Moving Picture World (Jan-Mar 1912)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 29 Advertising for Exhibitors Conducted by EPES WINTHHOP SARGENT. FROM such widely divergent points as Gorton, England, and Little Rock, Ark., come miniature magazines, not so small, at that, offered to photoplay patrons. The English publication is sent by E. H. Montagu, the Selig European agent, and he has thoughtfully marked the list to show that he is keeping the "Diamond S" product to the fore, as might be expected of "Monty." He writes: I am enclosing you herewith program of an English Moving Picture house which may interest you. as I think it has a new scheme of advertising. You will notice on the first white page the Weekly Competition, which seems a clever one, inasmuch as it makes everybody read the descriptions of all the films. The proprietor who sent me this sells his program at i d., and tells me he has a circulation of 14,500 weekly. The publication is a tweive-page sheet, eight pages in white with a green cover. The white pages are wholly given over to the announcement of the films for one week, covering three changes of bills. The stories of the films as given in the bulletins are used and are illustrated where cuts may be had. As this is but the fifth issue only two-thirds of the advertising space on the four cover pages is taken, but this is merely a matter of hustle. In England all progiams are charged for, two to twelve cents being demanded, and the audiences are used to paying fcr what is free over here, but many photoplay fans on this side of the water would be glad to pay two cents for such a publication. A New Style Contest. The contest to which allusion is made is fully covered in this quotation from the sheet: If you carefully read through this issue, the Reader will find a letter inserted in a word that does not belong to it. These letters, picked out, form three words, the name of a picture we are showing shortly. The first ten correct solutions sent in to the Manager will receive two best tickets free. The idea is capable of being varied to suit conditions and does not differ greatly from the Mission theater contest recently described, save that it centers interest in next week's bill. A little more attention to display would very greatly improve the appearance of the paper and a smartening of the few catchlines would also help. The American Version, The Photogram is published by the Gem Amusement Co., and edited by Saul S. Harris, tlie secretary of the company, who explains: Under separate cover, I am sending you a copy of "Photogram," a i6-page booklet telling the stories of the pictures to be shown at our two theaters. The Gem and The Royal. Being the only houses in this town showing the Licensed pictures, we can pick our programs and are in position to tell the stories of the pictures we will show. These booklets are delivered to our patrons free. Our next issue will contain more scenes from the pictures and in that way will be a much more complete booklet. There are two small Lubin cuts, two Kalems and a number of the \'itagraph thumbnail cuts, but the bulk of the illustrations are Edison cuts. The Photogram is a sixteen-page sheet, y}4 x 10^ printed on heavy book paper on which the cuts show up to as good advantage as in the original Edison Kinetogram. The front page otfers cuts 01 the two theaters, both inviting structures, and a line cut that might profitably be replaced by advertising, since it does not bear upon the pictures. In an effort to make it look like a "regular" magazine. Mr. Harris seems to bear too lightly on the house advertising. If advertising is not wanted on the front kill the cut and use the space for an editorial or miscellaneous matter. The cut is out of place. Kill White Space Where Possible. That third of the page given over to the two cuts of the houses is too bare, and the cuts are not properly proportioned, one being two lines smaller than the other. The cuts should be made the same size and if possible framed in some special design. If it is not possible to have a line drawing made, the sparing use of "ornaments" will break the blank spaces. If this is done the names of the theaters can fall below the cuts, where they belong. The composition and make-up are amateurish, even for so young a paper and Mr. Harris should get in consultation with the printing foreman to improve the looks. At present it has too much the appearance of "job work," and does not create ;i wholly favorable impression. Two things are to be avoided in a job of this sort, white space and conventional arrangement. The title, the theater cuts, the long line cut and the "box" at the bottom all form straight lines across he paper with nothing up and down to break the monotony. A special drawing in line to take in the entire front with mortise spaces for the two cuts and some type matter would prove a good investment. "Interior Make-Up." In the inside pages the same faults are apparent. On page three, for example, there is too much while. Boxing in the cut with a frame of six point rule w'ould have thrown up the cut and have given character to that portion of the page while a twelve point border of some sort would have bettered the appearance of tlie bottum. Qn page four the first title is* displayed in eighteen po-nt, but the title of the second sory is set in the line in ten point light capitals. Bold face caps should have been used, the slug being cut in if job type has to be employed. Page seven is very badly made up. The stories should have been run down one column and then down the second. Instead one line of the second story is used in the first column and then turned into the second, the third being run in two columns under the other with only a light rule instead of a heavy cut-off and with an uneven break. This form of make-up is inexcusable even in a job office in a country town. The make-up on page twelve is in proper form and should have been followed on the Lubin page. On page ten there is a story with no other heading than a cut. and on the same page two headings are in light instead of heavy faced type. This is only the third issue of the sheet and doubtless these points will be caught and remedied in later edition?. They are alluded to here only to help Mr. Harris in straightening out the kinks. Talk to Your Patrons. The publication is distributed free and in the course of time it \Vill come to have the full value of a lieriodical. It should be able to pull several pages of advertising and this in turn, permit enlargement to thirtytwo pages. Later on more space should be used for chats with the reader, for the great value of an issue of this sort is that it gets into the home and stays" there. No publication of this sort performs its full service until it is made the medium between manager and patron and carries in each issue at least a page of personal talk. The editor's note on page eleven starts well, but it should be amplified and made more chatty and confidential. Don't be content with general statements; be specific. There is lots to be said about a photoplay theater. Say it and say it interestingly. Somehow the photoplay theater is more intimate than the dramatic combination house. It is there day in and day out. Only the pictures change and even here the same people are employed. Get up a few galleys of gossip and comment from this paper, the Photoplay Philosopher in the Motion Picture Story Magazine, Spectator's Comment in the Dramatic Mirror and elsewhere. Have plenty of this on hand to stop the gaps, use it freely and make the paper perform its full service. Mr. Hams has made a promising start. We shall watch his progress with interest. Another Sixteen Pager. From Oklahoma City comes the sixteen page Motion Picture Bulletin, in some ways one of the best yet to come to this desk. It is printed in photo brown on white paper, which gives unusual value to some of the Dante Inferno cuts used in the issue to hand, and even in six point type the space is all demanded for descriptions of the Inferno, Colleen Eawn and Foul Play, with allusions to other coming features. The publication is in the interest of the Hulsey theaters, of which there are four in that towi:. and it seems to be dnmg effective work. The third page is the editorial page, giving some news, some comment and meeting the question of the ten-cent bouse by explaining that the ten cent house has to charge more because it gives more, an argument that cannot be traversed. Mr. Hulsey differs from Mr. Harris in that he appears to have found the Kalem company as enterprising as the Edison when it comes to getting cuts. There's a newspaper man somewhere on the staff, for the stuff is well displayed, the make-up has the professional look and things look "right" generally. We hope that Mr. Hulsey will send other editions. In the meantime he should get after the outside advertising, A sheet in this style with an edition of 5, 000 should carry more than two pages of out side stuff. An Inviting Invitation. A private correspondent sends a copy of the invitation sent out for the opening of the Orpheum Theater, St. Joseph, Mo., one of the new houses of the Saxe Brothers. It is a model in every way, except that it is in old English instead of a plainer face. It is on heavy card with an emboFsed name and the invitation itself printed from a copper plate instead of type. The name of the theater is done in gold, but the remainder in black and everything about the card sounds the keynote of elegance that is carried into the theater itself, from all accounts. The cross of the "T" in theater serves as the dash under the Orpheum, the two words being angled at about forty degrees to form a device instead of straight lines, and this design, also in gold, appears on the flap of the envelope together with the address. It is sent sealed and with a two cent stamp, which doubles the cost of postage, but more than doubles the effect. It is all a part of an appeal to the best patronage and effective because so carefully planned. Ringing the Bell. Royal W. Daynes, manager of the Mission Theater, Salt Lake City, writes that he has adopted the suggestion of this department as to trade marks and that in future the Mission bell will be put wherever it can be placed. It is painted on the screen, is being placed on all new slides,, is