Motography (Jul - Dec 1915)

December 4, 1915. MOTOGRAPHY 1177 Ince Already Needs More Room NEGOTIATING FOR BIG TRACT THAT he is negotiating for the acquisition of thirty-one additional acres, immediately adjoining the twelve-acre tract at Culver City, on which he is building a new quarter-million dollar studio, was the announcement made this week by Director-General Thomas H. Ince of the New York Motion Picture Corporation. The step has been necessitated, according to Ince, by the fact that the twelve-acre site will be inadequate for the erection of the plant he claims to require for the production of forthcoming TriangleKay Bee features. If the deal is consummated, Ince will appropriate the thirty-one acres to the construction of more stages, dressing rooms, property quarters and offices, yet will leave sufficient space unoccupied to permit of the building of any great street settings or exteriors of large structures. Work on the construction of the buildings at the Culver City plant has progressed so rapidly to date that it was announced this week the new workshop will be in full operation before the middle of December. Not even do the building activities cease with nightfall. A corps of men is constantly at work, during the dark hours, under the glare of several hundred immense arc lights. The heavy iron framework of most of the buildings has virtually been completed, so that now all that remains to be done is the erection of the walls. An interesting fact in connection with the structural work is that a half-ton of white lead is being used in each of the stages. This is being placed_ in all apertures between timbers, in order that warping mav be made impossible. ' Plans for the dedicatory exercises to mark the formal opening of the new plant were discussed for the first time this week by Producer Ince with the members of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce. It is likely, if the tentative plans do not go awry, that WORSE THAN CENSORSHIP City Council of Georgia Village Arbitrarily Fixes Admission Prices of Local Theaters at Ten Cent Maximum Perhaps one of the most unique incidents of municipal regulation of moving picture interests, is that which has been" brought to light by W. C. Brandon, Atlanta branch manager of V. L. S. E., Inc., at West Point. Ga. The city government of that community has fixed by ordinance the maximum admission which an exhibitor of motion pictures may charge. This maximum is ten cents, and in the event that the exhibitor insists that he cannot show a picture for that price, and he can prove to the city authorities that it has such exceptional merit as to warrant him charging more, he is required to pay the city a sum of $50 for the privilege. It is said that this ordinance was introduced because, up until a short time ago, there had never been any competition in the city and the sole exhibitor in the place abused his position by charging the public twenty-five cents for inferior productions. This caused such a storm of criticism, _ and so vitally affected the pleasure of the community's inhabitants, that the city council passed an ordinance forbidding such admissions except under the circumstances noted. Thomas H. Ince staging the big stock c one of the first taken at the new Cuivc change scene which was City studios. the ceremonies will be in the nature of a grand ball, either on one of the outdoor stages or within the proposed glass-inclosed studio. This if held, will take place either on New Year's eve or New Year's night and the entire west colony, together with representative citizens of Los Angeles and outlying towns, will be invited to attend. In the brilliance of a myriad lights, the guests will alternate between dancing and inspecting the brand new buildings of the plant. Ouida Bergere to Adapt Woods Plays Closely following the announcement that Pathe had secured the picture rights to the A. H. Woods productions, comes the announcement that Ouida Bergere has been selected from among the scenario writers of the United States for the important work of adapting them for the screen and also to select the casts for them. There is probably no other author better fitted for this task than Miss Bergere, for she is one of the few scenario writers who has made a study of her craft from every angle. Realizing, a few years ago, the wonderful -opportunities in the field, and also realizing the necessity of a thorough training, she left the legitimate stage, where she had made an enviable reputation with some of our greatest stars, and, at a great sacrifice, entered the scenario department of Pathe. In two years she had been in every department, scenario editor, leading woman, film editor and even in the property department. With this training, she entered the field as a freelance writer and her success was immediate. Such firms as Famous Players, Vitagraph and Pathe, gave her orders for scenarios. Later the idea occurred to