Reel and Slide (Mar-Dec 1918)

REEL and SLIDE 33 Only Woman Ad -Screen Expert Talks By E. J. Clary CAMILLA DONWORTH occupies extensive offices on the 23rd floor of a big New York skyscraper. She is president of Films Of Business Corporation, and has attracted the attention of leading advertising men by her fresh and original ideas, her ability to put quality into the films she produces and by the thorough knowledge she possesses of screen advertising in general. She was found "rewinding" a projector in her offices with the cocksureness of the seasoned expert. To one who is somewhat accustomed to masculine disorder in industrial film offices, the business like, efficient condition of this shop was surprising. Miss Donworth at once gave the impression that, merely because she was a woman, this complicated field held no terrors which she feared and no problems which she did not consider herself capable of solving. A Virile Woman of Ideas Logically and sensibly she discussed the problems facing the advertiser who would use the screen. "I have gone into this field," she said, convincingly, "because I believe it opens unusual opportunties. It is true that few women have specialized in screen advertising, only one besides myself, that I know of. But that is exactly the reason why there is a big chance. There are problems in production which arise in certain lines that a woman is best able to solve; there is needed a feminine touch to inject character and individuality to screen advertising in general. The men have long had their say — now let a woman try it. "First and all, I beheve in quality. Positively, I refuse to do a rush job. I am concentrating my efforts on a few good pictures. I am willing to let the others make many mediocre pictures. My productions are remembered where others are quickly forgotten. "I believe that, some day, the motion picture screen will be one of the greatest advertising mediums in the world. I say 'some day,' because conditions in the industry do not enable it to take first place. More thought, study and better quality are the rocks upon which screen advertising must be built in the future. How She Started "I begin at the beginning — the idea. This idea is always originated for a definite advertiser. I sell the idea. Then I make a study of the product. I dig deeply. I would rather be slow than sorry. I cover every phase of my subject in order to find the selling valties from the picture standpoint. I discard non-essentials and play up the high spots. I then gather my data together and retire to privacy, where I get on the job as a cold-blooded advertising writer, putting myself in an audience chair and figuring out what, in the vi^ay of movies, would sell ME. "Then I lay down the law to a director and see that he follows orders. I never allow a scene to be shot unless I am on the spot. Then I edit the film. It is often the work of several months to complete an industrial to my satisfaction. But when I am through, I am through." Miss Donworth has had an interesting career. She lived and studied in India for Camilla Donworth refuses to put on a cheap picture or to put on any picture in a hurry. many years. She knows eastern customs and having had advertising experience, she understood how to sell goods in the Orient. A group of Eastern exporters, desiring to reach the Oriental consumer, selected motion pictures as the medium best qualified to "get over" the virtues of their merchandise in the oriental mind. Bv reason of her knowledge of the East Universal to Aid Advertisers in Getting Bookings ANEW department has been added by Harry Levey, general manager of the Universal Film Company, Industrial Department, which will take care of the distribution of many films that have already been made and are in the possession of many hundreds of advertisers throughout the country. In order to place this particular branch of the industry on a more substantial footing, the Universal Film Company has placed at the disposal of Mr. Levey, in their main office at 1600 Broadway, additional fioor space, as well as a competent staff of bookers, shipping clerks, and stenographers, whose duties it will be to book the advertiser's pictures in the territories and before the audiences that are best fitted to review any particular film. In other words, if the film is an automobile picture, automobile clubs, boards of trade, truck clubs and the like will be booked; the films shipped, cleaned and repaired, and reshipped to the next stop. In this way the advertiser will be able to have the film shipped from the Universal's nearest branch, which is at most only fifty or a hundred miles away from any spot in the country. The Universal booking of the pictures will not in any way interfere with any bookings made by the advertiser, for all the advertiser will have to do in the case where he books the picture himself or when the customer writes for it, will be to send the information to the main office of the Universal Film Company, who will relay it by wire to their nearest branch to How^ ElginWatches Are Made, in Moving Pictures THE Elgin National Watch Company, of Elgin, III, is circulating moving pictures showing scenes in their mammoth factory and giving the general public an idea of what enters into the making of watches. These pictures only incidentally advertire the Elgin products. They are high in educational value and furnish an excellent industrial lesson for the school room in a subject of intense general interest. Scenes in the Elgin factory, close-ups of the processes entering into watch making on the modern plan, as well as welfare work among employes, are featured. Arrangements are being made to project the Educational Films Corporation, "Your Fighting Navy at Work," on all transports engaged in conveying American soldiers to France. It is believed that the soldiers v^rill feel more keenly the safeguards thrown around them when they can see the operations of the convoys and subchasers actually on the job. and her clear understanding of film advertising. Miss Donworth was selected to produce these pictures. She did it so well that other orders came, as a matter of course. She has recently directed pictures for the Ives Mfg. Co. of Wallingford, Conn., and for the H. J. Heinz Pickle Company of Pittsburgh. the particular town the advertiser's customer asks to show the picture in. The Universal Film Company has placed at Mr. Levey's disposal their fully equipped theater, situated at 1600 Broadway, where, for a nominal fee per year, advertisers will be privileged to show their pictures before customers just as if the theater were their own. Eventually these same arrangements will be made in every one of the Universal's seventy-two branches. Founders' Films {Continued from page 30) The moving picture, in our case, has proved to be beyond any doubt not only a time saver, but a money saver. My visits to the foundries are welcomed. It is interesting to witness the concentration it is possible to secure among foundry men with the aid of the screen. I have shown our films at association banquets and have been compelled to run the films through again and again, discussions being held on the subjects shown between runs. It would appear to me that this form of using moving pictures offers possibilities in every line of industrial effort. The cost is slight considering the result achieved. Our films are taken good care of and they will last a long time. The ability of the picture to prove that certain things may be accomplished by showing that they have been accomplished, is a valuable asset when one is dealing with skeptics. Many times I have heard foundry managers exclaim, "I never thought that could be done! I wouldn't have believed it until I saw it. If the other fellow can do it, we can."