The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1916-06-27
A. 5ERsT TALKS OF
PROPOSED AUTHORS UNION

The latest attempt to pilfer from
the motion picture industry portion
of some of the vast profits which it is
popularity supposed to be getting was
indicated in the New York papers of
recent date. According to the story
the authors League of America" OF
which Winston Churchill is the presi-
dent, and Theodore Roosevelt the
vice-president, is considering the ad-
visibility Of joining the American
Federation of Labor with the express
purpose of bringing the moving pic
ture men to time" by holding them up
for ten per cent. of the profits of a
picture, this ten per cent. to be paid
the author of the story. idea or seen
ario from which the picture is made.
Thompson Buchanan, secretary of the
Executive Committee, is reported 10
have said that any picture which nets
the producer or distributor $4,000.
should pay the author at least $1,000.
One of the arguments advanced is
that IAN author gets from 5000 to
81 500 for an idea or scenario which
costs the producer not more than $15.-
900 to prepare for use and from which
he reaps not less than $4,000"
AS a lever for their arguments the
disgruntled scribes plan to make use
of the cameramen and mechanicians
who are now affiliating with the Am
erican Federation of Labor. Thus Ii
the picture manufacturer does not ac-
cede to their terms they expect to
call out their fellow union men-the
camera men ct al and tie up the plant
as tight as a drum.
Mr.. J. A. Berst. vice-president ami
general manager of Pathe, when the
above statements were called to his
attention, refused to be alarmed.
I'm the first place." he said, "the
authors argument rests upon a false
premise. They take no account of
tho picture which does not pay Its
way and which represents loss and
not a profit. We would be only too
glad to buy at a high price any and
every idea for a picture to cost not
more than $4,000 that would posi-
lively give to US net profits of $685.
900, but it can't be done. The value
of story for picture purposes is q
gamble, and the picture itself is
gamble. Who takes the risk, the au-
thor or the producer? The author
spends the time of one man, himself,
for a week or so. The producer ,
spends six or seven weeks or more
upon a feature picture, with high
priced players and with extras, cam
eramen, property men, all drawing
salaries and fattening the overhead
upon that picture. 1t costs about
thirty per cent. to market a feature
in addition to the. producing cost
which Is never as low as $4,000, fol
a good production with first class
players. In view of this cost the au
thor receiving ten per cent. of the
profits would earn less money than
he does on the basis of the present
plan, and as many features actually
lose money. ON s1ch pictures he
would get nothing for his wosk. II
strikes me that $4,000 is an excess
sive price for the idea for one fea-
ture picture. We have frequently maid
high prices for the picture rights to
some well-known book or play, but in
those instances we were also buying
the publicity which naturally is a
part of such a work through its popu-
larity with many persons.
1T is stated that the Authors
League now numbers 1900 members.
and that 1t is expected by the end
of the year there will be 5000. which
number Is supposed to include practi
cally all the scenario writer's. The
motion picture business has reared
up its own school of dramatists, and
fail to see where the business would |
have to be dependent upon any au.
thor's association. There neither is
nor can be any monopoly of writ ne |
talent-that is field of human en-
deavor that is open to any one The |
famous writer frequently falls down
when he writes for the screen, for
the requirements of the art differ
from those of the stage. the short
story or the novel.
Finally. let me reassure the Au-
thor's League as to the fabulous pro-
fits in the motion picture business.
They don't exist, press reports to the |
contrary