Moving Picture World (Jan-Mar 1918)

January 26, 1918 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 483 they were informed that Mr. Marc Klaw already represented theatrical interests on the board and that was enough 1 Such an answer displays abysmal ignorance. It would be as sensible to have a bookman represent the musicians or a sculptor represent the costumes as to have a "legitimate" theatrical manager stand sponsor for the films. The distinguished services of the motion picture industry to the Government were then pointed out. The powerful help given to the Liberty Loan and Food Conservation Campaigns, the donations of positives and negatives for propaganda work in foreign lands were referred to, and it was argued that an industry helping the Government in such effective ways should surely be recognized on a Commission one of whose chief duties it was to show the industry's film products to the soldier boys. Chairman Fosdick replied: "There is no possibility of increasing the membership of the Commission on Training Camp Activities. The Secretary of War has felt all along that a small Commission was highly desirable for many reasons." This of a Commission that contains not one practical film man in its personnel! The utmost Chairman Fosdick would concede was the possible appointment of a cooperating committee. The impasse as the result of which Walter W. Irwin's trip to Russia was cancelled and the departure of P. A. Powers for France in the interests of the National Cinema Commission was indefinitely postponed, did not make any smoother the relations between the manufacturers and officialdom. This was a dispute over procedure, powers and duties of the commissioners. The prospective commissioners felt that they should receive military rank to give them right of way and authority in military areas; that they should devise the system of film distribution on landing in the foreign country, according to their best judgment of conditions. All of the above seemed to them proper functions of an executive. Delegated authority should be ample; after the proper instrument is secured full confidence should be placed in it. But just as the Commission on Training Camp Activities delegated no jot or tittle of its authority to the film-makers and distributors, so the Committee on Public Information (through Chairman George Creel) hesitated to clothe with full authority the foreign commissioners. At any rate, a magazine editor distributes the American films in Russia, no commissioner was sent to France, but F. J. Marion, of the Kalem Company accepted the Italian Commission and excellent reports are had from him. The present situation as to Government films is as follows: First, as to the work in the training camps. With the exception of the Powers "sample" theater now going up in New Jersey, all the picture halls in the camps (over 500 in number) give free "movies" controlled by the Y. M. C. A. or the Knights of Columbus, as the case may be, the Community Motion Picture Bureau being the Y. M. C. A.'s agency of distribution. That bureau has moved its organization from Boston to New York and has established eight exchanges — in New York, Boston, Washington, Atlanta, San Antonio, Chicago, Des Moines and San Francisco. It shows the soldiers (1) the old stuff from its own shelves; (2) the official Government topicals and war pictures; (3) such of the manufacturers' current or standard features as it can buy or lease at less than commercial rates. Warren Dunham Foster, me head of the bureau, is a practical film man on the educational end. He aims at innocuous yet entertaining and inspirational pictures. Considerable criticism has emanated from the camps regarding poor condition of film, old prints and indifferent subjects. On the other hand, much really good stuff is being shown. For example, the bureau recently closed a contract with Walter Greene of the Paramount for run-of-exchange Paramount-Artcraft features (whatever isn't commercially booked up) at the uniform price of $8 per show. The bureau wasn't able to make the same arrangement for the soldier boys in France, as the French rights of Paramount are controlled abroad. The president of the bureau receives no salary, the subordinates are paid, and the total cost of distribution for the past six months, according to Mr. Foster, has been approximately $100,000. Second, the National Cinema Commission, of which Jules E. Brulatonr is the directive head in New York, and which is supervised from Washington by George Creel, deals only with the preparation and shipment of American patriotic pictures to foreign lands. These are intended to be shown to the civilian and soldier population of Allied and neutral countries. The work necessitates, in the judgment of Mr: Creel's committee, the printing up erf vast amounts of raw film. Admittedly a large percentage' of this' is so-called industrial' film, obtained in positive or negative from the' factories or trusts that have recorded their own achievements in film. There is also much of the topical or news weekly character sent over, for which several of the film corporations have donated subjects. The cost of printing is 3'/2 cents a foot (with tax 3^4 cents). Many positives are donated. Those that are not are printed by the Commission at the charge of the Government — commonly in the laboratories where the originals were made. Third, the Red Cross has received from the Government the sole rights of the commercial distribution of official war films. This means that the Red Cross has gone into the film business. After one or two fits and starts the organization has established a film headquarters at 120 West 41st street, where it is now engaged in cutting and showing film and will offer war features for sale a little later. The Red Cross, moreover, handles all the Government topicals, including such footage of Army and Navy scenes as the Creel Committee wishes to have published, and the news weekly editor — whether Universal or Hearst-Pathe or Mutual— is both a customer of theirs and a sworn-in employe of the Government. There was much complaint last month of the chaotic way in which the Red Cross topical film was kept, the disorderly accumulation of negatives and the lack of cataloguing, but, according to Mr. Creel, this neglect, due to hurried inception of the work, has been righted, and an effective means of taking care of negatives has been provided, i Fourth and last is the Motion Picture Division of the Signal Service. The primary object of this division is to make a pictorial history of our battles in France and elsewhere. In the draft are many expert cameramen who will be picked out of the ranks and assigned to this special work. In the same manner, drafted laboratory experts will work in the film development wagons close to the battlefront. It is known at the present writing that the Government will not rely on the drafted men altogether, but will employ others to supervise them. The commercial product of the Motion Picture Division — so far as the Government desires to publish any of these films — will be distributed by the Red Cross. The commander of the division at the present time is a professional army officer. Keeping the Experts Out of It. Looking over the whole field after this detailed survey, it is evident that the Government and its auxiliary agencies have gone into motion picture production, distribution and exhibition with the minimum of counsel from the wise heads of the industry and the maximum of direction by those unacquainted with the films. Part of it is the hurry and haste of feverish preparation, but unquestionably part of it is due to the desire to keep the Government film control out of the hands of professional film men and entrust it to semi-educational agencies. The good aims of the Government to give the soldier decent films, to hand the Red Cross its toll or percentage on War Pictures, and to send much Ally propaganda abroad, are praiseworthy beyond measure. Some of the methods used, however, have met with deserved criticism from the industry. Let us figure how the ends of the Government can be better achieved by some necessary changes in the plans and methods. There is no sort of objection to the Young Men's Christian Association as a viewer or even an exhibitor of motion pictures in its own halls throughout the thirty-two camps and cantonments. But instead of their paying for pictures as under the present method and often getting the poorest and cheapest ones, why not have the distribution of free pictures done by the film corporations direct? That offer has been made, and it should have been accepted long ago. It now appears that an "advisory committee" from the ranks of the manufacturing distributors is to he appointed to aid Mr. Hanmer. Keep the Community Motion Picture Bureau, if you will, as a viewing and selecting agency. Put a live film leader on the Training Camp_Commission, and let him see to it that all the companies furnish as a freewill offering the new and current features that all the boys crave. Encourage also the Rialto type of theater with nominal admission charge, such as Mr. Powers is building, at Camp Merritt. Since music and settings constitute 40 per cent. of the value of a picture entertainment, give the lads the whole feast and not a moiety. Send two or three able film men to France and have; them cooperate with the military to establish the same conditions for the fighting forces. As to the Red Cross Campaign. In the name of common Sense, why start the Red Cross'! in the film business? It would be much more reasonable to ;