Moving Picture Age (Jan-Dec 1921)

May, 1921 MOVING PICTURE AGE 19 Getting More Out of Slides USERS of commercial slides can well afford to take a lesson from theatres who are using slides for the promotion of their own work frequently to the exclusion of slides for business purposes. Probably one of the most noticeable features in the theatrical use of slides is that the slides are artistic. If a slide is worth showing at all the difference between the cost of a cheap slide and a good slide is not worth considering when the other items of cost and the value which is expected to be received are considered. Slides are a form of advertising and no advertiser would consider using a poorly prepared advertisement in a high-priced magazine merely to save money when the cost of "showing" is much greater than the cost of preparation. In addition to being artistic, slides should be attractive. Color, if there are no other impressive features about a slide, gives it attractiveness if artistically used. The position of the various elements on the slide have an important effect upon the attractiveness of the slide. To a large extent attractiveness is tied in with the artistic features. Another element to be considered is that if a slide is to receive the proper amount of attention it should be catchy. Attractive illustrations, color properly used, out of the ordinary points of interest, or a particularly clever saying help make a slide catchy. This does not mean, however, that a "catchy" slide is the most effective. Many times other elements of interest are more effective than the catchy line. One of the big points of interest in making a slide valuable is in making frequent changes. It is not uncommon with some slide users to permit the same slide to run in the same theatre over a year. By the end of six months this slide is often hooted at by the audience and instead of becoming an element of value is actually destroying confidence in the concern which it is supposed to increase. The method used by the theatre man can well be studied here. Usually a slide does not have a long life because ordinarily a theatre man does not advertise his special film more than one or two weeks. However, when he advertises for a longer time than this his plan of action may well be followed". In one compaign previous to the showing of a certain film for a long run a theatre man used six sets of slides each week. It is reasonable to suppose that the theatre audience begins to repeat at least, to a large extent, every two weeks if not every week. If they see the same slide over and over again they soon tire of it. It is this point of psychology, the love of a change, on which the theatre exhibitors are capitalizing and is a similar point which cannot be emphasized too greatly to other slide users. Making Emergency Slides IN showing slides it is frequently necessary to get up a special slide in a hurry. Sometimes it is not possible to take the time necessary to do photographic work. The old method under such conditions was to use a hand written slide. Whether this was at all satisfactory or not depended upon the handwriting of the individual. Now special types of slides are made which may be put in the typewriter and the message typed on them. In such cases it is quite easy to make a fairly Manufacturers of Commercial Slides Joseph Hawkes 147 West 42nd Street NEW YORK America's Leading Specialist in Made To Order Slides MY EXPERIENCE RANGES FROM SLIDES FOR AN ENTIRE GEOGRAPHICAL EXPEDITION TO AN INDUSTRIAL PRODUCT. ^Attradb-o-Sx icenq Perfect AUTOMATIC Daylight Stereopticon. Capacity any part of 50 lantern slides. Brilliant pictures. No assembling Compact! Ideal for exhibits. Write ATTRACT-O-SCOPE CORPORATION E. Van Altena, President 29 West 38th Street, New York City attractive slide or at least one which does not distract by its appearance. In addition to the typewriter slides, adhesive letters, especially prepared for slide work, are sold. These come in both capitals and lower case and can be stuck on a slide, in the same way that many of our signs are made at present. These, if put on neatly, make inexpensive and attractive slides, and are quite economical if only one slide is to be made. If more than one slide is to be made, in all probability it would be cheaper and better to use pasted up letters as copy for reproduction. These letters can be pasted on a glass slide or any other special slide background. An almost as disagreeable feature as the handwritten slide is the numerous handwritten signatures applied to slides. Some companies are getting around this by insisting that the address of the local representative to whom the slide goes should be put on by the manufacturer of the slide. This assures a neat address. There are also little stickers made which can be typewritten and attached to the glass slide to carry the address. Any of these are much better than trying to put a signature in by longhand. By a new process motion portraits can be taken directly on a strip of paper without the use of a negative. These portraits show action the same as a strip of film but are not reversed in color as is an ordinary negative when photographed. Equipment for this is being supplied by Victor Gianett of the Filmless Motion Portrait Corporation, 101 W. 42nd St., New York City. Please say, "As advertised in MOVING PIC'i J RE AGE," when you write to advertisers.