Moving Picture World (Dec 1919)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 949 December 20, 1919 Big-U to Pay for Industrial Showings Rival Exhibitor Bodies Give Plans Paralleled in Statements from Leaders REVOLUTIONARY in character is the statement coming this week irom Alfred S. Black, president of the Motion Picture Exhibitors’ League of America, concerning the arrangement made by him on December 5 whereby the Universal Film Manufacturing Company will compensate exhibitors for the showing of educational and industrial pictures released by that concern. Mr. Black, in his statement, admits the revolutionary character of the plan, but states that the agreement means “that the distribution of industrial and educational motion pictures is being placed on a sane basis with profit for all.” The educational and industrial department of Universal, under the general managership of Harry Levey, is responsible for the new plan, and Mr. Black gives a large amount of credit for the development of the industrial angle of the motion picture to Mr. Levey. Besides the fixed sum which exhibitors will receive for the use of their screens, the Motion Picture Exhibitors’ League of America will receive a percentage of the gross revenue realized by Univeral for the distribution of the pictures. This money will go into the general fund of the organization. For exhibitors to attempt to stop the showing of industrial and educational pictures, says Mr. Black, “would be like trying to sweep the ocean back with a broom. It simply can’t be done. Yet the exhibitors as a whole have been going it blindly, and deriving no direct revenue from the industrial and educational use of their screens.” A two-page announcement from Mr. Black appears elsewhere in this issue. FOLLOWING up page ’’warning” announcements in our columns for two weeks, Sydney S. Cohen, chairman of the organization committee for the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America, announces this week that the committee is completing the final details relative to the protection of the screens of members of the organization from “advertising propaganda.” Under the plan announced by Mr. Cohen last week, the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America will distribute industrial and educational pictures on a co-operative basis. Pictures distributed by Motion Picture Theatre Owners, the rival exhibitor's’ association to Motion Picture Exhibitors’ League, will be selected “under the experienced and trained eyes of the best known directors, and with casts which will read like those of films projected in the largest Broadway theatres.” Such care as this, declares Mr. Cohen, will provide pictures which will not prove offensive to the most critical. The co-operative plan for compensation to the exhibitor was originated by Sam Bullock, of Cleveland, and Fred Herrington, of Pittsburgh, and successfully tried out in both cities. “State and local organizations in practically every State in the Union,” declares Mr. Cohen, “have grasped the importance of this movement. They have seen in it an emancipation from the influence of the producer who asks them to project pictures with remuneration.” When asked his opinion concerning Mr. Black’s arrangement with Universal, Mr. Cohen said, “I have nothing to say at present.” BRITISH ENGINEER SEEKS IDEAS HERE Major Grierson Tells Projection Expert How Our Theatres Differ From Those of England M\JOR R. GRIERSON, formerly of the Royal Engineers, now chief engineer of Provincial Cinematograph Theatres, Ltd., and Associated Provincial Picture Houses, Ltd., which have, either in operation or ready to open, thirty-eight high class theatres, has been in the United States for some time seeking ideas for the possible improvement of English theatre practice. The writer had the pleasure of entertaining Major Grierson at lunch afterward spending the afternoon showing him the Strand Theatre in Brooklyn. The major is deeply interested in theatre practice in this country and Canada. He finds the chief difference to be one of presentation. Our theatres are not, he says, appreciably finer, but in England the orchestra is paid very little attention, where screen setting and surroundings are almost entirely absent, as are also the beautiful light effects and carefully planned introductions to features which we use to such excellent advantage. In England, says the major, there is a screen, with its black velvet surrounding, also there is a small orchestra and that is all. Projectionists Paid Little. Projectionists are called “engineers,” and just now the Kershaw Indominable projector seems much in favor, though from what I could glean from the major’s description it has little which would commend itself to us over here. Its chief point of excellence, from the major’s viewpoint, is the fact that the film passes down on the objective side of the aperture so that the light reaches no part of the film except that directly over the aperture. Englishmen seem to think this a big advantage. I, however, cannot see wherein there is any appreciable gain, and against it is the fact that it has that abomination, a movable optical center. Projectionists receive an average of about £4 a week, but are now trying to get £5. Seventy-five to ninety amperes of current at the arc is common practice. We called Major Grierson’s attention to the utter futility of expecting to get high class work in the projection room at such a low rate of pay — low even when we consider the difference of the cost of living here and in England. We suggested to him that when exhibitors were willing to pay $75 to $100. a week they could expect to get reliability in projection rooms, and not before. Men and Women Smoke. A peculiarity of English theatres is that all men and some of the women smoke, which presents a difficult ventilation problem, also it seriously hampers projection by interfering with the light ray and with vision as well. Ventilation is carried up to even as much as 3,000 cubic feet of air a person a minute, in an endeavor to compensate for the conditions set up by sometimes as many as 1,500 smokers in active operation at once. The absence of smoke struck the Major as one of the conspicuous differences in English and United States and Canadian theatres. Another pecularity of English theatres is that a theatre seating 2,000 will often operate a cafe in connection seating 1,500. The program will be carefully timed and the items thereon numbered so that the patron can sit in the cafe (not a liquor emporium, but a coffee and tea room) and sip the national beverage, tea, until it is time for the part of the show he or she wishes to see. Another advantage is that arriving in the middle of a feature, the patron sits in the cafe until time for the next number on the program and is thus saved the annoyance of attempting to pick up the thread of a half played film story. The disadvantage is that the plan calls for very close scheduling, with consequent probably literal murder of all artistic screen effect in projection. The major was accompanied by a colleague affiliated with the construction end of his company. Both men return to their native land laden with knowledge and ideas which will doubtless soon be reflected in English e tre procedure. RICHARDSON. Stephenson to Build in Moline. A syndicate headed by George R. Stephenson, manager of Bslack Hawk’s Watch Tower Park, has purchased property at Fourteenth street and Fifth avenue, Moline, 111., and will next Spring begin building a $100,000 moving picture theatre. The theatre will be 40 by 150 feet in dimensions, four stories in height, with lodge rooms on the upper floor. It is proposed to erect a theatre on the general plan of the Columbia procedure. RICHARDSON. Michigan Backs New League. J. C. Ritter, president of the Michigan Exhibitors Association, was in New York for a few days during the past week. He came East to confer with Sydney S. Cohen concerning the new national exhibitors league, to which Mr. Ritter is lending his hearty support. The Michigan league has 100 members in Detroit alone and has started on a prosperous career with $7,000 in its treasury.