Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1927)

MOVING PICTURE WORLD December 31, 1927 Following are the highlights of an interview, conducted by “Mike” Simmons before the mike at Station WPCH, Hotel McAlpin, New York City, with Ray Hall, Editor of Pathe News: SIMMONS: Will you compare broadly the function of a news reel as to the newspaper? HALL: Pathe News has a field wider than a newspaper. Ninetyeight per cent, of the good things in life go into the making of a news reel. We do not have to deal with crime and other factors so essential to a newspaper that holds its circulation. Of course we cannot impart the quality of reasoning as do the newspapers, but we can present the facts more vividly. Take the announcement of Lindbergh’s arrival at a destination after a daring flight. The real conception of the occurrence, the feeling of exultation and the magnitude and heartiness of the reception come only with the presentation of the news reel. The influence of the news reel on newspapers has been vast. Where the race for scoops on daily publications was once concerned with facts that could be put into words, it is now concerned mostly with pictures. Pathe News has 40,000,000 readers a week and the country is better for it. Pathe News is a great press association dealing in pictorial news. We have our camera representatives in all the large cities of the world, wrho are directly responsible to our Branch offices or bureaus. The bureaus are in turn responsible to the Home Office. If the news is significant only from a local standpoint, it is sent only to theatres in the immediate neighborhood, just as a news story would be sent from a press representative. It may be of wider interest, suitable for distribution in a state or in several states. It is then handled from the bureau. If it is national news, it comes to New York for distribution. Although Pathe News issues but two national units a week, we virtually represent a daily screen feature. Every day in every locality the Pathe News reel varies in content. The Pathe News is issued regularly on Wednesday and Saturday, but if there is news of vast importance breaking between these days, we immediately rush out a special unit. And very often these specials reach the screen as quickly as newspaper extras heralding the same occurrence reach the street. During the football season, we presented on theatre screens many of the games in detail as early as 5 :30 o’clock on the day the games were played. SIMMONS : What has the news reel to look forward to in the matter of quicker transportation? HALL: Transportation is our greatest problem. We are already one of the greatest users of commercial airplane service and I have been studying each new device that has possibilities for hastening the delivery of film. Television or allied scientific apparatus may some day give us better and cheaper service, enabling the news reel to issue a complete daily unit and even daily “extras.” SIMMONS: What is the present tendency of development in the news reel field? HALL : I would say that it is of an international quality. We are trying to make Pathe News even more world-wide in scope than it is at present, and we already have the largest staff of cameramen in foreign cities of any news reel. Our laboratory facilities in foreign lands have frequently enabled us to develop negative and get positive prints aboard the fast ships while other news reel concerns were marking time. SIMMONS : Do you have a wide selection of film from which to pick the Pathe News? HALL : Just yesterday we issued in each of the 33 Branches of Pathe a special 500 foot reel that was made part of the regular news reel release. This covered a review of the events of 1927 of most interest in each community. Each of these units of approximately 500 feet differed from the other. All in all, this made a reel of 17,000 feet, or more than 3 miles of film, and in its entirety a pictorial history of the United States, vivid, entertaining and educational. This material was selected from pieces of film that if hooked together would stretch for 30 miles. If we can use one tenth of the film that reaches us from our regular staff of cameramen and correspondents in every section of the globe we consider it a very economical week, indeed. SIMMONS: Mr. Hall, will you tell us something about the type of men that make up your reportorial staff and something of their duties and hardships? HALL : If you ever travel up or down the elevators in the New York building that houses the headquarters of Pathe News, you will probably meet men carrying the war pack Ray Hall, editor of Pathe New;, who was interviewed at Station WPCH by “Mike” Simmons, Associate Editor of “Moving Picture World.” of the news reel cameramen — the battle equipment of those intrepid persons who are ever facing danger that you may sit comfortably in theatre seats and see unfolded on the screen the world’s glorious triumphs and sad tragedies. In the heavy, battered grip is the unfailing eye of the camera — a reporter who knows no passions or prejudices and who is unswayed as the moving finger of time writes its annals. The brass-tipped tripod, almost an emblem now of this profession, has stretched sturdy legs across the globe. There is nothing unusual about these men. perhaps, except the grim determination that may be written in their eyes if they are outward bound, or the twinkle of satisfaction if they are coming home after assignments well done. They are just Americans — just you. But their bread and butter is adventure. Their duty is to go — and go quick — to where heavens sends its blessings or old hell breaks loose. BEST YULETIDE GREETINGS Estelle Bradley and (Featured Player) EDUCATIONAL Charles Lamont (Director) COMEDIES