Picture Show (Nov 1919-Apr 1920)

The Picture Show, January 10th, 1920. >9 NEWS, NOTES, AND OPINIONS BY FRED K. ADAMS. What's Wrong with Pictures. THE question, " What is wrong with American films to-day ? " is very much to the front just now, and the views of the President of tho " Big Four " company will be read with interest : "From many sides the question, 'What's wrong with films ? ' is thrown at us," he stated recently. " We see it in reviews of photoplays ; we hear it from exhibitors ; we get it in our conversations with tho public. " People talk about tho mediocrity of picture production. They speak of the dead level of films and jump to the conclusion that good pictures are not inade any more. " Yesterday, to-day and to-morrow, and as long as motion pictures are made, three kinds of films will be shown to tho public. We will always have poor films ; wo will always have fair films ; we will always have some great films. If people see only the poor films, we can understand their criticism ; if they see only fair films', we. can understand their criticism: if they were to see only the great films, there would be no criticism. Classification of Theatres. BUT we make our tremendous mistake in " showing all three kinds of films on a 11 flat basis of admission prices to the public, irrespective of the quality of the films that we are showing. In other words, this peek a theatre shows a picture that costs thousands of pounds to produce, and say £250 to rent, and the audiences are satisfied. Next week, the same theatre shows a film that cost far less to produce, and maybe £50 to rent, yet the admission prices for the cheaper film are just the same as the admission prices for the big film." Of course, we havo this problem to a certain extent in this country, too. The quality of productions vary to a great extent, and people are bound to feel dissatisfied when they pay the same amount to see a poor feature as a particularly good one. The remedy appears to be in the classification of theatres, and this will no doubt be more apparent as time goes on. Those theatres specialising in super pictures chargjng very much larger admission fees than the othev ones. Hepworth Activities. MANY picture-goers are not aware that Miss Alma Taylor has a brother on the screen. His name is Teddy Taylor, and as Ronnie Dealtry, he plays a prominent part in tho new Hepworth picture, '■' The City of Beautiful Nonsense." Mr. Henry Edwards has been responsible for the production, an4 in the film he plays the part of John Grey. Miss Chrissie White is Jill Dealtry, and Mr. Henry Hibart and Miss Gwynne Herbert appear as Mr. and Mrs. Grey. Temple Thurston's novel has been widely read, and the film version of the story will be sure of a splendid reception in all parts of the world. Mr. Edwards took his company to Venice for many of the scenes, and the settings are exceptionally good even for a Hepworth picture. This company have also completed a film version of " Tho Forest on the Hill," by Eden Philpotts, and I am informed that the actual cottage of Drusilla Whyddon, Yarner Woods, the quaint little village of Islington, and other places which are dealt with in the story appear in the film. Miss Alma Taylor plays the part of Drusilla Whyddon, and James Carew appears as Timothy Snow, the hero in the story. The New Combination. MY note on this page a week or so ago, with reference to the suggested combination of leading film producers, has now been confirmed by an official statement issued by Thomas H. Ince. The association will consist of Maurice Tourneur, Alan Dwan, Mack Sennett, Marshall Xeilan, and Mr. Ince. The Ince statement says : " They do not consider it advisable at the present time to divulge the nature of their plans." The new scheme, however, will not becomo effective until after the expiration of their present contracts, about September, 1920. More Advice to Movie Writers. IN articles giving advice to persons ambitious to write for motion pictures, most of the attention is given to scenario work. In a series of brief hints, Will M. Ritchey, the wellknown scenario editor, has written almost exclusively along this line. There is a class of writers, however, who will more quickly realise Britain's scenery and its girls are the most beautiful in the world. A scene from the B. and C. coming production, "Queen's Evidence." ALAN DWAN, famous producer, who has recently completed "Soldiers of Fortune," adapted from the novel by the late Richard Harding Davis. their hopes, he considers, if' they will eschew scenarios and cultivate their talent for the narrative form of authorship, aiming their efforts first to satisfy those who are in tho market for that kind — magazines and the like. Some talented writers with good imaginations will never make good scenario writers, and yet may make good short story writers. For such it is obvious that the thing to do is to work hard in that direction, and they will be much more likely to see the creatures of their imaginations visualised on the screen eventually. Try the Magazines First. FOR two reasons : First, an accepted manuscript of a short story has been passed upon by a competent editor — sifted from the chaff, so to speak— and as SHch at once commends itself to the makers of motion pictures. Second : Having been printed and more or less widely read, it has a greater commercial value to the photo-play maker — and the selling value of a product has to be as carefully considered in a studio as in a factory, for primarily a photo-play is "a thing made to sell to critical exhibitor-buyers. There is another reason why it is well to cultivate the story-telling faculty, and that is the matter of double income. If you sell a story, you can reserve the motion -picture rights and sell them later. Most of the first-class magazines and book publishers are satisfied with the story rights, and willingly concede the picture rights to the author. Instances are numerous of authors who, by foresight or good luck, have not parted with such rights and have become rich from them. This roundabout way to the'studios and the rich returns they hold out to the clever, illustrates the wisdom of the maxim that " Tho longest way around is the shortest way home." How to Make Money. BRITISH film men who have tho enterprise to start *' renting-houses " for British films in America have a golden opportunity for making money just now. Owing to the adverse rate of exchange, it would be far more profitable to market British films in the United States than to sell them outright. Tho same applies to French and Italian film*. Tho depreciation of the pound can be turned to advantage, if British firms set up their own distributing system, and then turn tho dollars obtained in rentals back to our own currency. The American exhibitor is looking forward to tho arrival of the British renter, for he thinks it will result in revision downward, of the rental scale. American producers havo been sending tho prices to dizzy heights just now. and the British lilm-makcrs could certainly undersell the American, whoso costs of production are much higher.