The Moving picture world (March 1923-April 1923)

IN The independent Field EDITED BY ROGER FERRI Hits and Bits of the Passing Week ■f l/'E don't blame exhibitors and exchangeW men ior ridiculing certain exploitation men. This past week up in a New England city we had an opportunity to study the tactics of one of this tribe. This chap, coming on from New York, was to have aided the exhibitor in putting across a picture. We failed to see him negotiate a single tieup that aided the exhibition. In fact, he merely sat about the manager's office, talked and talked— until he actually became tired. Then he went to bed. Next day was the opening. He stationed himself in the lobby and suddenly realized he had left undone a score and one things he should have done the day previous. He hopped and skipped and succeeded in getting into everybody's way, for the exhibitor, realizing the futility of capitalizing on the visitor's "talents," had taken the bull by the horns and taken care of the campaign himself. That night the exploitation (?) man ran to the writer, offering him names and what not. Fortunately, we had gathered all the data we wanted from the manager, who would have starved had he trusted to the visitor earning his money. And yet this incompetent individual returned to New York soon after the opening and circulated a yarn relative to "what he had done." Poor boob, he's so incompetent he doesn't realize what a frost is — and can't be on the level even with himself. WHILE some concerns that have enriched themselves in the independent field are seemingly wanting to rid themselves of the "independent" classification there are others who really have no right to such distinction who are advertising their enterprises as being distinctively "independent." SEVERAL exhibitors, writing to this department, have complained about the condition of prints of independent pictures delivered to them. Our sympathy is witii the exhibitor in this instance, but, at the theatre owners themselves. A little more attention to the projection booth and the handling of film will eliminate this sad state of affairs. FORCING a fair deal for independent productions is one task with which exchangemen and distributors alike will have to contend with next season. The theatrical end of the business is undergoing a "circuitization" which unless checked will certainly prove a boomerang to the industry in general. Several organizations have laid out plans whereby they will finance special showings of pictures next season as a means of earning prestige and creating a market among theatre owners for their product. This is not a new idea, yet the day is not far distant when this method of exploitation must be adhered to witli greater frequency as one way of getting a square deal for meritorious productions released via independent channels. JUST so long as independent distributors drop all interest in productions immediately after their sales have been negotiated, just so long will they wonder why it is that the better theatres throughout the country Valueless Exploitation Follo\ving Through "Scoops" and Canards Foreign Market 1923-24 Output Ambitious Distributors Playing Square Game Real and — Reel BY ROGER FFRR! are not booking those pictures. The time is here when the distributor must give the exchangemen greater and more effective cooperation, something only three or four distributors only are giving, while the others are sitting back, puzzled and wondering why certain things exist. Giving the exchanges press books — 80 per cent of them are valueless and impractical — does not discharge the distributor from the obligation he owes the local releaser in the proper local exploitation of pictures. Get behind your pictures, help your exchange sell the exhibitor, and the exhibitor to sell his public. WARNER BROTHERS' advertising float has finally reached the Coast. It has been out on the road an entire season. Nothing any independent has ever done or can do will in any way come up to the great benefits derived from this stunt. It vvas truly a circus stunt that earned for Warner Brothers more publicity than all their financial resources would have enabled them to buy. A CERTAIN western paper charges that "eastern editors" have complained about "scoops" that publication alleges it has scored. It further claims that it is the "only trade paper maintaining reviewers in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles." Modesty forbids Moving Picture World from disclosing the absurdity of that claim. However, inasmuch as the charge of negligence has been made we'll take it up right here and now. To begin with. Moving Picture World's independent department has "scooped" that publication in EVERY news story that has broken in the past year. Reviews? Insofar as independent productions are concerned this publication already has transmitted to its large army of readers its opinions on pictures that publication has not even awakened to the fact are in the market — and they are all big specials. More : Moving Picture World's news and reviewing staffs are so well organized that even trial showings of productions — showings the location of which have been supposedly kept a secret by the producer-distributors — have been "caught" by its staff representatives. And that system has covered more than three cities — it has covered the entire country from Portland, Me., to Portland, Ore. It has reported every first run, given box office figures on such showings and within the next two weeks will announce another service feature that will prompt the western ozone championship claimant to hide in shame. IF you are an independent producer or distributor you can't overlook certain statistics compiled by Dave Mountain, foreign sales manager of Arrow Film Corporation. Dave has made a careful study of conditions abroad and you can learn much from the brief but concise statement he has prepared for Moving Picture World. This statement appears on the fourth page of this department. TAKING the 1923-24 production announcements of leading independent producers and distributors as a basis, it is estimated that for next season the independent market will have available for distribution through State rights exchanges some 500 pictures. A compilation of releases in the independent market this season shows that for every single picture released by the six leading distributors individual distributors had three available. Next season the leading companies will have something like 134 productions, divided among them as follows: Warner Brothers 22 Arrow Film Corporation 24 Principal Pictures Corporation 18 Al Lichtman Corporation 12 Truart Pictures Corporation 12 Phil Goldstone 10 Independent Film Corporation 8 C. B. C. Film Sales Corporation 8 C. C. Burr-Mastodon Films, Inc 6 Ay won Film Corporation 6 Equity Pictures Corporation 4 Weber & North 4 Total leading productions 134 The above figures will give independent exchanges of the country a concrete idea of just how many pictures to expect from the market next season. There are at least tvventy individual producers whose product will be released by distributors selling product individually. These, of course, are not included in the above estimate. MEANWHILE, the situation in regard to productions for late spring and summer distribution is one that commands the immediate attention of producers. Principal Pictures Corporation has taken the situation under consideration and has decided to release a series of five specials through cooperative exchanges. The Principal "Super '"c'udes "The Spider and the Rose," Temporary Marriage," "East Side West Side," "The Man from Ten Strike" and 'Bright Lights of Broadway." National independent distributors are in dire need of product for distribution during the next six months— a period that must not be neglected by the field. The ball must be kept rolling 12 months in every year.