Most Important Event of Year
Following will be found expressions from leading executives o£ the industry as to
what, in their opinion, is the most important event of the year Sept. 1, 1920—Aug. 31, 1921.
Opinions differ so materially that it is difficult to find..any given subject which may be
regarded as the most important occurrence of the period mentioned.
Adoption of Production Standards
Among the most important, events of the year
was the adoption of the uniform production stand¬
ards by the companies affiliated with the National
Association of the Motion Picture Industry.
Another was -the " tremendous development of
educational and industrial pictures and the inau¬
guration of the screen as a medium of instruction
in schools and colleges.
WILLIAM A. BRADY,
Fres. N. A. M. P. I.
Value of Money
The- realization by the artist, author, producer,
distributor and exhibitor alike that money has
some actual value and should at Itiast lie. guarded.
FELIX F. FEIST/
Censorship in Empire State
Doubtless the introduction oi censorship in New
York and other states is of greatest import to the
industry. The "immediate future will determine
what the actual effect is to be. No one, not even
■the authors of the measure themselves, can fore¬
tell the results ot censorship practice hi New Y ork
State. The problem of the industry is to repe-i,
by education and enlightenment among the voters,
the advance oi the blue reformers whether their
cause is anti-film, anti-Sunday entertainment, anti-
ci&arctte or any uthcr anli of the type that inter¬
feres with .personal liberty. The closest coopera¬
tion in all branches of the industry and the throw¬
ing open of the screens oi the nation should be
the method of combating this present day tend-
ARTHUR S. KANE.
Realization of Inflation
The final realization on the part of all pro¬
ducers, etc., that the former inflated value of
stories, stars and directors must be brought
■down to a proper. level, and that in the future
the investment in this direction will lit: more
in proportion to what such services, etc., are
.actually' worth, thus giving the producers the
■opportunity to have an even break to realize
■on their investment.
R-C PICTURES CORP.,
R. S. Cole, President.
Explosion of Foreign Picture Bugaboo
The most important event of _the_ j4ar just
ending is the explosion of the foreign picture-
bugaboo, proving that foreign producers may
excel the American producers in costume pic¬
tures, picturizing court life and the dramatic
values of history, but that the American pro¬
ducer is safe in his own field of providing
entertainment typically American, and essen¬
tially of America and about America.
J. D. WILLIAMS.
Frying of the Fat
The most important event oi the year just
closing, if it may. be called an event, is, in
my opinion, the frying of the fat of the busi¬
ness with the result that it will come down
to a more solid and eventually, a more truly
prosperous condition..
WM. A. JOHNSTON.
The Albany Licking
The moat important event of the year was
the terrible licking we got at Albany, New
York. ....
C. C. PETTIJOHN.
Absorption of First Run Houses
The most important event of the year, in
my estimation, is the absorption of first run
houses by the big organizations, who are mak¬
ing it almost impossible for the independent
producer to get a first run on anything not
released by either one of the two theatre owning
corporations.
VICTOR KREMER.
Censorship in New York
Probably -the event of the year that has been
most important in its eiTect upon the picture in¬
dustry is the passing of the New York censorship
bill. Tf this censorship is carried out to the ex¬
treme in any large number of states, it will "mean
the decline, if not the death, of the motion pic¬
ture industry.
EVE UJNSELL.
Industry Suffered from "Fliers"
The most impnrtant event of the past year is
the elimination of a great deal of haphazard pro¬
ductions, owing to financial circumstances. Many
persons who know nothing about producing pic¬
tures took a flier in picture making, with a result
that the entire picture industry suffered.
AL. E. CHRISTIE.
Exhibitors Getting Together
Unquestionably the most important event of the
past year was written into cinema history when
the exhibitors oi the country got together and or¬
ganized for the protection of the industry from
monopolistic influences and tendencies which would
throttle the independence not only of picture ex¬
hibitors but of picture producers.
MACK SENNETT.
Consolidated Distribution
T do not know what you would consider the
most important event. The best thing that
could happen would be for a lot nf the big
distributors to get together and cut down the
cost of distribution. As far as the agitation
against trustification is concerned, T take the
opposite view.
The best thing that could happen would be
two or three companies do the business for
all of the producers, hut these distributing
should be Distributing Companies entirely, and
not in the producing or exhibiting business.
E. J. REMBUSCH.
Entry of Big Financial Interests
Not the most helpful perhaps, but certainly
the most important event of the year has been
the active entry of the big financial interests
and methods into the picture business.
ASHLEY MILLER.
Independent Productions in First Runs
The entrance of independent product in the
country's largest first-run houses. The year
just passed has marked the end of the struggle
of state-right, product for a showing in first-
run theatres. A record number of the country's
leading screen temples r are now hooking inde¬
pendent features for long runs.
J. J. SCHNITZER.. Equity.
Education of Industry
The education of. the entire industry to the
meaning of "Exhibition .Values" and bright
hopes evolving from that to Distributor-Studio
E. V. RICHARDS,.
Vice-President and General -Manager,
Saenger Amusement Co., Inc.
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