Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1917)

December 29, 1917 4567 Seng Intends to Keep "Parentage" Explains That Selling a State Rights Picture and Distributing One Are Widely Different — Does Not Approve of the Former Method FRANK J. SENG has given, in an interesting resume of conditions in the trade as applied to programs and state right features, what is probably the first detailed dissection of the independent subject ever offered for the benefit of the motion picture industry. That a man with a state rights feature on his hand does not wish to sell it, but prefers to keep it and distribute it through a system wholly his own, is in fact a rare condition in the industry, but one which is applicable to Mr. Seng. After looking over everything available, and then deciding upon a certain picture as the best of the lot, Mr. Seng looks upon it as sheer folly to pass it along by the sales route. Never Intended to Sell " I have never had any intention of selling state rights on ' Parentage,' " said Mr. Seng last week. " When most people in the film business think of state rights they naturally think of sales, and when I advertised that I intended to distribute ' Parentage ' by the state rights method scores of exchangemen came to me immediately and wanted to buy. They seemed unable to believe me when I said that I did not care to ' sell' but intended to distribute this unusual production on a percentage plan of contract. " It seems that conditions have made it necessary for every producer who has offered a film on the State Rights market to sell immediately, if possible, in order to get back the money invested in the proposition and use it to make another. " I believe that this is a very faulty condition. As a rule, this producer makes several pictures in the course of a year and has a small percentage of real success, with the net result at the end of the year that he has made very little profit for himself, for the exchange or for the exhibitors. Looked Things Over " When I decided to enter the film industry I looked over things carefully enough to realize that it was much better business for every one concerned to concentrate upon one quality piece of merchandise and market it intelligently, so that it might be developed to the fullest extent by co-operation and distribution methods which would give everyone a fair opportunity to secure their portion of fair profit. " I had carefully considered the faults of the ' program system,' and decided that it would be equally as faulty for me to consider the marketing of a number of pictures unless I could find a number of exceptional productions. " I believe Parentage to be one of the most unusual films that has ever been produced. Its story value and the human elements make it pleasing to every class of patronage, and the advertising pos sibilities assure box-office results. It has been a success in the biggest cities, in the best theatres, and in the smallest towns. Every film man who has seen it has been decidedly enthusiastic and it has never to my knowledge disappointed an audience. I believe such a production can be played for years with great success. If plays like A PATRIOT His Spirit We Admire ENCLOSED please find check for $5.00 for the Boys in France Tobacco Fund. I put a benefit on Thanksgiving, but so much going on I went in the hole. Am in a very small place. But will donate the $5.00. Hoping that the cause will be successful, I remain, Yours very respectfully, (Signed) William Mills, Mills Theatre, Shelburne Falls, Mass. ' W ay Down East ' and ' Uncle Tom's Cabin ' can be sent through this country year after year with second, third, fourth, and eighth-run road companies presenting them, certainly such a production as ' Parentage ' can be played for years with even greater success. Surprised Exchangemen " It was rather amusing to me to see the look of surprise which came into the eyes of every exchangeman, who came in to discuss negotiations on this film, when told that I did not want to ' sell ' it. They had never heard of such a thing. I waited until they were definitely assured that I had no intentions of ' selling ' and had no intentions of placing it for distribution until I secured an equitable contract, and I am glad to say that this policy, which is only sane business, has eventually resulted in having every one of these exchangemen come back to negotiate time after time until they finally came to an understanding that at last they have discovered one man in the film business who wasn't trying to dicker and did not have a ' big stick ' up his sleeve. " I have arranged a contract which is entirely different from anything ever used in the state rights field. It is simple, and much more equitable than anything used in the past, because it gives a larger percentage of profit to the distributor if he makes good. Some exhibitors shied somewhat at this form of contract when first presented to them, because it was new; and somehow they seemed to think there must be a joker. Later they discovered that there was no joker and commenced to figure. Ability Guarantee " The only requirement which I have made at any time has been that the distributor be able to give me a guarantee of his ability to do a certain amount of business. His guarantee has been prepared in such form that it required very little cash to swing the deal, and I have always placed my guarantee figures on a basis so low that the contract simply meant that the producer really intended to give ' Parentage ' the proper sort of distribution. " Every one knows that many a good film has been ruined because the average exchange allows it to die after the ' first run ' money has been accumulated. When a film is six weeks to two months old and begins to rent at moderate prices it is sidetracked for the ' new things ' or is booked in conjunction with two or three other films. The independent producer who has distributed on a percentage plan has found that this fault in distribution methods has cost him many thousands of dollars. " The exchangeman after getting the first money, which was easy, had no incentive to continue to push the worthwhile picture from which he was only getting 35 or 40 per cent, instead of pushing some small picture of questionable merit of which he happened to own 100 per cent. The natural tendency has always been to begin to book the two pictures together, with the one owned by the exchangeman getting decidedly the better of the booking arrangement when the figures were put down." Extra Prints for "Warrior" in Several Territories Arthur H. Sawyer and Herbert Lubin, General Enterprises, Inc., are receiving congratulatory reports from all sections of the country from buyers who are now releasing " The Warrior " to various exhibitors in their territories. J. R. Grainger, general manager Allen Film Corporation, Chicago, has closed an additional contract with Messrs. Sawyer and Lubin for the States of Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Every purchaser of state right privileges for " The Warrior " has been contpelled through the demand for the picture to order additional copies, it is said. The American photoplay Company of Philadelphia has requested two extra prints for Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Pennsylvania and J. S. Skirboll, general manager Rowland & Clark theatres of Pittsburgh, reports that the rental prices received for the first run bookings of the successor to " Cabiria " have broken all records for his territory. Sawyer and Lubin expect to announce within the next week the consummation of a contract for the rights to New York State.