Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1927)

December 31, 1927 43 PAMSEYGRAMS * q^AUAM'5 Local Pjovwq Picture NEWS WEEKLY. 7V> K**"?'*^ Jit* V.lhartvs. ^ ru’! Wot \ * Shoot Them f°r G A S H e5tyt. CW. L armour grinds out profit with a local 5 News ^Reel Building business these days requires every ounce of effort that an exhibitor can put into his theatre promotion. It no longer suffices to see that advertising and exploitation are good stuff, that the theatre is up to par, that good films of a sort to appeal to your clientele will be booked in. Beyond and above this, a theatre man has to work constantly to win and hold the interest of the community and its good will toward the theatre. One thing which shoots straight to the bulls-eye on both these important counts is the theatre’s own News Reel. Not supplanting the news shots of the regular producers, but supplementing them with something purely local, of intimate importance to the men, women and children of the community that theatre serves. Experience in this as in every other matter is the best teacher and it is because the National Theatre has established its own news reel and found it a good proposition that this matter is dealt with for the benefit of other managers who may be interested but not quite able to reach a decision as to the value of the theatre shots or the methods of working for them. Right at the outset let me say that the theatre news reel cannot be established without hard work and continual effort. My own hours of weekly labor have been increased from eight to fourteen over the usual. That’s extra time on top of an already rather full schedule. So I have been losing a little sleep lately to keep my regular work up. But it is paying at the box office, in added community interest, in an increase of that precious good will, in much word-of-mouthtalk about— and favorable to — the National Theatre. The first essential, if one is considering the item of expense and its possible sharing by other shoulders, is that of someone in town with whom to tie up. Of course the theatre can carry the expense and cash in on all the credit ; but it is also possible to let another share the credit and still preserve a good amount for the theatre, and that has been my experience. Perhaps the National has been fortunate in having a splendid chance for a work-together. Certainly the tieup has worked out fine. When first this stunt was planned it seemed rather unlikely that we could keep up a sufficient run of material from which to draw the subjects for the news shots, but this ironed out beautifully: as a matter of fact there is more to shoot than we can afford to show. It is surprising how much there is that is interesting to the home folks and what is really going on around the community that is worth the camera’s attention. FOR instance, we are now having a football game a week, an occasional Sunday School picnic, trade trips, County fair and parades, and numerous other occurrences in addition to the varied stunt stuff we shoot to be used in emergencies. In taking the news events we endeavor to get as many local people in them as possible, of course making the subjects interesting also. The Eastman Kodak dealer here was the one with whom the tieup has been made. He runs the best drug store in town. By our arrangement he furnishes the camera, and the films, both positive and negative, the developers and the helper for me. I furnished the developing tanks, the reels, printer and other like equipment, and we both do the photographing. We bought a good second hand professional camera rather than the little spring wound amateur models, figuring that the big camera with the tripod would look better to the folks and make the stunt seem more professional. For my part the work of developing, printing, making titles and so on falls to my lot, with the furnished helper on the job with me as assistant. Of course, in this tieup, the Ramsey drug store gets none (Continued on page 46) Does it pay? Look!