Talking pictures : how they are made, how to appreciate them (c. 1937)

The Short Subject The short subject of today is produced for theatrical use. Its aim is primarily entertainment; secondarily, education. It points a way, however, for those who dream of a day when every grammar school, high school, and college will be equipped with talking picture apparatus. The simple psychological devices through which the commercial producer gains attention for his short films might well be studied by those who hope to make successful educational pictures. The theatre operator calls such devices "showmanship." While a direct editorial influence is not in the province of the entertainment film as such, the short subject does take its part in factual discussions important to an aroused public. An example is the Crime Doesn't Pay series of short subjects which show that law violations bring certain punishment, whether they be small traffic violations, or kidnaping, or safecracking. These particular factual shorts were made with the aid and co-operation of Federal, state, and city police and detective departments. The film cartoon has had an outstanding and decidedly deserved success. It has largely supplanted the older short comedy made with human actors, for the mechanical basis of the screen cartoon permits comedy effects not possible with human players. In a cartoon which made a villain of a big brown bear, the bear reaches into a hollow tree and eats a supply of honey. The head bee, dressed like a general, is seen conferring with his staff. An order is given. Bees by the thousands appear from everywhere. They form into a sharp thin "V" which shoots upward and then descends with the [251]