Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1929)

48 Motion Picture News December 7, 1929 An Unselfish Service Pays its Way in Protecting M-G-M Sound Product Based on an Interview With J. S. MacLeod Director, Sound Service Department of M-G-M EXHIBITOR complaints that imperfect discs, or poor recording, or any number of other causes of difficulties connected with sound reproduction, and the problems which confront distributors due to such complaints, are one of the prices the industry has paid for the new feature of motion pictures which we know as "sound," and these same business problems are responsible for the establishment by one of the large distributing companies of a most unique example of "unselfish service" — about which so much has been said in the higher councils of modern business. This is the Sound Service Department now being operated as an arm of sales and distribution by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It is an "unselfish service" insofar as trained technicians, specially educated at the company's expense and paid salaries by the company, are available to theatre men in every territory served by a MetroGoldwyn-Mayer exchange for advice and suggestions on how they may improve the quality of sound reproduction in their theatres — such service being entirely free of charge or any obligation so far as the theatre is concerned. It was created for the entirely selfish and very business-like reason that experience showed that inadequate equipment, poor acoustics, faulty operation of the sound apparatus was giving large numbers of picture patrons an entirely erroneous impression of the company's sound product, and therefore loomed as a serious menace to the prestige of the company's productions. Many complaints that "recording was bad," the "discs supplied were in bad condition," etc., on product that was known to be well recorded and discs which were in perfect condition when shipped from exchanges, brought the M-G-M sales and production heads to the conclusion that something very practical would have to be done in order to protect the company's product. The necessity of doing something practical resulted in a determination to establish a staff of technicians, qualified by proper training and experience, to work in conjunction with exchanges to help theatre men straighten out the difficulties which were at the bottom of their sound troubles, and at the same time, guarantee the proper presentation of the company's prodii'i. where that was used, though the J. S. MacLeod service would necessarily have to be free to all. Going about the job in thorough fashion, Felix F. Feist, head of sales, and his associates, arranged to have the studio in Culver City conduct a course of intensive training in the fundamentals of sound recording and reproduction, the right method in handling films and discs, and acoustics. THE course was attended by thirteen young men. They received their final instructions, before assignment to territories in which they were to serve, from Mr. Feist and Mr. MacLeod at a meeting held in Chicago, and then proceeded to the posts they now fill in the field force of the M-G-M Sound Department. The importance of this free service supplied by the company to all theatres is indicated in the departmental slogan : "Protect Our Product." These thirteen technicians have been in the field for more than 2 months, and they have rendered service to a great number of theatres in which managers and operators were encountering difficulties they were unable to overcome without expert advice. One man is attached to each sales division. There are 3 supervisors and 10 tei hnicians, and the company is prepared to put a man in every exchange should conditions warrant that extension of the department's personnel. An idea of the thoroughly practical value of this service to the theatre is to be found in one of a large number of letters from exhibitors expressing their thanks for the assistance given by one of the M-G-M technicians, this came from a California town and told how the advice given over the 'phone by one of the technicians at the exchange resulted in eliminating trouble in his system. "As suggested," the writer declared, "the magnetic pickup was out of alignment with disc and turntable and correction of this ended the difficulty we were having." THE personnel of the organization, which is under the direction of Mr. MacLeod, includes the following: Charles B. Fogle, Mid Western territory ; Leo S. Moore, Southern territory ; Ernest Whitley, Eastern territory : Supervisors. Charles L. Berry, Washington, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Charlotte; Ralph H. George,, Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis; Jack Valpey, Michael Stinore, Los Angeles, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle ; John Redmond, D. S. MacLeod, New York, Albany, Buffalo; Edward Dobkin, Boston, New Haven; John Ward, Atlanta, Dallas, Memphis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City; Jerome Porter, St. Louis, Des Moines, Kansas City, Omaha ; Selwyn Levinson, Detroit. Cincinnati, Cleveland. In order to obtain the services of these specially trained technicians all the exhibitor has to do is to request his exchange to send a man out to help him. The technicians are instructed to make thorough investigations of the apparatus, the acoustics of the theatre, the method of operating the equipment. To the sales department of the company, this new service feature contributes to the work of both salesmen ami branch offices ; provides ready source of reliable information about sound and sound problems ; insures best possible sound service to all customers; gives the benefit of the most approved methods of inspection, storage, handling and shipping of records and prints ; permits extending practical aid to customers ; minimizes conditions which prevent obtaining quality reproduction of product; aids co-operation between sales and theatre men and projectionists; protects and popularizes the company product, and assures the public of better entertainment.