now giving special juvenile programs. At the last convention of the Federation of Women's Clubs in New York, this subject of juvenile programs was given a great deal of attention. Women's Clubs Interested in Juvenile Programs A committee was appointed by the Federation to take up the matter with the 9,000 clubs representing a membership of 2,500,000 women in something like 4,500 cities of the United States. This activity is going to largely increase the demand for these special juvenile programs by Fall, if not before. For distribution at the convention the . publishers of Motion Picture News issued a JtrvENiLE Motion Picture News. Thousands of these were distributed during the convention and by a systematic handling of the distribution, every woman's club in the United States will have one of these booklets before the summer is over. Here's an evidence of what is coming — a letter from Vermillion, South Dakota : "Juvenile Motion Picture News has been of great assistance to us in launching our juvenile programs. Our first entertainment was a success financially as well as otherwise." In addition to the list of approved juvenile film published in Juvenile Motion Picture News, the women were urged to go to their local exhibitors with a commercially reasonable proposition, which was summed up as follows : The exhibitor to give a program of film acceptable to the club; the club in turn to make it worth his while through filling his house for him. Under such a proposition a live exhibitor has a mighty good chance to break even or make money on a special entertainment for children. Even if he loses a little it will be worth while, for his house is going to get a lot of advertising, which otherwise would cost him many dollars, and this advertising is going to be worth good hard money to the exhibitor during the rest of the weeks, months and years to come. Why wait for the club woman to come to you. Why not go to the livest Woman's Club in your town and offer to give a special juvenile program acceptable to them, if they will do the rest, and this means not only filling the house for the first performance, but in keeping at it during the period that is covered by the performances. You have got to get something more than a " God Bless You " from the club ; you have got to have an assurance of continued activity. The club, in turn, ought to be well satisfied to work every conceivable source of attendance for you, which would include the daily papers, churches, schools and welfare organizations. Juvenile Motion Picture News Only Aid If the exhibitor is going to start the thing himself, one of the first things he will need is a list of the proper film and all the known lists thus far published have been compiled in Juvenile Motion Picture News, which one of the prominent women at the convention said would be the " bible " of the women for many months to come. A postal card request to the Service Department of Motion Picture News will be promptly honored. These film lists give the brand and distributor. Correspondence thus far received from motion picture theatre managers who are going into the juvenile programs, indicates a tendency which should be avoided. Don't jump to the conclusion that the children want a lot of fairy stories, or educational films ; that all they want to see is how flowers grow. They want good clean action and fttn, and they want plenty of it and if you don't give it they will not go to your show. Give them a little educational if you want, but hide it and above all don't tell them anything about it. Just play up the entertainment side of the program. Size up the kind of a program that will appeal generally in the section from which the children come, and then get a good clean program with lots of action, but avoid crime and sex problem themes. Give them a nature picture or a scenic ; better still, if the scenic or the nature subject can be in the background and there be action and fun in front of it. Above all, give them just as high a quality of film physically as you would have for your very best adult audience. Any sane exhibitor knows that you can't give a man twice what he doesn't want, and remember the same thing applies to juveniles.