The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (Jan-Feb 1923)

January 1, 1923. THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. Put Your. House in Order kh ¥F. -NorMan-WRIGHT. done during the past twelve months. When I say this I am not speaking of any particular section of it, but of the industry as a whole. When a business is not going forward it must’ be perfectly obvious to those: who know, that unless certain.changes are adopted without loss of time,it will not be long before a pronouncedly retrograde movement will set in, I believe as firmly as ever in the possibilities of the film business, but I want to say here as emphatically as possible that, in my opinion, things must be radically changed in many ways in the film business itself if it is to go on and expand and flourish as it has every prospect of doing. We must : TT: film trade of the world has not made the progress it should have _ bestir ourselves, and put our house in order. There are many ways of doing this. First: The principals of the renters, producers and exhibiting . houses in this country must realise at once that the sound foundation of the film business lies in the formation of a film bank, the central distribution and repairing of films, central vaults and a real bonded warehouse. Handled rightly, organised on sound lines, financed on a proper commercial basis, and controlled by a body of practical men from within, I say, without hesitation, that the film. business in this country could become within "a year or two one of the greatest industrial undertakings of the world. Producers, renters, exhibitors alike, must realise that the theatrical interests of this country are carrying on a most successful campaign among the newspapers and are gradually but surely ousting the film columns from the daily Press. The industry requires a fund for general publicity, not to advertise individual -pictures or individual theatres or concerns, but to propagate a campaign which most assuredly would produce a picture-going public’of twice the dimensions of that of the present time. The cost of such a campaign to the individual theatre owner, producer, renter, or shareholder would be infinitesimal, provided all join in a common cause. If this were only done in the right way, by co-operative effort, and a com . bination of.financial resources, I do not hesitate to say that we, in three ‘months, could. fill our theatres to the. verge of overcrowding, keep our renters . and manufacturers working overtime, and generally give the business such an uplift that it would never again look back in the estimation of the public. The entertainment side of the film business of Great Britain has received practically all the attention of the industry up to the moment, but now that the film in education is to be considered nof only by the Government of Great Britain, but by the whole of the educational ministers of the Empire, the producers at home should make an immense effort to produce the ‘best -educational pictures of the world. America, France, and Germany have already produced films which have revolutionised the system of edutation in their countries. Are we to depend throughout our great Empire on the products of the foreigner? I say most emphatically this should not be the state of affairs; although at the same _ time, and with equal emphasis I say that the productions of other countries should be given equally as careful consideration as the products of our own country, when discussing their suitability for use in our schools. But I do urge English manufacturers is: turn their attention to the production of Educational Films. The. vear 1923 will see the film business of Great Britain established on sound lines or relegated to the backwash of serious commercial undertakings. Which shall itbe? « F. NorRMAN-WRIGHT. ~ Chairman and Managing Director, Fim Renter anp Movine Picture News.