Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1917 - Feb 1918)

The Mighty Mammon 185 means. Disregarding for the moment the thought of such phenomenal triumphs as those cited above, and considering the industry in the light of a routine business, let us focus common sense on the subject and see what it holds. What can money do? In the first place, it must be obvious that the mere spending of money in itself means very little. There is always a certain amount of waste, through experimenting, retakes, and so on, and this may be added to by a myriad of inefficiencies and extravagances. What really counts is the effective use of money. In "The Birth of a Nation," for instance, one hundred and fifty thousand feet of film were made to get ten thousand feet for the finished picture. In "Mickey," the Mabel Normand feature which Sennett has been working on for more than a year, it is reported that two hundred and seventy-five thousand feet have been taken. Here is what appears to be needless expense — but, after all, Ave must wait for the final figures. "Mickey" may be a worldbeater. Universal is said to allow only seven thousand five hundred dollars for a fivereel picture, which is produced, on the average, in less than two weeks ; whereas Ince spends something like twenty-five thousand dollars for a feature of the same length, and consumes more than a month in making every play. "The Hater of Men," with Bessie Barriscale, was made in twentysix days, but this is his low record. Ince pictures bring top prices, yet, on the other hand, Universal figures that it can sell several times as many prints to cheaper theaters and make an even better percentage of profit. For answer to this problem I called on three men — a director, a scenario editor, and a producer. The first