The Moving picture world (November 1921)

572 MOVING PICTURE WORLD December 3, 1921 Selling the Picture to the^Public O. T Taylor Shows Another Old Design Made Entirely New for Its Third Title WERE, these lobby displays from O. T. Taylor, advertising manager of the Weir Theatre, Aberdeen, Wash., applicable only to a single title, it would not pay to give all the space required for the details of construction. The chief reason for using these is that they give the basic frames for a series of displays which can be made over and used, repeatedly. This very pretty lobby for "Midsummer Madness" was used for the third time, yet, if you are keeping these articles, as you should, you cannot recognize this as the display originally used for "Heliotrope." Set the two pictures side by side and you will note the similarity, but the patrons of the Weir did not, and responded to the appeal. Displays Make Patrons Mr. Taylor writes that he was in the lobby much of the time this display was in use. He noted the people who came to get a closer look at the display, many turning back after they had passed the lobby. Then he watched for them in the evening, and practically all came back, most of them bringing parties with them. Each person was sold for from two to five tickets. I f you have not the Taylor set saved up from last spring, start now to get them into a book. Study these plans. They are easy to read if you will read slowly. MAKING IT OVER By O. T. Taylor Build frame A, fig. 1, from 1x2 lumber, making it 3' 6" wide and 5' high. Cover with compo board, permitting same to extend over frame as shown. At the bottom the design is carried out with paint and the ground outside design painted dead black to be unobtrusive. If compoboard large enough to cover in one piece cannot be obtained use two sheets joined in center. Cut round opening, B, fig. 1, of 36" diameter. Four pieces of 1x2, 24" in length, C, fig. 2 and 3 ; legs, D, fig. 2, and upper and lower crosspieces, E, fiig. 2-3; joined as shown and fastened to frame A completes the main framework. The Circle Plan Three pieces of compo board, 42" square, are used for inside circles. The first one, F, having a circular opening of 30" diameter ; the second, G, a 24" opening, and the third one, H, an 18" facing, then tack circle F to edge of strips, proceed in like manner with each of the following circles. Between each circle wire in for four lamps, one in each corner, fig. 2, and wiring diagram, fig 3 ; also place lamp operated on skeedoodle plug or flasher back of last circle. The Color Scheme Paint circles as follows : F, bright green ; G, red, and H, orange, after which stretch the white transparent paper, which has previously been lettered as desired, over opening of last circle, pasting around edges on back of circle. Lamps for illumination should be of color to match the circle it illuminates. Cover sides, top, bottom and back of display box with compo board or heavy cardboard. Trellis for flowers are made from common lattice strips. Paint Can Flowers The flower boxes are three-sided screens covering the five gallon cans filled with water in which ferns and flowers are inserted to keep, same fresh and green. . Decorated three sheets of uniform design and color scheme was used in this particular display to carry out the effect and match center display. . Colors : Backgrounds medium blue with decorative stuff in black and silhouette. Panels white, lettered in black with red initials on display line. Lettering on blue background in white and crescent in pale yellow. Trellis all white. Flower boxes stipple blue and deep purple. A Circular Tie-up A novel hook-up is sent in from Kalamazoo where the Shakespeare Press, a firm of art printers, used the "Dangerous Curve Ahead target as an attractor for a trade letter. This was an orange disc with black stanchion, and was properly printed up with the title, the letter starting off with "Stop and think what this sign means — Dangerous Curve Ahead." It went on to hook the warning to the pitfalls which await the inexperienced purchaser of printing. There was no direct hook-up with the theatre, but it did the Kalamazoo Amusement Company a lot of good because it persuaded the business men who received the circular that the Goldwyn play was public property. It created much comment and reached many more than the persons addressed. Giving the Lowdown on "Old Nest" Exploitation The Goldwyn press department has issued a twelve page booklet telling what exhibitors have done to exploit "The Old Nest" As might be expected, the bulk of this material has already appeared in this department, but it is helpful to the manager who has not yet played the picture in that it gives him material under a single cover. Unusual exploitation has been done for this subject and the contents of the volume are of real interest to the student of sight advertising methods. Two pages are given to the Atlanta exploitation by Southern Enterprises at the Howard, and the S. E. takes up a lot of the rest of the space, for most of the managers went to the limit in putting this subject over. Followed Boasberg E. E. Collins, of the Opera House, Greenville, Texas, writes that he followed the stunt that got Albert Boasberg a job with Paramount. There was a county fair opening, with a big parade. Collins wrapped his car in bunting, then painted a sign nearly as large as the car reading, "See the fair today. See Paramount Pictures every day at the Opera House." He got into the decorated floats section of the parade and brought business for following days; at least getting that much out of the fair. opening. Openings should be centered, that is, one point of compasses used in striking circle should be placed precisely in center of each respective square so that when placed in position as shown in fig. 1-2 the result will be an even graduation from the largest to the smallest circle. Spacing the Circles The spacers, I, -are pieces of }4"x4" wood strips 42" long laid flat against and fastened lightly to upper and lower C. Place first set of strips, beginning in back of and against 1 r t \ 1 / / / Picture j J j j — y ) ) paint oan/ in tnyC 4 ■ J \\ w ^— 1 FIGURES ONE AND TWO FOR "MIDSUMMER MADNESS" Figure one is the front design, and two shows how the effect of the color circles is obtained, the dotted lines denoting that portion cut out from the center of each panel, each opening being sligl tly smaller than that in front