Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

June 29, 1918 MOTOGRAPHY 1217 Sample of the sensational action and picturesque beauty in "A Fight for Millions," the new Vitagraph feature soon to be released. Hodkinson Tells How His Plan Works Out Corrects Belief Held in Some Quarters That It Is the Same as a Film Exchange Business WW. HODKINSON, in a statement • last week, corrected the idea held in some quarters that his co-partnership plan is, in effect, a film exchange business. "Of course this idea is due to a lack of complete information and understanding of our plans," remarked Mr. Hodkinson. "To begin with, I wish to make it clear that we are not conducting a film exchange business in the usual meaning of the word. Our function is to gather together a large group of representative theatres throughout the country and to utilize the enormous force they would represent to do the very things which the exhibitors themselves would do to protect their business, but which they individually and singly are powerless to do. "The capital furnished by our prospective stockholders will not be employed as investment in branch offices, nor used for overhead expenses while we organize. We already have a going business fully financed and showing a profit every week. The capital is required as advances to producers to assure ourselves of additional quality product for further expansion. "We do not contemplate the establishment of new film exchanges. One of the strongest planks in our platform is the economy we have effected through our utilization of an exchange organization already established. "Our present contract with this exchange corporation gives it a certain commission for handling our sales, which is always fixed and reduced with the volume of our sales. In other words, there is always a profit between the commission we pay them and the percentage received by us from the producers. "The central organization does not prosper at the benefit of the subsidiary corporations throughout the country, as we only retain a small percentage for administrative expenses and any deficit on that account will not, of course, interfere with the dividends of the local corporation stock. "We have no financial interest in any producing companies nor is any producer going to hold stock in our corporation. The product we handle is acquired on a percentage basis only with no risk on our part whatsoever. "But would a producer give us his entire output on such terms if he knew that its distribution was controlled by the exhibitors, by a group or groups of men, who, despite their integrity and sincerity had no knowledge of the distributing end of the business? The exhibitor's business is to run his theatre, the manufacturer's to produce pictures. We furnish the means of contact in such a way as to avoid domination of one faction by the other. "That film exchanges as a rule are unprofitable is a result of the existing unstable conditions in the industry which we aim to remedy by our Co-partnership Plan. When we have an assured market and an instant representation for our product without having to peddle it and to sell it over and over again our distributing organization will make money and the more self-sold customers — or co-partners — we get, the larger will our profits be." Chapter Titles of New Serial Are Announced Episode titles for the fifteen chapters of "A Fight for Millions," the forthcoming Vitagraph serial starring William Duncan, are given out by Albert E. Smith, president of the Vitagraph Company, as follows: Episode 1 — "The Share." Episode 2 — "Flames of Peril." Episode 3 — "The Secret Stockade." Episode 4 — "The Precipice of Horror." Episode S— "The Path of Thrills." Episode 6 — "The Spell of Evil." Episode 7 — "The Gorge of Destruction." Episode 8 — "In the Clutches." Episode 9 — "The Escape." Episode 10 — "The Secret Tunnel." Episode 11 — "The Noose of Death." Episode 12 — "The Tide of Disaster." Episode 13 — "The Engine of Terror." Episode 14 — "The Decoy." Episode 15 — "The Sealed Envelope."' Prints on the early episodes were shipped last week to all of the Vitagraph exchanges. This marks the opening of the campaign on this newest chapter photoplay, which was written by Albert E. Smith and Cyrus Townsend Brady, authors of "The Fighting Trail," "Vengeance and the Woman" and "The Woman in the Web." WTalter W. Irwin, general manager of the Vitagraph distributing organization, previously had instructecj the sales organization not to offer "A Fight for Millions" until they had seen some of the episodes themselves and permitted as many exhibitors as possible to see them. Thus this week will be "A Fight for Millions" week in all Vitagraph exchanges, with the exhibitors in all parts of the country being invited to see the early episodes before they book it.