The Moving picture world (May 1922)

188 MOVING PICTURE WORLD May 13, 1922 Selling the Picture to the^Public Plain Cut Display Give Big Results There is nothing in this display from the Stanton Theatre, Philadelphia, to rave about. It is simply a succession of straight type lines across three columns without even an attempt at display save for the major line. It has three overlong lines of eight point Roman capitals, and one of six point even harder to read. No typographical journal would ever pick that up as a model for other compositors, and yet it h is a distinct selling value because it sells one thing and sells that to the limit of its power. FOOTFALLS WITH TYRpNE POWER AND AN UNUSUAL SUPPORTING CAST — IB,W1K>-^f<' CRUDE BUT DECIDEDLY GOOD In that slant it is a distinctly good advertisement, and it does better in the small space at command than would an effort to get contrast with the small display faces. It is only 35 lines across three; two small a space in which to strive for much effect. It makes the best use of the Fox title, and it sells that title to the limit of its capacity. Its success lies wholly in the use of a single display line so large that it dominates not only that but surrounding houses, for in the Stanley display it shades even the Stanley advertisement above it, though the Stanley has a larger and in some ways a more attractive display. The title lends itself to this form of display where a two or threeword title would fail to give the same results, and the advertising man picked the one stunt that would give him the greatest value for his 105 lines. He could have dotted his space with footprints, as many perhaps would have done, and he would have lost the push of the one big line. He could have sketched in a scene, and have detracted from the title, but with the one line in five-line letters he makes a splash that he could not have gotten in double the space with other display lines pulling from the power of the title. He does use one display face just below, but it is not large enough to make trouble for the five-line letter, so it all rides on the title and sells that. The Stanley uses a common space for all the circuit houses, and it is no easy matter to get good displays for a dozen attractions every week, but here is one that is gained through using common sense and a knowledge of type value. It is exceptionally good work in spite of its lack of pretentiousness — or because of that. —P. T. A.— Poor Cut Material Is Worse Than Nothing The Karlton, Philadelphia, does some very good work, but this is not an example of the best it can do. The panel announcement, with the dollar signs to give point to the line, is distinctly good, but it would have been much better had the artist let his stripes at the right run from top to bottom of the space. They would have been much better than this misfit cvx. This cut is about everything a cut should not be. In the first place the pose suggests the lady out in Chicago who has been advertising the past fifteen or twenty years that she took off thirty-five pounds in thirty-five days or something like that. She still uses the "^ame cut, the same as Lydia Pinkham, and this is almost the precise pose. In the second place it is too fine a screen and in the third it looks like a misfit with the jagged edge set into the white. Without a frame, the irregular edge would have been better in 'many ways than a straight edge cut, but in a frame the cut should fill the space or it will look out of the way. In this case the bands continued the length of A POOR CUT the space would have been attractive and elegant. The cut spoils it all. It deprives the space of a good effect and in addition creates a poor impression. Had the figure been routed out it might have gone over better, in spite of the poor pose, but handled as it is no cut would have been infinitely to be preferred. It is not necessary to use a cut and the Karlton does not always employ one. When a cut is used, it should embellish the space and not kill it down as this does. But try to vision that same space with the bands unbroken and you will see a very good effect and one that will sell the story better than an advertisement in which the announcement is stretched clear across the space. And make a resolution never to use a cut unless it will make a space better. Poor cuts waste thousands of dollars annually, but you cannot trace the loss from poor cuts, so the leakage continues. You have seen this advertiaement for Picture Theatre Advertising week after week. Just because it was at the bottom of the column, you perhaps have not read it. You'll read it here. That's what "preferred position" means. Lots of other things are explained in this meaty book by the conductor of this department. Almost every page has a money-getting stunt and any one of these will be worth several times what the volume costs, and you get the other stunts free. It costs only two dollars the copy and may be ordered from the publishers of Moving Picture World. Get a copy today. Makes bad business good and good business better. Too Much Hand Work Shows Usual Result Because the artist was a willing worker, the space of the Colonial Theatre, Indianapolis, does not get over. He letters in five lines below the cut where there are room for a mortise that would have put the t>'pe message over forcefully. The hand lettering is poor because it lacks clearness. It is probably what ' Uitbtim Bfith sheer Jan. Joyous nonseme ahdfeAl ronxAiuie. xfoLlojt madly through /i\>t riotous terls. Liberly SexUHe ANOTHER HAND LETTERED FLOP an artist would call "pretty" but it cannot be clearly read, and much of the message is lost. For all practical selling purposes, as much could have been done through setting the signature just below the cut with a saving of almost seventy-five lines, since this is a three column space. The title in reverse works well because this is clear and large, and easily read, but the selling talk is simply thrown away. It would have been better to have left this blank. Then it would at least have attracted some attention where lettering in deprives the space of that effect. And the artist pin stripes the lettering of the signature, still further weakening the display. This could have been made a very serviceable space, but it is not of much use as it stands. It will not sell to many who are not confirmed playgoers and followers of Miss May. —P. T. A.— Circle, Indianapolis, Offers a Radio Appeal This display from the Circle Theatre, Indianapolis, is interesting in that it offers the first example of a hook-in to the present radio craze. The last line of the space announces "Circle radio entertainments nightly" and is the first picture recognition of the craze. Apart from this it is one of the best layouts for "The Silent Call" we have seen. It plays up the dog, but it gives a design to suggest that the play is something more than a clever dog. This has been the mistake many copy writers and designers have made. They have played up the dog so heavily that persons have supposed the dog was alt there was to the show. This sketch puts over the idea that there is a play as well as a dog. and the copy suggests an interesting play with the analysis of the three factors of the girl, the dog and the man. The dog's head is a fine bit of drawing, much better than the work done on the humans, and the general effect of the display is well above the Circle average — and this is never low. The play is sold so hard that the minor attractions are compressed into the small type at the bot