Paramount Pep-O-Grams (1927)

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Page Four P E P-O-G RAMS THE CYLINDERS OF THE COMPANY’S MOTOR. Here are two more illuminating glimpses of the forces which make our organization keep up its successspreading pace. These articles are brought to our columns through the co-operation of Irene Scott, Chairman of the Educational Committee. Walter Cokell, who writes of Budgeting, is head of the Company’s Budget Department, while Frank H. Blakely is manager of our Poster Art Department. COMPANY’S BUDGET A budget, as we ordinarily define it, is a statement showing the estimated receipts expected for some future period and the estimated disbursements which will have to be made during that same period, and a showing of the excess of receipts over disbursements or vice versa. In our Corporation the various depart' rnents are requested periodically to submit a budget of the amount of money which they expect to take in and pay out. All of these departmental budgets are received by the Budget Department and combined into a master budget for the Corporation. This is submitted to Mr. Zukor, and the Executive and Finance Committees, for their inspection. If the}' approve it, this budget, which is usually made up for one year, is then split up into months and weeks. As we go along, week after week, a statement is made comparing our actual receipts to the estimated receipts in the budget and comparing the actual disbursements with the estimated disbursements, so that we can easily determine whether the Company is making the progress that was contemplated. If any department is behind, steps can be quickly taken to remedy the situation. As an afterthought, it would seem, if the Corporation finds it advantageous to make up a budget in order to attain a certain result each year, that each individual in the Corporation might find it of benefit to make up a budget of his individual income and expenses. To do this, one should, for three months or a year in advance, estimate his or her total income including salary, interest from savings banks or bonds, dividends on stock, and other income from all other sources. Against this should be shown the following estimated items: Rent (of house, apartment, or rooms) or if home is owned. Taxes, fire insurance, heat and light and estimated repairs. Food and household expenses. Clothing. Income Taxes. Life insurance. Books and stationery. Railroad fares and taxis. Church and charity. Automobile expenses. The sum of the above expenses should be deducted from the total estimated income. From this excess of receipts should be deducted the amount we have set out to save for investments or a special purpose. What remains can be spent as desired. By making up a statement like this each one can determine if his or her income will take care of all disbursements. If not, expenses must be reduced in order to make both ends meet. Following up on this one should check actual income and expenses each month with the budget. W. B. COKELL PARAMOUNT POSTERS A word about posters which decorate billboards with the purpose of advertising Paramount Pictures. Also to give you some idea as to how the Poster Department functions. The greatest responsibility in the designing and making of posters, is that we have to have a general appeal to all classes. For example — most boys go in strong for action and comedy pictures, while society drama and love interest generally appeal to the ladies. Men, I would say, can be entertained by much the same type of picture as boys. So with this in mind, we will lay out poster designs which, we think, will fit all conditions. One or two posters on a production may be made with the small exhibitor in mind, whose theatre is located in a mining section, or perhaps a large manufacturing center. In sections such as these, the action picture almost invariably goes over. We then concentrate on a higher class community. We do our best to make something that will appeal to church people, club women, boys, girls and men who like more refined advertising. In other words, we try to touch a responsive cord in everyone, regardless what their walk in life may be. Practically all our pictures have a combination of action, love interest, and other points of appeal in them. This makes it possible to use a variety of ideas on the sketches of one production. The following will give you some idea as to how we of the poster department work. In order to be ready with our advertising material, for release date, we are compelled to work two or three months ahead of our national release, which means in almost all cases, before pictures are finished. We have to work with stills from the pictures and synopses of stories. This material together with our own ideas is incorporated on the sketch. The foregoing does not only apply to posters, but to lobby displays as well, such as 11 x 14’s, insert cards, 22 x 28’s, window cards and other Ad Sales. The copy, or sketches, upon completion are sent to the lithographers who reproduce the sketch full size in proper coloring. This end of the operation generally consumes about thirty days. The finished material is then shipped to all our branch offices in LTnited States. Also to practically every foreign country in the world. It is then sold to the Exhibitor and eventually reaches the billboards. The poster department employs the services of eleven high class artists whose entire time is devoted to painting these sketches. FRANK H. BLAKELY