Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-01-07
FILM INDUSTRY
ON THRESHOLD
OF GREAT ERA
Producers See Prosperity
Ahead as Result of Much
Needed Readjustments.

LOS ANGELES, Jan. Having
weathered the storm Of -eadjustment
which has been in progress in the nam.
moth studios here for the past year, the
motion picture industry is said to be on
the Threshold Of the greatest era IN its
history.
This is the opinion Of some of the
greatest leaders in the industry, who also
agree that the following is true:
Future film successes will be master.
pieces Of art and literature.
2. All dead wood has been eliminated
and production costs will be greatly cur-
tailed.
3. There win be fewer but better pic
lures.
4. The day Of great spectacular films
calling for limitless extravaganza is gone
forever
The motion picture industry has re-
Gently passed through the fire Of reor-
ganization from which only an alloy Of
good creative brains and talent has sur
vived.' said Marshall Neilan, & widely
known producer, in analyzing the situa-
tion for the International News Service.
THE business today Is on a sounder
footing than ii has ever been since Its
inception. and while the process Of elm
inatiOn has proved painful TO many, yet
II was a move that had to come sooner
or later.
'In the instance Of every large film
organization in Southern California the
output for the coming year has been ma
terially reduced in quantity with the
purpose Of concentrating on quality In
each film produced. This decision was
due to the fact that in the past two
years there has been a mad rush to
strive for quantity output to control ex-
elusive shOwings.
/ The folly Of this endeavor was
graphically proved to the distributing
companies by the theater owners who
insisted upon selecting the best in the
market and refusing to book the weak
er pictures. This killed the incentive
to put out quantity and encouraged the
achievement Of quality In each film.
Thus, during the coming year, tbs
pictures themselves are bound to show
a marked advance which works out to
the advantage Of the theater- going pub
lie. With higher quality in the pic-
lures themselves theater owners who
make daily or semi-weekly changes Of
program are encouraged to extend the
time Of their bookings. It has been
proved that Il is better to exhibit q
picture OF real merit that win draw the
public for a week than to play two pic%
lures Of lesser merit during the week.
Cecil B. DeMille, director-general Of
the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation,
one Of the largest producing concerns
in the world, said In an interview:
'The period Of readjustment through
which the motion picture industry, inl
common with the rest Of the business
world has just passed was the best
possible thing for the screen. II served
to curtail extravaganza, weed out the in
competents in all departments and
pave the way for quality pictures in the
future, leaving the finances of the In
dustry in far better condition than they
ever were before.
Producers have learned chat the pub
lie wants only the best in its screen
entertainment This does not mean the
costly and foolish extravaganza Of the
past, but rather a wise selection of
story, cast and producer assembled
with a single aim-to make the best
possible pictures"
Another step forward which will
serve to greatly improve pictures and
reduce the original cost of production
has to do with the scenario itself Su-
perhuOus scenes can now be eliminated
in the writing of the script instead OF
in the cutting of the film. Writing and
filming hundreds of scenes that could
not possibly be crowded into a five-reeI
picture has not only increased produc-
ton costs, but too often resulting in
jerky, disconnected pictures that showed
evidence of the cutters pruning after the
camera had ceased to grind
Abraham Lehr, vice president Of tina
Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and In
charge of the studios at Culver City raaA
when interviewed
1.-The motion picture industry has
reached the turn In the road and pros
perity lies ahead. canvass of the
larger Southern California studios shows
that production is back to normal.
There is a feeling of optimism and
confidence in the industry. Its leaders 4
are talking progress and have forgot
ten the recent depression
Carl Laemmle, president of the Uni
versal Film Manufacturing Company, re-
fected optimism in discussing the pres
ent and future of the industry and told
the International News Service that "the
motion picture industry is entering upon
the period of its greatest activity. Thu
economic depression has been good for
the industry as a whole. While il has
been bitter medicine for some producers,
1t has shown them the wisdom of bust
ness-like methods of production and the
value of accommodating a reserve for emer-
gencies.
THE producers who made good pie
lures economically did not suffer, but
the man who offered carelessly-pro-
duced films to the public and wasted
money went under with the first tidal
wave of Industrial retrenchment" Z