Motion Picture News (Oct 1913 - Jan 1914)

THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS 16 The Motion Picture News MOVING PICTURE NEWS EXHIBITORS' TIMES Published Every Week by EXHIBITORS' TIMES, Inc. Business Offices 220 West 42nd Street, New York City Telephone Bryant 7650 Chicago Office 604 Schiller Building WILLIAM A. JOHNSTON EDITORS THOMAS BEDDING, JOHN M. BRADLET ADVERTISING MANAGER JAMES F. FAIRMAN ASSISTANT MANAGER WILLIAM M. PETINGALE WESTERN REPRESENTATIVE C. J. VER HALEN Subscription $2.00 per year, postpaid in the United States, Mexico, Hawaii, Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands. Canada and Foreign (2.50 per year, ' ADVERTISING RATES on application. Copy for next issue must reach us by Wednesday 11 a. m. Entered as Second-Class matter in the New York Post-Office. Cuts and copy are received subject to the approval of the publishers, and advertisements are inserted absolutely without condition expressed or implied as to what appears in the text portion of the paper. Address J. F. FAIRMAN, Advertising Manager Vol. VIII November 1, 1913 No. 17 This publication is owned and published by Exhibitors' Times, incorporated under the laws of the State of New York. The offices and principal place of business are at 220 West 42nd Street, New York City. President, Wm. A. Johnston; Vice-President, Henry F. Sewall; Sec'y, E. Kendall Gillette; Treas., Wentworth Tucker. The address of the officers is the office of the publication. TEACHING THE SUBJECT T F to Syracuse University belongs the credit of being the first academical body to institute a professorship of the motion picture and to afford its alumni the opportunity of graduating in the science and obtain, presumably, degrees, it is to another country that the credit must be assigned for taking a step which places the study of the art and science of motion picture making within the reach of people of limited means. Last week we printed a letter and an article dealing with the suggested formation of a motion picture society, college or institute. It must be evident to all men of intelligence from this data that the question of the proper study of the motion picture art and science is in the air. The work is passing out of the empirical or trial and error stage and the demand is for real definite, concrete knowledge applied to the subject. This knowledge can only be obtained by hard study under proper guidance. * * * * T N various parts of Europe for the past twenty-five years there have been founded polytechnics or technical institutes — we refer especially to Germany, Aus tria, France and England — where for a little money you could study photography in many of its branches. You could qualify by examination and get honors. Many photographers and photo-engravers throughout the world obtained their knowledge that way, and this has led them to successful business. These places are just like colleges where the casual day or evening student can work up his subject. * # * * MOW we see with feelings of pleasure that the Polytechnic Institute in London under Professor E. Howard Farmer is opening classes for the study of the motion picture or cinematography, as it is clumsily called across the Atlantic. Professor Farmer is a personal acquaintance and correspondent of our own. In the last quarter of a century he has taught thousands of photographers. Some of the finest photographic artists in the world owe their original tuition to Professor Farmer and his efforts. Now we know that the subject of the motion picture at the London Polytechnic will be handled in such a way that the classes of students will be able to gain a practical insight into the subject. We wish we could persuade the authorities of the polytechnics or high schools in this country to do as Professor Farmer is doing across the Atlantic ; that is, to give young students desirous of studying the principles of the art and science of motion picture making the opportunity of doing so for a small fee of a few dollars. It is apparent to us that there are many thousands who would freely avail themselves of the chance. * * * * "\X7"E feel so strongly on this subject, we realize so fully its importance that we shall bring this issue of The Motion Picture News containing this article to the notice of eminent educational authorities in the hope and the expectation that the proper facilities for studying the subject will be provided. * * * * THE more the pre-eminence of the motion picture is studied the more clearly intelligent men will see that even in the study of its making so many rcurces of human knowledge must be tapped that it is in itself an educative stimulator. Take anybody with a perfectly clear mind and with natural intelligence and start to make him a maker of motion pictures. Just consider what branches of knowledge you will oblige him to familiarize himself with. He must "get acquainted" with chemistry and physics, with theoretical and practical optics ; he must be well equipped with what is conveniently called general knowledge. He should certainly have more than a nodding acquaintance with literature. The picture maker in a sense must be looked upon as an author and scholar, and film manufacturers and makers as in a sense publishers. That is to say, those who are competent to do the work from beginning to end, or at least supervise it, must be, as it were, the possessors of all possible knowledge. They make the picture ;. the film manufacturer sells it.