The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-12-09
HOW THE FILMS
ARE DISTRIBUTED
Exchange Houses Are Big Factor
In Picture Productions

Few persons who sit in a motion
picture house and watch the films as
they are reeled off upon the screen
ever realize the important part thai
The regular exchange houses play in
The motion picture world
They are the power behind the
throne. The exhibitor or manager of
a theater could do nothing without
them
A great change has taken place in
the character of the films that are
sent out by these exchanges. 1t was
only "A few months ago when "A film
IN two reels was regarded as a gigan-
tic proposition Today photoplay in
eight parts is not uncommon, and
ny OF them require over two hours
in which 10 unfold their story 10 the
spectator.
The Vilagraph company. for in
stance Is about To put before the pub
lis the entire story Of Hail Gaines
famous play The Christian" which
on the legitimate stage occupied three
hours and more for its production
The day is coming, and very soon.
when there will he very few one-reel
subjects and these viii ne used merely
as "iillers." The large producers such
as the Edison. Vitagraph, Kalem,
Lubin, Essanay, Biograph and others,
all of whom have the pick of the big
actors and actresses. will devote their
energies 10 picturing the larger and
most popular American and European
productions.
One interesting feature in connec.
ton with the production Of films and
Their handling through the exchange
hauses is The comparison between the
production of the photoplays in the
many theaters ana what would he re-
quired for the production of the same
plays If enacted on regular stages by
regular companies
Most photoplays have from eight 10
eighty characters. In some Of the film
stories over II thousand characters are
employed-as in the production en-
titled The Last Days of Pompei."
Where almost every picture house
changes its program three times
week or at least twice "a week, several
thousand different reels of film are
necessary 10 provide them with suf-
"ient number for a fun entertainment
each afternoon and night
II each of these houses used real
plays and played instead of film il
would necessitaie the employment of
over thousand single theatrical com
panies al from live Ia fifty people
each.
The express companies are an i'm
portart iactor in the quick transpor-
tation al these films. Many of the ex-
changes have their own teams, which
stand outside the theaters and picture
houses until the close of the final per-
Torrance. The reel is given "a the
driver and carried Immediately TO the
depot, ready for its production in some
other city or town the following day.
AS an evidence of the amount of
money involved merely i'm the trans
porlation of films by the exchange
houses. one express company in Chi
cago receives on an average OF $4,000
a day by the exchange companies
there.
The motion pictures of today are no
longer Il cheap form of amusement, as
they used Ia be in the days of the
cheaply constructed. poorly photo
graphed comedy act or farce Now
motion pictures are form of cheap
amusement, for the leading actors and
actresses no longer considered il be-
meath their dignity to pose in a mo-
tiGn picture.