The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-08-06

standard theaters as the Broadway,
the Herald Square. and the Savoy In
New York and McvickerS In Chicago
yielded 10 the silent actors or the
film. Today with a hundred native
sources OF supply (this Is the estimate
OF studiosl, TO say nothing OF the con-
siderable importation of foreign films,
the business rs bristling battle
ground, alive with competition; vi
brant with many-sided energy. So fast
is the pace that II Is almost impossible
TO prepare statistics. The records OF
yesterday are wiped out today. Inc
field Q wide open. A man with cash
and an idea can take a flyer In MIN
and market his product Increasing
demand strains at supply, the mark OF
the dollar Is everywhere. In brief, the
whole industry Is like vast cornu-
copia disorging golden harvest.
Clearly TO understand just how this
harvest h reaped II will first be neces-
sary to explain the technical procedure
OF the business. There are three dis
tinct agencies that contribute TO mo-
ticn-picture profit. The first Is the pro-
Queer who makes the film plays: the
second is the exchange or middleman
who distributes the product; the third
Is the exhibitor who shows II 10 the
public.
Under the old monopolistic order
the exchanges, then limited In num-
Der. were owned by the united group
OF big producers. The exhibitors were
arbitrarily restricted In their supply.
Now things are changed. The re-
straining lid Is of and the owner OF
small theateF can throw on his screen
the products Of General Universal
and Mutual. and. In addition. II he is
willing to pay the price, an added
feature" So much for the emanci-
patton OF the business.
What then are the film profitsy VI
course, all figures In such an instance
as this are estimates. but with certain
facts we can arrive at some conciu-
sion. Let us begin at the bottom and
see just how the structure OF motion
picture income Is reared. Take the
producer first and follow the film on
its road from the factory to screen.
The American picture makers con-
sume approximately 10000 miles OF
film year or this. $4,000 is made In
this country and the rest is imported,
This unused film costs en- average OF
2 "a cents foot delivered to the
studios. Roughly speaking, the outlay
for raw material is $10.0o0,000 year.
To this must be added not less than
SAC. 000,000 which Is the conservative
estimate Of the cost Of producing
phtoplsys in this country every IL
months. The gross total outlay then
is $50.000,00
Right here you encounter one OF the
startling evidences Of change In the
business. A few years ago the aver.
age cost per foot OF finished flm
ranged from so cents to 81. This was
for the ordinary story told on 1000
foot reel. But that was when the
scenario of such tale cost $25 and
before the high cost Of production be-
gan to march shoulder to shoulder
with the high cost Of living.
With the advent Of stars" big and
expensive literary material. gorgeous
accessories, elaborate equipment and
all the rest OF the trimmings that the
sophisticated movie fan now demands
the price has gone to So foot. and in
many instances, notably In such pro
auctions as THE Prisoner OF Zenda.
which had costly cast. and Judith
Of Bethulia," It is even higher.-Cof
lier's Weekly.