Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

386 Motion Picture News familiar story, and a good comedy and a novelty or two to convince the public that they want to visit your theatre. And you are cheating yourself if you don’t advise the public of ever} item of your program. Make a conscientious effort to plug up the leaks. Gather your employes together. Tell them not to talk hard times, but to give everyone the impression that business is good. But impress upon them the necessity of economy. Gain their co-operation. Perhaps your lights are turned on too soon or allowed to remain burning too long. Perhaps you are over-ordering on accessories. Perhaps some of your paper could be posted to better advantage. Perhaps you could save money by shipping your films by parcel post instead of by express. Perhaps you are not getting the maximum results from a minimum expense of newspaper advertising. Analyze this last item thoroughly. This does not mean that you should necessarily cut 'down the amount of space used. Instead, you may find that you can get better results by using more space on certain days or attractions, and less on others. Gain the good will of the newspapers, and get the maximum amount of free publicity from them. When you have a good picture, exploit it. This, too requires consideration. If you are a representative showman, you will originate ideas which do not necessarily cost a fortune to execute. And you will gain additional ideas from the trade journals. * Try a novelty of some kind as often as possible. Something different in presentation, in lobby displays and decorations, in your advertising. The American public appreciates originality. If you can make a patron talk favorably about your theatre you are getting valuable free publicity. The more popular you can make your theatre, the easier it will be to get the public to spend their money with you. Phil Gersdorf, Manager, Arcade Theatre, Jacksonville, Fla. Cut Down Expenses It has been my experience in Troy that the picture with proper music presentation is 90 per cent of the entertainment and the average theatre goer wants this percentage. The exhibitor must furnish his patrons with the best pictures that the market affords and not try to reduce his expenses by booking inferior pictures. They demand a consistently good program and any exhibitor who tries to curtail expenses, by showing inferior pictures; does his theatre an incalculable harm. But — the overhead can be reduced and T have found that this must be done as follows : (1) REVISION OF SALARIES— Study the salary account and eliminate the dead wood and unnecessary labor expense. Make every employe feel the necessity of “ putting the shoulder to the wheel ” and to do away with the “ time clock workers.” Set a good example by being on the job yourself. (2) MUSIC EXPENSE— There are many managers who believe that a large orchestra is necessary for advertising purposes, when a much smaller orchestra would give better results as far as featuring the picture and pleasing the public. (3) PRESENTATION EXPENSE— As stated earlier in this article, the motion picture audience looks to the feature to supply 90 per cent of the entertainment, accompanied by proper music, and elaborate and costly prologues tire the audience and detract from the screen. In many theatres the prologues cannot be eliminated altogether on account of an established policy, but the cost can be cut down, and the prologues can be produced on a more economical and less pretentious (4) ADVERTISING AND EXPLOITATION— The first thought on this subject is — are you getting the most out of your advertising appropriation? If not — revise it — take up new mediums, new methods and you will reach new patrons. Change your style of advertising, if it needs it. Give the public something new, something different and something interesting and appealing. (5) WORK — This item is listed last, not because it is least in importance, but because zvork is most important. You can’t expect others to give the best that is in them, if you don’t set a good example. Be on the job — be enthusiastic and energetic— stick to the ship and work. FINALLY — Study your patrons’ wants in pictures, and give them the best you can get. Be sure that they are properly projected. Benjamin Apple, Manager, American Theatre, Troy, N. Y. Specials Maize the Grade This is a town of 1400 in an agricultural community. That means that the prosperity of the town depends on the prosperity of the farmer. Every one knows that with twenty-five cent corn (the main crop) the farmers can not break even. There has not been a time within twenty-five years that farmers have been as hard hit as at present. Our slump at the theatre started in November, 1920. It came almost unannounced, for business up to that time had been great. We had a dull, sickening feeling for the first month or two, but as soon as we got it into our head that times had been abnormal we commenced to study the best line of procedure. We decided that only the best pictures would get the business and we also stood pat on prices. Our prices were and are 10 cents and 25 cents, including war tax. To any one family we sell ten adult tickets for $2, including tax. While some of our regulars buy this way. the percentage is small but there is a much better feeling created in our favor. Every two weeks we run a special with an advance of ten cents to fifteen cents in admission. Our experience this year has con vinced us that the admission price counts less with the average fan than the quality of the entertainment. Complaints as to prices have been negligible. We have done a very nice business on specials. In fact, some people have gone to nothing but specials during the year. We have advertised more intelligently than before. The result has been that we have drawn people from as much as twenty miles away. Many of these people have informed us that our pictures were better than those shown in nearby towns. Travelling men have also praised the quality of our programs. This sort of comment is fine advertising and gives an exhibitor a pleasurable pride in his work. We will never again show poor pictures if we can help it. First, it does not pay. Second, we take too much pride in our theatre to keep it open with poor service. While good pictures has been our main stock in trade, we have cleaned house in other ways. Our music bill has been reduced with no ill effects. Our advertising has been more effective but has cost us less than in former years. We have cut everything but salaries and at the same time we are showing just as much for the money as we ever did. We believe our biggest saving comes through showing better and fewer pictures. We show every night (except Sunday), but we change just four times a week. We run two oneday and two two-day pictures a week. Small-town exhibitors, listen to this: Very few people go to your show more than three or four times a week. Then why change every night? You can show a picture two days at less cost in proportion than for one day. Your advertising costs one-half as much. Transportation charges are cut in two. Film charges are less. Most companies will give you the second day on a picture for fifty per cent of the first day’s cost. If your picture is good the word-of-mouth advertising will help the second day. We have shown a few pictures three days and have done a nice business. On one special we showed to 1,300 people at advanced prices, but this was by far the best record we made this year. On that occasion we advertised in nine different papers around here. We do not believe in some of this superoptimism as handed out by some of t1’ film executives but at the same time we feel that no other one line of business has held up any better than the film business. Let’s forget about the easy times and go over our receipts of three and four years ago and see how much worse off we are now. If we have made a little money this year we can be thankful, for about ninety per cent of the business men are losing money. We are fortunate that we have no high-priced stock on our shelves and that we have a cash business. The writer is not at all concerned as to the future of motion pictures. The outlook is good. Best wishes for the continued success of Motion Picture News. Princess Theatre Company, Odebolt, Iowa.