Moving Picture Age (Jan-Dec 1922)

WHAT HAS THE New Year in store for visual instruction? The new consignment of 365 days contains exactly what you would have it contain ; but yours must be the taking. Extensions of university, school, church, and commercial visual-aid services ; a strengthening of the religious and educational organizations promulgating visual instruction as a main or a side issue ; a closer acquaintance among the visual educators who are developing the institution upon a permanent foundation ; a sharper definition of factors in the field, so that a man shall no longer be led to consider a commercial plan a philanthropic project or a business concern an educational society; an increase in the production of nontheatrical films handled in a professionally capable manner, and an improvement in the general grade of theatrical pictures, by which the non-theatrical field will benefit when these films have completed their theatrical runs — these are a few of the opportunities that lie hidden in the new period opening before us. OUR EDITORIAL ON the Better Film Movement, appearing in the last issue, seems to have struck home. A number of communications and personal expressions of opinion would indicate that the moral obliquity or insipidity of the motion picture is a vital problem to the serious-minded and constructive element of our population as well as an opportunity to those who talk for talk's sake. The most significant development of the December editorial is our affiliation with the General Federation of Women's Clubs in the promulgation of the Better Film Movement. Beginning with the February issue, Moving Picture Age will contain a department conducted by Mrs. Woodallen Chapman, chairman of the Motion Picture Committee of the General Federation of Women's Clubs. In this department are to appear lists of the pictures officially approved by the Motion Picture Committee ; any film announcements that the chairman wishes to bring to the attention of the Federation members or the general public ; news of group activities for better films throughout the country, and similar material of value to the person seeking a sane means to betterment of the theatrical motion picture. Moving Picture Age is the only publication in the field of visual instruction in which will be printed the Federation's lists of approved films. This arrangement distinctly does not constitute Moving Picture Age the official organ of the General Federation of Women's Clubs; that organization already has an official medium. The affiliation does mean that this magazine officially presents the Federation's film thought for the field of visual instruction. The magazine's interest in and news of activities making for better films will be in no sense limited to this plan. The activities of any authoritative and representative groups working on constructive principles will be recounted, and all definite conclusions presented, with a view to the promulgation of thorough knowledge of and reasoned belief in the Better Film Movement; nor shall we feel content with progress attained until EDITORIALS advocacy of the better film is being conducted in every state in the land. Moving Picture Age repeats its offer of assistance made in the December issue. It stands ready to co-operate with any authoritative national or state organization engaged in efforts to bring to pass a higher standard of films, provided the organization operates on the constructive principles employed by the Better Film Movement. ONE WEEK DEVOTED to a study of visual-instruction conditions in and around New York City has left us with a rather unique assortment of memories. A rough summary of facts noted and thoughts inspired might be of some interest and perhaps some value to you. Now for a few facts (in no determined sequence) before we discuss the thoughts inspired by them. We note first (Fact No. 1) perhaps the most sensational fact ofthe trip: A letter was addressed to every branch office of a non-theatrical concern that lists more than 30 branch offices on its stationery, and we personally examined 22 of these letters that had been returned to the sender, unclaimed— and the reply to the 23d referred the writer to the home office. Again (Fact No. 2), we think of the director of the educational department in a well-known film concern, who stated that one of his biggest problems was to obtain an opportunity to show his pedagogical product before conventions of state teachers' associations. Another significant fact (Fact No. 3) is the statement that many film concerns refuse to spend money to produce the educational films the teacher seeks until they have received more assurance that there is a definite and reasonably profitable market for such material. And here (Fact No. 4) is a statement we would enlarge upon in a later paragraph— a statement made by a pastor in a fairly large manufacturing town: "Of course motion pictures for the church are satisfactory in some places, but you know here in ■ they do the pictures up so brown that there is no chance for church films." Another (Fact No. 5) : Several producers' upon whom we called are producing new material of such a character that after its theatrical run it is available, without alteration, for use in the non-theatrical field. A less pleasant one (Fact No. 6) : One theatrical concern, realizing the importance and potential strength of the non-theatrical exhibitor and eager to extend its film service to him, is constrained from participation in • non-theatrical rentals because of the objections of certain important theatrical customers, who consider church and school showings as competition. These few facts are , but the highlights of our trip, but let us see what they reflect. Thought No. 1 (you must match your numbers) is painfully obvious, and yet it demands heavy and constant stress if efforts toward the establishment of a permanent in stitution of visual instruction are to be successful. The sooner this field is purged of misrepresentation and the sooner every dishonest individual and concern is exposed for what it is, the sooner will our sound progress be accelerated. Thought No. 2 brings to mind the protest of a film distributor that he had found it practically impossible to obtain permission to screen before a convention of welfare workers a motion picture a knowledge of which was directly in line with the work of those present. Is it an expedient move that the representative of a reputable educational-film concern be refused the privilege of displaying his product before the very people for whose practical assistance it was produced? Can the educator justly complain of any shortage of visual aids when such indifference is accorded the materials already in existence? In that day zvhen visual instruction receives a preponderance of openminded consideration and is accorded a minimum of complacent indifference — in that day, we say, will be recognized signs of awakened life among the producers of visual aids, who are to be commended for sticking to the ship when too often they were encouraged by little more than their own faith in visual instruction. Thought No. 3 identifies itself with the comment of the preceding paragraph. To be more definite, educational associations and other groups of educators must recognize that the distributor of visual aids is in business for the primary purpose of earning a decent livelihood, and that every such person Vvho goes out of business because the cause of visual instruction does not involve sufficient activity to justify his continuance has removed one more essential item — material — from the field. Shall the cause be hampered because we wail for better equipment and yet fail to take advantage of what good material exists? Thought No. 4 — or rather its inspiration — brings a smile : the unusual splendor and perfection of the motion pictures put on in a town of under 200,000, when the listener had within the previous three weeks attended the Chicago and Tivoli theatres of Chicago and the Capitol Theatre of New York ! Aside from this point, the pastor evidently considered church films as only a form of competition with local theatres. This belief is absolutely contrary to the practices of pastors who have successfully conducted church motion-picture exhibitions for years, and is ethically mistaken and financial suicidal. As far as application of the quality of pictures projected in the community's theatres in regard to non-theatrical exhibitions is concerned, the most sweeping refutation of such an assertion is the fact that in both New York and Chicago, the cities in which theatrical motion pictures are conducted with the most perfect equipment and the most lavish accessories, scores of churches and other institutions are carrying on non-theatrical film exhibitions with religious, social, and financial benefit, and without interference or objection from theatrical exhibitors. Thought No. 5 is merely that these "several producers" have seen the light. Which is the better investment — a shady type of production that enjoys sporadic theatrical success and then goes direct to the discard, or a clean, strong, well-constructed, worthwhile