Moving Picture World (Jan-Mar 1912)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 381 Advertising for Exhibitors Conducted by EPES WINTHROP SARGENT. UPROVING upon the suggestion recently made in this column regarding the filing of manufacturers' release dates, Mr. Walter A. Brooks, of the (Pastime Theater, Canton, Pa., sends a sample sheet from one of his L books, which he has been using for some time, and writes: Dear Sir: — I have read with much interest your series of articles on "Advertising for Exhibitors,'* and have learned many valuable suggestions from them. In the last issue I notice a paragraph describing a book in which film releases may be recorded. I have for some time used a book of my own manufacture that I think i« superior in many ways to the one you describe. First, I secured a small loose-leaf book from a local druggist costing mc twenty cents. Without a doubt like books are procurable at any drug or stationery store. In this I pasted the list of film releases that is printed each week in the Moving Picture World, under the head of "Licensed Release Dates," with each company in a separate list. We are using films that are far from being first run, and therefore it is necessary to have quite a list of releases. The book answers every purpose of a card index, as far as information is concerned, it giving the date of release, name of the film, nature of the subject and the length. The book is never bulky, and as fast as a page becomes out-of-date it is discarded. To Find Material Quickly. This particular page is 4^2 x 7 inches, but the exact proportion does not tter so that the page be wide enough to take the 2]/2 inch column com I tably. Loose leaf books may be had of any stationer and, as Mr. ^poks points out. it is handy to be able to discard the dead material. ■Che stories of the film are printed in the issue dated the Saturday before, 1,: issued a week previous to that, so that if you have a release dated .,iuary 24, for example, you turn to the World for January ^o and there i|ate your story. Jnless you are using early releases it is sufficient to paste up the book ry three or four weeks. In the sheet shown, for instance, the first ry covers the films from June 7 to July 5. The next cutting covers y 10 to August 2, and so on. If you have a book with a fairly wide rgin you can enter in the margin the page number of any special refnce to the film and then the book has almost the value of an elaborate d catalogue system. The margin is also useful in checking up the 1^8 used. Three Weeks Ahead. red Wheeler, manager of the Lyric Theater, Crown Point, Ind., sends a card folder giving the headline film for three weeks ahead. The nt page makes a very attractive showing in brown and dull green on '*ite card. There is plenty of ornamentation, but the display is in good ijte and the typographical appearance cannot fail to give a favorable ipression. With a card that stays alive for three weeks, it is well to ye durable stock and this is print<d on a better grade of cardboard vn would be advisable where the issue was made weekly. In most of \\ announcements the star of the play is given in this fashion: January 7. Maurice Costello is featured in a Vitagraph comedy entitled "An Innocent Burglar." January 8. "A Blind Deception." A Lubin drama featuring Florence Lawrence. January 9. "The Lost Necklace." A Pathe American drama. January 10. "The Politician's Dream," with big, fat and happy John Bunny in the leading role. A Vitagraph comedy that is real comedy. Names Are Needed. t is to be regretted that more of the manufacturers do not supply I exhibitors with casts of the plays. The business now demands the ; 'sonal feature and instead of resisting the demand it should be met I I the exhibitor may make the most effective use of what he is paying . The Edison. Selig and Vitagraph companies regularly announce their ] yers, and so does the Thanhouser company, but others having favorites 3 the cast ignore the advertising value and neither the manufacturer nor ' exhibitor gets a return for the salary investment. There are hun'^ds of live exhibitors who want the names and who give preference ' those companies which furnish them. vVe incline to the opinion that Mr. Wlieeler might sell his back page to ;>fit and so cut down the cost of the cards, but it is very evident that prides himself upon his printing, for his letter head is as well done the card; so well done that we hope Mr. Wheeler will send in other imples of his work. We like to look at them. too. How They Won Out. ^usk and Andrews send this enlightening letter: Gentlemen: — We read with interest all departments of your publication and especially the "Advertisers' Department." Many good hints are given, and here is a bit of our experience in this locality: We are in a town of 4,000, where several moving picture shows have started and failed for want of patronage and the town was said to be a "Jonah." We started in the face of this, gave a good picture show, well projected, advertising with no bombast, ran the show at a loss each night for about a month, and now have our house filled at every show, and it is now a paying proposition. I enclose one of the "dodgers" we put out last week and from which we received good results. It is not "circus" advertising, but simply suggestion. Advertising, proper management and a reasonably recent program will let a live man show a profit in the deadest sort of town. They s«nd a sample dodger that will give hints to others. Here it is: THE WAUWANDA Playhouse Woodbridge, N. J. WHO IS IT FOR ? THE WEARY MOTHER As a Place of Rest and Recreation THE BUSINESS MAN As a Relief from the Stress of the Day's Work. THE YOUNG MAN AND WOMAN As a Place of Refined Entertainment THE CHILDREN Where Amusement is Combined with Instruction. WTiere Impressions are Made and Lessons Learned by the "Universal Language of Pictures.'* If You are a Public-Spirited Citizen Make the Picture Plays a Factor of Good in Your Community. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Nights ADMISSION. 10 CENTS TO ALL From a Veteran. W. J. Melody, of the Hippodrome Theater, St, Catherine's, Ontario, Canada, sends an interesting letter, in which he says: It is with pleasure I have read in your department in The Moving Picture World of the many advertising schemes. I beg to add my mite in the hope that some of the suggestions may help my brother exhibitors. I started back in 1904 singing illustrated songs for Mr. Rock, of the Vitagraph Company, when the nickel shows invaded Canada. I was one of the first to start. I opened with the Bennett Theatrical Enterprises, which afterward had houses in Hamilton, London, Ottawa. Quebec, Halifax, St. John and Sydney. We wrote circular letters to all the houses, telling what we had done in the line of advertising, that they might follow suit. I am outlining some of the schemes. Mr. Melody outlines a score of schemes, from which we draw the following: Some Business Getters. Souvenirs for children at the .Saturday matinee, the souvenirs costing from $1 to $2 a hundred, but being selected to make as big a showing as was possible for the money. In cold weather, when business was apt to be slow, there was a drawing each Wednesday night for a ton of coal, the winning ticket being selected from those sold during the previous week. Popularity contests for the mc^^t popular conductor or motorman on the interurban lines, a gold watch being the prize. One contestant alone sold more than 6,000 tickets in three weeks, with others pressing him closely. The expense was $13 for a gold watch for the prize and a printing bill of $5.50 for tickets and dodgers. Each contestant was credited with votes to the number of tickets sold by himself and his friends. A Pathe release titled "Whimsical People" shows four darkies who were engaged in dancing and were transported to the moon, where they were seen to be singing. The film was held over and a local negro quartet danced behind the screen during the first part of the picture and sang during the moon episode, the film being worked up into a local sensation at small expense. A somewhat similar scheme was used with the Essanay "Golden Days," in which a child singer and an adult were employed to supply the musical feature. The song "Then You'll Remember Me," ran through the story and brought about the climax, and the use of the singers boomed the reel into a sensation. The song feature was used to splendid effect in many subjects. An Appeal to the Sunday Schools. In Hamilton it was arranged to give one show each month in some Sunday school, the order of application determining the favored school. Mr, Melody writes that while in the early days of the scheme the response from the Sunday schools was none too ready, they now have more applications than they can attend to. Mr. Melody also goes in strong for special effects where the film indicates their use, and with some reels the effects lift the ordinary into the feature class. In his local advertising Mr. Melody seems to favor the two column width advertisement enclosed in a heavy black border. The typographical display is not good, due to the inexpertness of the compositor, b '♦ in the reading matter more care is shown and it is probable that a little i.i^sstire on the business office of the paper would result in a better display. The titles of the films should always appear in heavy type. The best display is for some of the Kalem Irish reels and some of the Vitagraph and Edison features. One folder uses this good line: COME EARLY TO THE MATINEES. IF POSSIBLE BRING THE CHILDREN. Special provisions made for baby carriages, so, no matter what