Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1921)

1986 Motion Picture News ''Name a Date and Play Your Pictures" By J. S. Woody, General Manager of Realart How soon after contracting for a picture should an exhibitor be obligated to play it ? Let me answer that question by asking another, in typical American style : When should a distributor furnish a print to an exhibitor? The exhibitor's answer is readily given : 'Just when he wants it !' But I want to point out that the exhibitors themselves are very often the cause of other exhibitors not being able to get pictures just when they want them, and in addition to this inconvenience are very often responsible for the prices they have to pay for service. The distribution of motion pictures in a great many respects parallels that of many other commodities ; in order for the retailer to clear his shelves for fresh goods he must look to his customers to pay for and take their purchases as soon as they possibly can lest his working capital be tied up in idle stock. Profits in most businesses depend upon quick turnover and this applies with particular emphasis to the marketing of motion pictures. Due to the enormous expenses involved in the production and distribution of a picture, it is usually a year before an even break can be looked for. Therefore the problem naturally resolves itself into facilitating distribution in order that the ball can be kept rolling. But, it may be advanced, Mr. Exhibitor is not concerned whether the distributor makes a profit or not. Nevertheless he is aflfected, whether he realizes it or not. Suppose for instance, a production costs a hundred thousand dollars. Now, if on account of the uncertainty of bookings, a year elapses before a profit can begin to be realized on that picture, an interest item of several thousand dollars must be charged against it in addition to its production cost. Naturally this amount must be taken into consideration when the rental for the picture is determined. And that is only one item. While Realart does not distribute its pictures on an individual basis, the above conditions apply to the marketing of its service. Actually, it costs close to thirtyfive per cent of the gross eventually earned to distribute a production. Doesn't it stand to reason that if this can be brought down to twenty-five, twenty or even a less percentage the cost to the exhibitors should be correspondingly less ? When a first-run exhibitor, for instance, refuses to play pictures for which he has contracted, at the time when they are ready, he delays the realization of revenue, not only from his own theatre, but of that from numerous subsequent runs. Interest must be paid on the distributor's money while prints are inactive and this charge of course must in some way be met. Naturally, it is added to rentals. Part of this delayed exhibition difificulty Elaborate Fire Protection for Universal City FIRE protection equal to any found in the big cities of the country is the object of a construction project just started at Universal City. The cause of the new precautionary measures was a fire which broke out last week in the film city and for a time threatened to be disastrous in its effects upon the sets and permanent stages which aggregate millions of dollars in cost. While some damage was done the fire was checked in time to prevent any great losses. It required the combined efforts of the entire Universal City forces to subdue the flames. The new enterprise is in charge of Harry D. Brown, electrical chief. An expenditure of between $30,000 and $50,000 will be required to finish the work, according to the plans laid down. It is estimated that it will take six months to complete the installation of the new equipment and perfect all the details. is due to a tendency to contract for more pictures than there are days to play them, which, as any one can see, is conducive of anything but good business. The result is a hopeless congestion for which both exhibitors and distributors must suffer. Naturally, the longer exhibitions are delayed the more serious the situation grows, which cannot fail to have a negative economic effect all along the line. It's waste of the most wanton sort. Of course, in the case where an exhibitor contracts for pictures with no intention of ever using them, simply to keep them out of his competitor's theatre — and this is by no means as infrequent as one might think — the advantage is obtained not only at expense to himself but at a considerable aggregate cost to the entire industry. And then again, there is the case of the exhibitor in a town boasting several other theatres, all potential customers, who has contracted for service but cannot be persuaded to give definite play dates, the consequences of which is that the other theatres, although eager to run the pictures, cannot do so. By the time the first-run reaches the point where he consents to give play dates, the others, wearying of his procrastination, have signed up for other service, depriving the distributor of the chance to secure the revenue to which he is justly entitled. Does anyone kid himself into the belief that he does not pay a heavy economic penalty in the long run for such a business policy? A case somewhat similar to that described in the preceding paragraph occurred in an open town where Realart signed up for its season's output. The exhibitor delayed supplying us with play dates until after his competitors had closed for all the product they needed. Even to the end of the season he persistently refused to give us dates with the result that we received absolutely no revenue from that town. Can it be argued that this attitude does not operate to increase costs and so to increase rentals? There is another angle of this 'delayed playing' which I think escapes the attention of many exhibitors. Few, these days, will deny the existence of that very potential influence, star personality and popularity. When an exhibitor presents a certain star at frequent intervals in his house he builds up a return patronage based on her popularity and drawing power. If, however, he defers dates so as to allow too long a period to elapse between her pictures he helps to erase her from his patrons' minds thereby losing the prestige he has gained for her, and this loss cannot but be reflected in his box-office, eventually. The public is undeniably fickle and it must see its idols frequently or they cease to be idols. Quite often we receive letters from exhibitors wherein they describe the difficulties and annoyances which they experience and which are due to nothing more or less than neglect on the part of other exhibitors to give consideration to their contemporaries. Our answ^er to one of these should prove of interest, applying as it does to the matter of play dates : Your comment on conditions which confront the exhibitor appeals strongly to us. You say : I do not know whether you or your concern really understand the great difficulty that we have from time to time to get our pictures at the time we need them. It was exactly that which we had in mind, Mr. , in offering our plan. You know definitely under the Realart plan just when the Realart part of your entertainment will be available. There is no delay or guess-work; it's definite and fixed. You probably have a pretty fair idea of the amount of calculating, planning and hard work which is involved in arranging a year's production so that prints may be assured to the exhibitor on designated dates. A task of this magnitude, we believe, has not been undertaken by any other company under present producing conditions. It was undertaken by Realart only because there was insistent demand from our customers for dependable information regarding regularit\' of releases. Realart, of course, cannot be of more service to you than to do its own share, and it is this that \\t are trying to do. Your Realart dates are thirty-six out of the year. That obviously is not many. But it's a beginning — it furnishes something tangible around which you can build — assures you that at least part of your bookings for the coming year are dependable — relieves you of that much bother and trouble.