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Founder of the Motion Picture
MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
BY
HAROLD B. FRANKLIN
PRESIDENT OF THE WEST COAST THEATRES, INC.
NEW YORK GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1927, BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
JAN 21 1328
MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT — RE- PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
©CU1018482
PREFACE
HE first book in a new field will attract a variety of
readers. In the domain of the motion picture industry,
no writer has hitherto attempted a complete presenta- tion of the special matter of operation. This volume there- fore is planned to reach the widest possible audience by con- sidering one group of facts from a composite point of view. The general public will find the style direct and untechnical. Business men in non-related walks of commerce will be served by the economy of statement. For to those who intend to enter the profession, there is a wealth of detail clarified by a strict organization. Teachers of the new courses that are being held in universities and technical schools are hereby offered a text for assignment or reference. Theater managers may profit, surely, by reading in fixed print the summary of their own experiences and other people's ideas. There is a wealth of exhibits and illustrations which make the theme con- crete and which should appeal to all.
When I speak of the motion picture as something new, I am not unmindful of the fact that it has already had a his- tory of one generation. In thirty years thousands of ven- tures have had ample time to accumulate and exchange a vast fund of knowledge. The brevity of time has been matched by the strides of progress. In other words, we have arrived at a definite stage in our work. Looking backward, we dis- cern certain unmistakable classifications, in various directions. No one has yet gathered these into one group under one cover. Hence this book.
The general public has evinced so close an interest in the production of photoplays, that I dare hope they will wish to learn more concerning the theaters they attend. As every one knows, the cinema is in existence and is still very much grow- ing. I feel sure that those who have been patrons will be curious enough to spend a few hours acquiring a fuller notion
V
vi
PREFACE
of how their enjoyable evenings are planned and achieved. Operators have often featured such information in their house publicity ; and I for one am confident that the theater has noth- ing to lose and much to gain from audiences that know the trend of things and appreciate new and improved methods.
Leaders of other industries, knowing well that the basis of commerce is everywhere the same, will nevertheless have an opportunity to see how the superstructure has evolved in the new line that has prospered so swiftly. The advance of the film has profited by examples taken from older enterprises. Perhaps the favor can now be returned.
The group I address mainly, of course, is the legion of those young men who will shortly be in charge of our houses. They may be individual entrepreneurs about to join the ranks. They may be promoted employees, risen from the ranks. They may be undergoing preparatory training in such institutions as Columbia University, or the Publix Theatres Managers' School. Even younger, they may be no more than wishful of the day when they shall achieve managerial status. Whoever or whatever they may be, I have for them this word of cau- tion : A book like the present one is no mere collection of words. The thoughts presented herein are the fruits of a very real tree. There are roots of reality behind what I say — roots that go down deep into business, art, and life itself. A great many men have devoted their youth and maturity to the establishment of the facts that crowd these pages. Most of those men groped and struggled long and hard before they were able to grasp this or that principle. Many of them never did learn, never survived. Their successes — and their failures, too ! — have made possible the lessons they turn over to successors; but the process of learning still needs time and effort. You wouldn't expect to learn to play the violin just from reading a book through once. You won't be a manager on the same basis, either. But musical lore has shortened and simplified the violinist's path. Undoubtedly, theory can pave the way to practice in the motion picture business as in others.
Although this book deals with a subject that has its touch of romance, it should not be galloped through, like a novel.
PREFACE
vii
Absorb, while you read. Take time to reflect upon what is said. Whenever you can, study the elements of an actual theater, and make comparison with the statements the book offers. Use your head, not to memorize, but to comprehend ; and do not lose sight of the fact that the best information is valuable only when put to use by sound, earnest initiative.
Teachers of such young men as I have just addressed will find the text helpful, unless I am mistaken, in several ways. As a recitation groundwork, it will serve to save time enor- mously in respect to gathering material and organizing lec- tures. There are thirty-four chapters in all The individual instructor has therefore a mathematical principle for divi- sion of time in his course. The matter of emphasis, unless dictated by special circumstances, should be constant, for no one can tell which phase of the work will be most needed by the student later. The grouping by parts provides occasion for reviews and quizzes.
Lecturers in courses concerning the industry, but not di- rectly dealing with operation, may employ the text for refer- ence, or for reports by part or on specific chapters. Thus there may be secured for a class in stage presentation, for example, an interesting side-light on the place of production in the organization. I believe, too, that the book may be used with some profit in connection with studies relating to com- merce, advertising, journalism, or the allied field of theatricals.
To the executive already in the harness I offer the greet- ings of a colleague who has seen the growth and workings of operations small and large. What he already knows, he may perhaps find here ordered and clarified. Since I myself have often learned from others, I have hope that he will find some new things in what I say. And should he occasionally, or even frequently, find it necessary to disagree — why, what is better than the opportunity to discuss a life-work with another who has made the same career his ?
By way of conclusion, I have the following to say : What- ever else this book may be, it is no flight of fancy. The statements it contains are based on sober and, I believe, veri- fiable fact. I did not enter the business as a writer but as
viii
PREFACE
an executive ; and an executive I still remain. If I have waxed enthusiastic here or there, it is because, where operation is concerned, I am and always shall be an enthusiast. Part of the showman's creed — the heart of it — is a love of the pro- fession.
Finally, permit me to render a brief but heartfelt tribute to one whom I respect and admire for his contribution to the industry — Adolph Zukor. Through all the conflicts that arose in the building of a new industry, he stuck to his convictions and made himself a leader and a guide. My associations with him have been such as arouse a deep sense of appreciation.
May my own words help others in some measure.
H. B. F.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Preface ......... . v
PART I: Introductory
CHAPTER
I. The Object of the Book ....... 15
II. The Industry and the Theater . . . . . 21
PART II: Management and Organization
III. Management and the Public . ? . . . -37
IV. Departments and Functions . . . . . .45
V. Personnel and Inspections . . . . . 52
VI. Safety 61 VII. House Management ....... 67
VIII. Training for Management . . . . -. , 77 ■
PART III: Plant and Structure
IX. The Building and Its Construction . . ? s- 87 X. Structural Equipment ....... 96
XI. Fire Apparatus and Water Supply . > -. . .104
PART IV: Personnel
XII. The Function of Personnel . . , . . .119
XIII. The Service Staff . s s f . , .124
XIV. The Production Staff s . , , . , .139 XV. Plant and Housekeeping . ... . . -. .153
XVI. Auditing and Accounting Personnel . . . .164
XVII. Conferences . . s , , ._ . .168
XVIII. Employment . . . . . ■ , . . .176
ix
X
CONTENTS
PART V: Finance
CHAPTEB PAGE
XIX. Financing the Motion Picture Industry . . . . 185
XX. Budgets . .192
XXI. Methods of Accounting Control 200
XXII. Purchasing and Inventory . . . . . .213
XXIII. Insurance . . . . . . .... 223
PART VI: Auxiliary and Contributive Elements
XXIV. Expert Advice . . . . : ; , -237 XXV. Advertising 24.2
XXVI. The Show Window of the Theater s 6 .. .258
XXVII. Color and Lighting 268
XXVIII. Music ....... ; . 278
XXIX. Special Films: Short Subjects; Road Shows . . . 288
XXX. Stage Presentations 296
XXXI. Refrigeration Systems and Other Mechanical Aids . 304
XXXII. Law Pertaining to Theaters 317
XXXIII. The Public: Good Will and Ethics . . .325
PART VII: Conclusion
XXXIV. The Paramount Theatre and Building . . . -333 XXXV. Review and Forecast 345
Index .......... 361
ILLUSTRATIONS
Thomas A. Edison Frontispiece
FIGURE PAGE
1. Theater Organization Chart ...... 47
2. Inspection Report ........ $6
3. Fire and Safety Report . . . . . . .62
4. Box Office Statement . . s . . . . 72
5. Time Schedule 75
6. Remote Control Switchboard . . . . . . 80
7. Stage Lighting Plan ........ 99
8. Service Staff Report , . , . . . . .125
9. Uniformed Staff . . . . , . . . .128
10. Lost and Found Forms . . . . . . .131
11. Service Employees . . . 136
12. Layout of Projection Room . . . -. . ,141
13. Projection Room Weekly Report ■„ . . . .143
14. Special News Weekly Trailer . . . . : .144
15. Booth Shutter Arrangement . -. . . . .146
16. Music Cue Sheet . . . 148
17. Weekly Statement 208
18. Graphic Chart, California Theatre . . . .211
19. Inventory Record . . . , , . . .217
20. Purchase Order . . . . , . . . .219
21. Requisition from Store Room . . . . . .221
22. Specimen Balaban & Katz Institutional Advertising . 245
23. Specimen West Coast Institutional Advertising . . 246
24. Exploitation Lobby 253
25. Newspaper Ads on "The Covered Wagon" . . . 254
26. Ziegfeld Theatre . . . . . . . .264
xi
xii ILLUSTRATIONS
FIGURE PAGE
27. Paramount, Grauman's Chinese and Uptown Theatres . 264
28. Specimen Posters ......... 264
29. Profile Poster , . . . . ... 264
30. Decorative Lobby "The Ten Commandments" . .265
31. Roxy Theatre Lobby . .265
32. Lobby, Uptown Theatre, Chicago . . . . .265
33. A. Seat Indicator . . . . .: . . . , 265 B. Usher Signal System 266
34. Auditorium, Paramount Theatre . . . , .336
35. Fox Case Movietone . . f . . . . .350
36. Television . . . . -.- . . . . 354
Part I Introductory
CHAPTER I
The Object of the Book
THEATERS, and particularly motion picture theaters, are to-day an important part of community life throughout our country. In many instances they are housed in the finest public buildings of the individual town or city. They represent investments ranging from one hundred thousand dollars in a small town to as much as three and four million dollars in one of the greater centers of population. The modern motion picture theater, a marvel of comfort and luxury, seats as many as six thousand persons. From some nine thousand theaters in 1910, the number increased to twenty thousand in 1925, with a total seating capacity of almost eighteen million, and an estimated average weekly attendance of one hundred million. In New York, the Paramount The- atre and Building embodies an investment in land and struc- ture of nearly eighteen million dollars. This, of course, is the exceptional instance, because the outstanding one. It is sig- nificant as representing a peak, a climax in the history of operation.
The tremendous capital invested in motion picture theaters throughout the country is an indication of the sound founda- tion on which the motion picture theater rests. In one sense, the motion picture is an industry. From that point of view it is not merely national in scope, but even ranks with the preeminent industries, being in fact fourth in importance. Furthermore, it is a business as soundly stabilized as it is ex- tensive and notable. When a single theater brings a gross revenue of two millions and more a year — and there are now many such theaters — it has reached a position second to that of no single interest in the commercial world. Indeed, the progress of the industry is one of the romances of American initiative. Born in 1896, and founded on the basic patents of
15
16 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
Thomas A. Edison, it has leaped to the forefront of national economic and social life in the brief span of a single genera- tion. What a long jump from the crude "store" show to such palatial operation as exemplified by the Paramount and Roxy theaters in New York !
The reason for the miraculous growth is the fulfillment of a universal, deep seated, public need. It is a simple fact of every day experience that the new institution is typically and essentially democratic, enjoying, in every quarter of the globe, the patronage of millions of people of all ages and interests, from every walk of life. It is not uncommon to see a Ford and a Rolls-Royce discharge their occupants, at the same time, before the box office. "The Covered Wagon" and "The Big Parade," acclaimed by the most exacting public of the great metropolis, stir equally the hearts of people in the most re- mote townships. For the motion picture theater has taken its place alongside the church and the schoolliouse. In the words of Cardinal Dubois, one of the most influential religious leaders of Paris: "The cinema will become a great and beau- tiful thing. The faith which I place in it to-day is quite justi- fied, and I remain convinced that to-morrow it will even sur- pass our hopes, that it will truly be the grand silent voice of the day, and that through it the world will be a better place." People have found that it is just as important to laugh, and to be diverted generally, as to be good and learned, that enjoy- ment is as truly a part of life as morality and knowledge.
The motion picture does not pretend to be an educational institution, although motion pictures in themselves have made and will make themselves felt as factors in education. It is the function of the motion picture theater to furnish clean, wholesome entertainment; and those responsible for produc- tion recognize the fact that pictures must be wholesome if they are to continue to prosper, because the overwhelming majority of the people will not long accept anything that is not of high standard. The result is that pictures are not merely ac- ceptable, but that many of them are inspirational and elevat- ing. Those like D. W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation," Paramount's "The Covered Wagon," Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's
THE OBJECT OF THE BOOK
IT
"The Big Parade" speak with a voice that is truly the voice of a great country and appeal with equal success in Europe and in the United States. William Fox's production, "Seventh Heaven," and First National's "The Patent Leather Kid" are other offerings of the same splendid character. Such productions not only entertain, but stimulate all that is finest and best in human character, and are thus comparable with the loftiest in literature. In comparison, moreover, with the drama of the stage, the drama of the screen has infinitely greater flexibility and range. It is not limited to the artificial devices of the theater. It literally has the whole world for its stage. It actually speaks a universal language. It takes people all around the world; into the laboratories of science, into botanical gardens, into the White House, down into the bowels of the earth and the secrets of the ocean. Recently the New York World said: "From Singapore to Savannah the screen has become one of the greatest agencies in the diversion and instruction of mankind."
These references to the progress and the merits of motion pictures are made only to emphasize the hold of the theater that exhibits them among the people everywhere. To-day such theaters are in simple fact the only places of entertain- ment to large and increasing numbers. Since that is the case, their proper operation is of vital importance. It is important, as we have seen, economically. The newspapers and the light- ing companies are but two of the many local contributive enterprises. Nationally, over two hundred thousand miles of film are utilized each year. More than five million pounds of cotton and one hundred sixty tons of silver bullion con- tribute to this single output. An institution that employs from twenty to two hundred persons in each theater, and that draws its equipment from business houses of numerous and varied interests, requires administration second in importance to none.
Theater operation has consequently come to be recognized as a profession of exceptional merit and usefulness, and a high type of young man is being attracted to the ranks. In addition, the industry itself is aware of new needs and stand- ards, so that an effort is being made to provide the recruits
18 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
with the fundamental theory and practice of the procedure involved in management. To this end, Publix Theatres, Inc., which is an important motion picture theater circuit, conducts a school whose specific purpose is to teach the essentials of theater management. As has been indicated, the principal reasons for the step are : the increasing importance of motion picture theaters everywhere, the large investment represented, the great number of theaters now in operation, the thousands of persons whose livelihood depends on the industry, and the important relationship of the theater to the public.
For the same reasons, and with the same end in view, this book will endeavor to present an analysis and exposition of the details of theater management — functions and procedure — based on practical experience. It is not intended to tell any one how to operate theaters successfully. Success in the field can be acquired only by practical experience and by those qualities which make for success anywhere and at any time. The aim of the text is rather to give necessary information drawn from reality, to marshal a vast array of miscellaneous fact in orderly form. In this way, the book may be of genuine guidance and of economical instruction to the right sort of candidate for managerial status. It is hoped, likewise, that executives at present in charge of individual theaters may find in these pages the clarification of this or that problem arising out of the nature of their work. Yet the writer cannot too emphatically repeat that success is based on level-headed capacity. Modern the- aters, large or small, cannot be run on chance or guesswork. What this book has to give, together with the contributions of experts in various divisions, must be combined with acute per- sonal intelligence.
In order to facilitate the most efficient presentation of the subject, the present text has been so ordered as to group the problems for convenient reference, without diminishing the emphasis on the prime consideration of management. Accord- ingly, the chapters are gathered into Parts, as follows : Part I is a bird's-eye view of the entire industry as an introduction to the place of the theater. Part II goes directly to general phases of management, in its relations with public, employ-
THE OBJECT OF THE BOOK
19
ers and employees, especially in connection with house direc- tion, safety, and training. Part III is concerned with the phy- sical building — construction, equipment, inspection, and main- tenance. Part IV describes in detail the varieties of personnel and the manager's function in inspections, conferences and employment. Part V has to do with the fundamental problems of finance in budget making and control, and in purchase, stock, and insurance. Part VI considers the manager's relations with his advisors — the musician, the publicity man, the lawyer, and others. Part VII rounds out the picture in a summary of the past and some conjectures as to the future. In every division, of course, the details are viewed from the angle of the central consideration — the manager.
The methods and principles described herein are naturally not in use in any one theater. They are rather composite ; that is, they are based on the procedure of the better type of motion picture theater, and are gathered from many instances rather than from few. Since they are without exception drawn from experience in operation, they constitute a theatrical standard that may serve as a practical guide. Yet executives must realize that expediency often takes precedence over theory, and that in theater operation much depends on the personality of the administration. Emerson has said: "Every institution is the lengthened shadow of some man." Business judgment must decide the occasions when theory is practicable, and when it is inadequate.
Since figures tend to vary greatly in the motion picture business, it would be misleading to feature them in a general account of this sort. Not only are there variations within regions and districts and cities, but within the individual theater there are variations from season to season, from week to week. Therefore figures will be introduced only when neces- sary, and even then will be used solely for the purpose of illustration, and must not be considered on the basis of unfail- ing accuracy.
These chapters are written after intensive study and after much first-hand experience in the operation mainly of large theaters. The content will therefore be found to apply most
20 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
closely to such theaters. It is believed, however, that the un- derlying principles should be applicable, with equal point, to any type of theater operated, no matter how small. Perhaps the local manager will profit from an opportunity to view the whole field in the large; or the small unit may be impelled to grow after the model of the greater. At any rate, the princi- ples set forth should serve the individual operator with the basis of comparison and check in black and white; and since any type of theater that depends upon the public for support has much in common with any other type, the author hopes that his words may be of some service outside his own domain of motion picture theater operation.
CHAPTER II
The Industry and the Theater HE history of the motion picture as an entertainment
covers a period of thirty years. The early stage of
the industry is similar in many respects to that of the story of oil, the automobile, and the railroad. The industry prospered only after a period of strife and fierce competition, and after several chaotic, climactic situations.
Those who persevered some twenty-five years ago saw in the motion picture the foundation of a great business. With- out precedent or experience, these men felt their way along, conquered great difficulties, overcame great obstacles, and from a crude beginning, and after many random experiments, the business gradually prospered, attracting to it men of youth and imagination. In the same short span of thirty years, the motion picture developed an art, peculiarly its own. Despite its youth, it is compared favorably with the older arts, the drama and the newspaper, both of which required centuries of development.
Mistakes have been made, but no industry could have achieved what the motion picture has, unless it was funda- mentally sound. Without background, those who developed a novelty into an industry that has reached a high plane have earned the respect and regard of people throughout the world. Even during the earlier, chaotic period, the record reveals a high proportion of progress. The pioneers were true builders, creators in the best sense. And those who are guiding the industry to-day have a clear realization of their responsibili- ties, both moral and educational, as apart from the financial consideration. If we can judge the future from the past, we may expect the same relative progress during the next thirty years as during the three decades that lie behind.
No criticism can be brought against motion pictures which
21
22 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
cannot be brought against books, with equal truth — there are good and bad pictures just as there are good and bad books.
As we grow better, motion pictures will become better — great strides have already been made — the future is bright already in this respect. The business is still going forward, ever climbing and growing. From a mere plaything it has developed into the favorite entertainment of the masses. The motion picture is constantly recording progress in entertain- ment and artistic values.
In 1922 the industry took a mighty step forward when the principal producers and distributors organized the Motion Pic- ture Producers and Distributors of America, with Mr. Will H. Hays, then Postmaster-General of the United States, as their guiding counsel. The object of this association can be more readily understood in reading the code of ethics included in the articles of incorporation, filed in Albany, N. Y. Briefly they are:
"To establish and maintain the highest possible moral and artistic standards of motion picture production, and to develop the educational as well as the entertainment value and general useful- ness of the motion picture/'
Those within the industry gave their confidence and coopera- tion to the association, which went a long way to stabilize the industry and place it on a basis which warranted and received public approval. The motion picture industry laid plans for further progress and development and directed itself to ex- pansion of its influence and its sphere of usefulness. It not only became the means of entertaining the people, but proved to be of great influence in molding opinion and taste, as well as a force for good will among nations, because of the univer- sal language of pictures, showing the habits of all to each, and in that way bringing them closer together and eliminating mis- understandings. Furthermore, the same sound business prin- ciples that govern other American industries direct the policies and methods of the different groups of the motion picture industry.
There are three distinct branches of endeavor in the motion picture industry: that of (a) Production, (b) that of Distri-
THE INDUSTRY AND THE THEATER 23
bution, and (c) that of Exhibition. I will endeavor to make clear the function of each.
PRODUCTION
The production of Motion Pictures is accomplished by various groups, some of whom carry on the distribution and the exhibition (or theater operation) as well. The produc- tion of motion pictures is a costly undertaking, and if an or- ganization is to maintain extensive studios, as well as a talented creative staff, it is extremely important that it be closely allied with the distribution, to insure for itself a steady outlet for the product of its effort. For this reason each of the leading pro- ducers maintains his own distributing organization. There are producers who make occasional pictures, and who arrange for the distribution of their pictures through one of the distribu- tion organizations, which are always willing to circulate a product which is meritorious. There are producers, however, who make occasional pictures that do not measure up to the best standards ; and such pictures are not encouraged through regular distributing channels. These pictures are released through the state right market, where the right to distribute the particular picture in a given territory is sold to a state right distributor either for a lump sum, or on a percentage arrangement through which the producers participate in the film rentals.
There is no definite formula in the making of good motion pictures. In many respects such production may be compared to the publishing of books, or the producing of plays. New ideas, originality in creation, are of equal moment in picture making as in any other phase of creative work. If the first essential of a good picture is a good story, the second is a good director. The preparation in planning and working out the scenario, and the amount of time that can be spent on the production, are of importance. Direction that brings out the story in a simple way, so that it may be clearly understood by all kinds of people, is always desirable. Coordination between all departments of production is essential to bring about a gen- uine result. A weak link may result in a poor picture. Story
24. MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
value with heart interest, human in its appeal, that has pictorial value, with a novel theme of general attractiveness, makes for the best type of picture. In the mechanical phase, picture mak- ing has reached great heights. There need no longer be any tol- erance of a standard below the best in photography, in lighting, in settings, or in technical equipment.
The stories that are made into pictures are recruited from the best material throughout the world, modern and classic; material is drawn from the best literature and from stage plays. In addition, the motion picture has developed a litera- ture all its own; situations can be shown on the screen that could hardly be expressed in words or acted on a stage. With all of nature's background as a setting, writing for the screen involves a technique that is peculiarly its own. A stage play or a novel that is to prove successful in films must be entirely rewritten for adjustment to a different medium. Indeed, some of the biggest successes had no previous appearance in drama or literature. They enjoyed their first presentation as motion pictures — "The Ten Commandments," "The Lost World" and "The Big Parade." Furthermore, there have been instances of elevating inconsequential novels or plays to the level of such masterpieces of film art as "The Birth of a Nation" or "The Covered Wagon."
Motion pictures are designed to appeal to the majority of people. That is why the occasional "high brow" picture does not meet with the box-office success. The industry does not pretend to cater to the self-styled "intelligentsia." When suffi- cient people show interest in seeing a type of picture different from the sort now presented, the industry will be able and willing to supply the demand.
Those who are entrusted with the picturization of suitable material have a sympathetic understanding of picture require- ments, and are guided by a pardonable pride in their effort. It is the sincere spirit in which they fulfill their task that is to a great extent responsible for the high average of the Ameri- can output.
In production, the big development of the future will come through internationalization. This will bring about continued
THE INDUSTRY AND THE THEATER 25
progress for American motion pictures throughout the world, and make a new era for the industry. Such pictures will find added favor with the people of foreign countries, when the best artists and directors are brought to them through the highly-developed American technique. No foreign motion picture producing company can attract to itself artists, direc- tors, or technicians in competition with America, whose re- sources and markets are without limit. Already, several im- portant producers have taken definite steps in this direction, and have brought into their production organization directors, artists, and technicians who have achieved success abroad. There are, as well, foreign writers of importance, who will have at their disposal the highly-developed facilities of the foremost American producer. Such cooperative enterprise can meet with no less than world-wide favor.
The international appeal of American-made pictures can be better understood when it is realized that screen actors that appear in American films are recruited from all parts of the world. Mr. Will H. Hays recently made a survey of im- portant actors, directors, and camera men in Hollywood. He found that 60 were Englishmen, 26 Canadians, 16 Russians, 23 Germans, 12 French, 10 Austrians, 11 Swedes, 7 Italians, 6 Hungarians, 4 Japanese, 3 Mexicans, 3 Danes. Others came from India, the Argentine, China, Roumania, Brazil, Poland.
The laboratory where positive prints are made from the negative is operated in conjunction with the production de- partment. Large companies administer their own laboratories. Approximately 150 prints are made of each feature picture. These are divided among the exchange centers, from which the theaters are served. Two negative prints of each picture are made on different cameras; one is retained for national distribution; while the other is sent abroad for the European market, where the positive prints are made. Translators make titles for each country in which the picture is to be shown.
DISTRIBUTION
The distribution machinery of the motion picture has been developed to a high degree. Distribution means the renting of
26 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
the motion pictures to exhibitors throughout the country, the physical transportation of the film, as well as the proper ex- ploitation of the pictures which are sold. The development of motion picture distribution during the last five years has truly been an achievement, and has developed a school of sales- manship of the very highest type. Intensive advertising cam- paigns, which are enterprising and productive, help in the merchandising of these pictures. These campaigns are backed up by efficient and concentrated selling methods. The man who is principally responsible for the development is Mr. Sydney R. Kent, who is regarded as the most advanced distribution exec- utive that the industry has produced.
The machinery of distribution is conducted through approx- imately thirty-three key cities in America. Each exchange is presided over by a branch manager. The exchanges are divided into two or three divisions, which are in charge of Division Managers, who conduct the business from the home office under the supervision of the General Manager of Dis- tribution. Each exchange branch is the base from which a number of salesmen operate, under the direction of the branch manager. These salesmen cover the territory, visiting each exhibitor in person. The sales campaign is inaugurated by divisional conventions, at which every one concerned with the sale of the picture is present. Sales policies and price sched- ules, which have been carefully worked out, are presented to the sales force. These conventions are remarkable expositions of skill in mass selling; the film men become instilled with the enthusiasm of their leaders, and undertake their selling with an enthusiasm which just can't fail. Their extensive selling ma- chinery brings distribution into immediate and close contact with practically every theater throughout the country. An elaborate system of shipping, presided over by experts, covers the network of theater bookings in each territory, insuring prompt delivery of film. A foreign department covers the European field in much the same way as the domestic distri- bution department is covered. The foreign department of a large distributing organization reaches every civilized corner in the world.
THE INDUSTRY AND THE THEATER
27
During the year 1926, approximately 749 feature motion pictures were produced and distributed.
The future will bring reciprocal arrangements between American and foreign distributors, which will carry to every country the best of foreign-made productions.
The distribution described herein is in reference to feature motion pictures : the same practice applies to those organiza- tions that distribute short subjects.
Motion pictures, either features or short subjects, are rented to exhibitors for the specific period in which they are used at each theater. Rentals vary in accordance with the size of the city or community, as well as with the type and size of the theater, and also in accordance with the run — first, second, third, etc. In most instances, the rental is a flat sum, which is based on the possible box-office receipts. These are scheduled by experts who are familiar with the film rental possibilities of the theater, and that figure is gauged against the national quota established for the picture to be sold. Each exchange center has some percentage against a national quota, estab- lished in accordance with its theater possibilities. In turn, each theater to be served has some part of the exchange center portion of the quota. In this way distribution organizations establish quotas which may be depended upon, and the sales possibilities tend to decide the amount of money that can be put into certain types of production.
Box office possibilities of each type of production vary, and values are determined only through expert knowledge by both distributors and exhibitors. The latter buy pictures in groups, and frequently give preference to the organization which re- leases what they consider the best type of product. They then fill up the remaining, or open dates, with the next best product. Block buying is of great advantage to the exhibitor, because it guarantees his theater a definite supply of pictures of an established quality. Although pictures may be bought in groups, the price of each picture is contracted for specially. In some instances distributors receive a percentage of the re- ceipts in lieu of a flat rental, and in other instances a guarantee as well as a percentage, depending on the local situation.
28 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
With the development of chain theater operation, there will probably come a change in production and distribution methods. It is obvious that as the buying of motion pictures narrows down to several smaller groups, there is no necessity for maintaining a very costly, extensive selling machinery.
When it is considered that there are approximately twenty competitive branch offices in thirty-five or more key cities in America, each exchange employing a number of salesmen, it can readily be seen what a tremendous sum is involved in the present system of selling and distribution. Selling costs have averaged between twenty-five and thirty-five per cent, of film rentals. The simplification of distribution machinery will mean the saving of vast sums.
The average motion picture theater annually rents from distributors approximately 175 feature pictures and about 350 short subjects ; thus it can readily be seen what vast machinery is necessary to keep the 20,000 theaters furnished with product !
THEATER OPERATION
Of approximately 18,000 theaters in this country, about 1,000 are controlled by distributing-producing organizations. It is natural and logical for the producer-distributor to main- tain a contact with the ultimate consumer, the motion picture patron. Just as oil producers buy up refineries and gas sta- tions, just as manufacturers of electrical equipment buy into public utilities, so it is to be expected that the producer-dis- tributor shall consider theater operation an important part of his activities. The theaters which are operated by producer- distributors may be said to be "Key" or "First run" theaters, and are really show-cases where they may show their pictures under the most favorable circumstances, at the same time affording independent theater owners an opportunity to gauge the public reaction to the pictures presented, and serving as a guide to value. It is therefore to be expected that the number of producer-distributor theaters, owned either directly or in part, will increase. All the economies and advantages accruing to the widely successful "Chain" operation may be supplied also to the theater circuits. In addition to the theaters owned
THE INDUSTRY AND THE THEATER 29
by producing-distribution interests, large chain operations have been developed and will continue to be developed by exhibitors, having no financial affiliation with producer-distributors, yet associated through a common bond of interest, and tending to bring about improved standards of theater operation. Cer- tain types of theaters will always be operated by independent exhibitors, whose talents and abilities are essential for the theater's success. The personal element in theater operation is of great importance, and there will always be room for ex- hibitors of personality who understand theater showmanship.
THE PLACE OF THE MOTION PICTURE THEATER
There is hardly any need to define what is evident to all. To the general public, a motion picture theater is devoted to en- tertainment by means of films, where all may attend who pay for admission in accordance with a scale of prices posted at the box office, provided they conduct themselves properly. On the other hand, it is equally obvious that such an institution is a business, an enterprise offering to the community a highly desired commodity in exchange for income that must, nat- urally, include a profit. Any cinema, anywhere, is both of these things, and succeeds in measure as it accomplishes the double aim of amusement and financial return.
In another sense, each theater might require separate char- acterization. We are not likely to confuse the simple structure at the country crossroads with the mammoth edifice that towers above the crowded city thoroughfare. The problems, the pos- sibilities, the ingenuities of management will show a thousand and one distinctions between this house and that, one manager and another — to say nothing of the manifold differences of music, advertising, service, and even sanitation which set off one amusement center from all the rest. A theater, like a man, is a personality — for better or worse — by itself ; and each one defines itself to the locality in its own way.
Yet between the general definition and the particular, there still lies the possibility of making certain classifications accord- ing to certain similarities. The trade does not pretend to cater to all alike, or to each entirely on the basis of special need. A
30 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
number of types are recognized; and while their function is the same anywhere, and their needs different everywhere, they are found to group themselves naturally according to broad sim- ilarities determined by experience.
The better sort of theater, for example, is known as the "De Luxe First Run," a title which indicates a richness of display, a priority in the showing of recent pictures, and, of course, a great income. This kind of house caters to the pleas- ure of an entire metropolis. Accordingly, it is situated in some central district, such as the main business or shopping zone. On its program will be found a feature, which consists of five to seven reels of a thousand feet of film each; a number of short subjects, generally comprising a one- or two-reel comedy, and a news weekly ; or sometimes a travel scenic or other nov- elty subject. In larger cities, there may be also one or more of the following stage presentations : a revue, a prologue in- spired by the feature, a dance divertissement, soloists, or some number specially produced by the management. Frequently, well-known actors or actresses appear before the patrons of a De Luxe Theater.
"Neighborhood Theaters" are located in residential sections, and are thus to be distinguished from the first type. They may seat three or four hundred, and be of simple design; or they may vie with the finest class of downtown institution. The size and magnificence are determined by the size and character of the surrounding population. Such theaters usually play motion pictures after the first showing of the more centrally located nouses, and are therefore distinguished from them by the name "second run." The type of program, otherwise, is practically the same as that of the De Luxe, except that in smaller and smaller communities the auxiliary elements are fewer and less elaborate. For instance, the full-sized sym- phony orchestra dwindles by degrees to a solo organist as we go down the ranks; and the elaborate changes of scenery are in some places reduced to one permanent stage design, and in most are not to be found at all. Yet in cities of great size the neighborhood theater may present a program in every way as
THE INDUSTRY AND THE THEATER 31
ambitious as the one downtown; excepting that the orchestra seldom exceeds thirty pieces, and the showing of the "second run" feature is made "simultaneously" with that of other neighborhood houses.
Third, fourth, or fifth run theaters are to be found wherever the population warrants the type. The importance, naturally, diminishes with the run. Among these are to be found the so-called "sensational" houses. They are generally small places that cater to the element which craves "action" pictures, that is, not only western subjects, but others that may be called melo- dramatic in the extreme. They can best be characterized as being of the "Nick Carter" type. They help fill the place left by the "ten-twenty-thirty" stage show of the last decade. There is a sharp line of division between the conduct of the "sensational" type of picture theater and the others.
Another kind that may properly be classified with motion picture theaters is the vaudeville-picture house. This type is found mainly in the large cities. The program consists of a feature and five or six acts of vaudeville. The pictures ex- hibited are either second run, or first run products of sec- ondary importance. This type of theater reached its highest development under the policies established by Loew's under the supervision of Nicholas M. Schenck.
In some parts of the country there is a type known as the "double feature" house, because the program consists of two features instead of one. The purpose, obviously, is to entice the "bargain" instinct of patrons. Yet there are distinct disadvantages in such procedure. It is like asking a person to read two novels in the same evening. The operation of these theaters seems inadvisable to the most constructive minds of the industry, and is discouraged as much as possible.
In the smaller towns the local theater often houses the motion picture as well as the vaudeville, legitimate, or concert attractions, playing each for a day or two, according to book- ings. A community of this size is willing and able to patron- ize a variety of amusements, but is not large enough to sup- port a run of any continuance. The theater therefore is a kind
32 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
of cross-section of the world of entertainment * and it is signifi- cant that even here the new art is giving more than a good account of itself among its elders.
No classification of motion picture theaters would be com- plete without mention of the greatest type of all — the type which I shall classify as the "Super." ' It is the last word in architectural treatment. It seats, usually, from 3,500 to 6,000 patrons — a city under one roof ! It contains lobbies and public rooms of grand scale, whose proportions are comparable with those of great public buildings. In most instances, too, the super-theater equals the best of contemporary structures in decorative effect. It has the spaciousness, the luxurious ap- pointments, of an elaborate mansion. Of this type the best instance to cite is the Paramount Theatre, New York, which will be treated in detail in another chapter of this volume.
Since these various groups are well defined in the industry, it stands to reason that management of a given theater must bear in mind the kind of patronage to be attracted, and must act accordingly. Care must be taken to insure the surroundings and accommodations which will attract the desired patronage. If, for example, the clientele desired is of the steady, self- respecting middle class, the lobby and other portions of the house should be as clean and cheerful as the home standards of patrons naturally would demand, and displays should be bright and attractive, but not cheap or sensational. It is gen- erally conceded that a theater personality will attract a particu- lar class of people.
Sometimes, of course, changes of neighborhood and of pop- ulation will dictate a distinct alteration in the personality of the house. Managers must take cognizance of such shifts, and be guided by them. For example, 125th Street in New York was for a long time considered the "Main Street" of people living above 110th Street. In recent years, however, the col- ored belt of this section of Harlem has come down so close to 125th Street that the thoroughfare no longer attracts white residents living to the south of that line. There has conse- quently arisen, for the managements of theaters located on the street, a problem requiring the most alert judgment and re-
THE INDUSTRY AND THE THEATER 33
sourcefulness. In the same manner, a new class of people will often encroach on a district of established character, and in- evitably the whole personality of the local theater will undergo marked change. It is therefore sound policy to make a careful study of conditions that will insure the attraction of the de- sired clientele. The factors here are location, design in struc- ture, service, and quality of entertainment.
Whatever has been said in this chapter concerning produc- tion and distribution is offered to the reader merely by way of setting for the better understanding of the chapters that are to follow. They deal with our real theme — operation. And operation, reduced to its elements, means the motion picture theater itself. It is the point at which industry and consumer meet— the local market of a national supply and demand.
The hundreds of thousands who congregate nightly under the exhibitor's roof are indulging in a luxury only in a sec- ondary sense. Truly, they gather here as they go elsewhere for bread ; because here, as nowhere else, is to be found the civilized man's great necessity — release from the day's routine — an alternation from perhaps tedious reality to liberating romance. They turn their faces to a blank wall which, at the operator's command, becomes a window upon the variegated globe of the actual, or a magician's crystal into which frustrated hearts may gaze and find of moment for the recognition of life's dreams and ecstasies. Lost from the humdrum, they thrill to adventure, melt in love, or throb with sympathy. This is no luxury, this hour of recreation that falls like manna on the hungry spirit; and just as housekeepers go by habit to those shops that best supply them with the bread and meat of daily subsistence, so the steps of the hungry for romance may be drawn to the door of the exhibitor who knows his mission and performs it truly.
What the performance means, in plain terms of management and service, the remainder of this volume, I hope, will make clear. There are chapters on the manager and his subordi- nates. There are chapters on construction and maintenance. There is a section on finance, another on auxiliary and con- tributive elements. These contain common sense counsel, based
34 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
only on actual practice. In general and in detail they are in- tended as a practical guide. Yet they will be something less than most effective to that manager who, armed with theory to the last footnote, has never learned that he is the director of a business enterprise that ministers to a great, insistent want by providing the product of a vast and growing industry. That is the place of the moving picture theater.
Part II Management and Organization
CHAPTER III
Management and the Public
THE manager of a theater has certain specific duties : to plan, to make decisions, to select capable assistants, to inspire a spirit of loyalty among his staff, and to strive to make his theater a public institution. In many ways he is the arbiter of the public taste. That is, although he takes guidance from the tendencies of patrons toward amusement, he must be the super-salesman in the respect that he induces people to respond to the future market, which he knows in ad- vance. He must win interest for coming programs, and spread the feeling that his theater is zealously studying the public wish in order to provide more than the usual enter- tainment.
On the other hand, the manager cannot cater to patrons at all unless he is an alert, responsible executive, conscious of the problems of his business. Pleasing the public is his objective. To that end he must supervise every function of the business, and be conversant with details, though not ridden by them. A man driving a team does not pull the wagon — he holds the reins and keeps an eye on the road. So, to carry out his obli- gations effectively, to live up to the responsibilities of leader- ship, the manager must have proper perspective of the enter- prise under his care. He must accordingly keep himself free to observe, so that he can think straight, and thus plan wisely and control surely. Yet his place is not at a desk, but in the theater. He should circulate among the patrons, with eyes and ears wide open for significant reactions. He should always sit through the first performance of every change of program, so that he may readily make advisable improvements. He should be personally available during the time of peak attendance loads. In this way, while in close contact with actual operating con-
37
38 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
ditions, he is not distressed or distracted by them to the extent of failing to see the forest for the trees.
Since he is not a person who lives and works from day to day, he must plan future operations carefully. He thus avoids the mistakes that arise from overtimidity and snap decisions. Careful planning clarifies the policies of the theater. Where the patron's interest is bounded by the single performance, where the outlook of some subordinate is but a week or two in advance, it must fall to the manager to be a reader of coming events, and to prepare for or against them. Perhaps the most obvious instance of this simple truth is connected with con- tracting and booking motion pictures and other units of the program. Just as it stands to reason that these must be ar- ranged for considerably ahead of play date, so it follows that intelligent and telling advertising campaigns require fore- thought and sometimes strategy. In similar ways, as will be explained elsewhere in these pages, there is constant need of foreview in matters of finance, statistics, personnel and stock keeping.
It is the combination of experience and foresight that fits the manager for his chief function — the making of decisions pertaining to important questions. This responsibility is not to be delegated. Routine may be left in the hands of trusted employees when such a step is temporarily necessary; but policy can originate only from the top. Furthermore, de- cisions must come from one mind alone, since they should be made promptly, with an absolute minimum of delay in the ask- ing of questions. Timeliness in theater operation is a con- sideration impossible to overemphasize. For example^ it is not enough merely to anticipate a holiday and to prepare to share in the celebration. The alert manager is on his toes to keep time with any public-spirited movement that may arise, perhaps without warning. He must breathe the spirit of the day and thus capture the' confidence of the public. A theater that leads the way can turn its audience into a following.
The same eagle-eyed scrutiny must prevail within the theater. Just as it is the general, understood purpose of the industry to sell entertainment, so, more subtly but no less
MANAGEMENT AND THE PUBLIC 39
truly, it is the function of the individual theater to sell service. In this respect, there is a strong resemblance between a theater and a hotel; and wisdom would point to an adoption of the policy of the Statler houses — "the guest is always right." Such an attitude solves every question in regard to service automatically.
Since the theater is a commercial enterprise, one of the man- ager's duties in relation to the public is to have a keen notion of competition. He must be eternally comparing other opera- tion with his own. He must not be lulled into a feeling of satisfaction or security, but must strive for better and better results if his theater is to maintain its progress. It is not difficult to know of a competitor's activities in this field. Service, cleanliness, advertising, and type of entertainment are matters that lie on the surface for a watchful eye. Fur- thermore, no manager, in making comparisons, should take himself or his rival as the standard, but should go out of the neighborhood, and even out of town, to make sure that he is measuring himself up to a level that is really high.
One source of information on this subject, quite as valuable as his own observations, is the light shed by suggestions from patrons. Such information may come to management through letters, complaints, or comment to attaches. It is good practice to provide employees with printed forms whereon such com- ment may be noted, to be passed up to authority. Many theaters maintain boxes into which patrons are urged to drop written suggestions or complaints ; and in the ordinary run of affairs every theater gets letters of complaint and commenda- tion. Modern managements encourage any form taken by the commenting spirit, because of the valuable clews offered as to what the public thinks right or wrong, and especially as to what the public thinks is right or wrong with the theater in question.
Another — indeed, an indispensable method of studying the public — is made use of when the manager puts himself in the patron's place. He visits his own theater as the patron would ; and not only that, but he visits other theaters with the same point of view, and studies everything from the curbstone to
40 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
the stage. Animated by the spirit of one merely out for an interval of diversion, he adds his own conscious, active inspec- tion along the lines of what he knows to be the best. Whereas the patron drifts to a seat before the screen, urged by an un- analyzed mood of excursion, the manager dissects and notes with every ounce of judgment he can bring to bear. This is no guesswork. It is brain work and the moment a manager de- teriorates into a poor judge of the public's desires, he ceases to belong to this business. The moment he finds himself wait- ing for the competitor to show him what to do, instead of going him one better or showing him the way, he has fallen behind the march of the times and dropped back to a rear rank in a parade that is always moving ahead of him.
If the foregoing objectives are to be summed up in one ex- pression rather than in any other, they are to be put best in the two words, Good Will. No theater can be successful with- out good will. Very few institutions are so sensitive to public good will as is the motion picture theater. The entire staff, from the manager down to the porter, must have an instinct for hospitality. Each constitutes an important part that makes the whole staff one perfect host. The ideal service should be as unobtrusive as it is kindly, permitting the well-behaved patron to make use of the theater undictated. It is not good hospitality to direct or drive the patron in a direction opposite to the one he wishes to take. In some theaters the idea of service is carried to an extreme because of the so-called mili- tary training of the staff. The result is a stiff and artificial machine that gives the attaches an uninviting manner. Per- haps it is impressive. But do patrons come to be impressed, or to have an enjoyable time? Is it not the recollection of that enjoyable time that brings them back again and again?
A public mint and a picture theater both make money; but the former manufactures it, and the latter earns it. That's the only difference, but it's all the difference in the world. No manager has a right to think that he has raw material and that he is going to turn it into dollars by machine methods. He has to win his public and hold it. Let him get them to come, to come in crowds and repeatedly. But the electromagnet of
MANAGEMENT AND THE PUBLIC 41
good will needs the unresting current of something dynamic.
So far I have spoken almost entirely of the manager be- cause it is upon him that the emphasis falls. No one, nat- urally, expects one man to perform all the functions of the theater directly. Any number of people, from a handful to hundreds, will be needed to keep the house going. But these people, in the last analysis, either spell one management, or the manager has failed. The girl who sells the tickets is not working for herself. If she is, the organization has one de- cidedly weak link. No. She is not completely an individual. She is that part of the management that sells tickets; and unless she knows it, she is incapable of representing the theater, of furthering its highly developed policy, of protecting and nurturing its accumulated good will. And since the manager is responsible for her duties as he is for the whole business of which she is part, he fails when she does, or succeeds in meas- ure as she lives up to the requirements of her post.
Here we logically take up an indirect connection between management and patron — indirect and therefore all the more necessary to make sure of. We begin to see, too, how every act of management — even to hiring employees or buying sup- plies— must be actuated by the same urge to acquire good will as is present in program-making or publicity. Therefore the manager must be a man who can handle employees as well as patrons, expenses as well as receipts. He can not conceivably show each patron to his seat, so he engages ushers to do it for him; and he must impress those ushers that, in performing one of his duties, they must do it as he would — courteously, agreeably, with the success of the house at heart. Instead of scrubbing floors with his own hands, he keeps his theater clean with the hands of the porters and the scrubwomen. Every element of the organization is an extension of his policy and himself, not for self-glorification, but for success.
Accordingly, certain common sense procedures are ines- capable. In the first place, the individual employee must be instructed, in detail, not merely in the routine of his task, but equally in that manner of performing it which shall accord with the highest standards of the house. Specific instructions
42 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
leave no doubt and minimize the danger of giving offense. They should therefore be administered to new employees not by one means but by every means possible; word of mouth, written or printed rules, example and drill. Where the size of organization warrants, the employee should furthermore be aware of the whole organization and of the function exercised by his department and by himself. To this end, meetings of departments and of the entire staff are desirable. Here the manager can at one and the same time infuse the individual attache with his spirit, and create within the group a vital esprit de corps.
It can readily be seen that routine, on any scale, would con- sume all of the manager's time, and detract from his executive function. It is therefore necessary, in large theaters, to depu- tize certain supervisory functions to heads of departments. An unforeseen occurrence may require executive attention; but a repetition is handled by a subordinate. That is, impor- tant decisions are still made by the head ; but routine is carried on by employees engaged for the purpose. Thus routine be- comes a standard method of doing certain work, a calculated and habitual procedure tending to produce efficiency. For ex- ample, there should be a certain established routine for every group of workers in service, in finance, in inventory, in daily reports on cleanliness, ventilation, and burnt-out lights. With- out a definite routine of accounting, the reports which serve as a business control would not be available. Of course, safe- guards must be taken to prevent routine from deadening into red tape; but no large theater can afford to operate without specific routine, routine that conforms with, and changes with, actual conditions.
It is therefore imperative that the manager choose his de- partment heads with care. They are employees with definite duties, and must be steady, loyal, and active. On the other hand, they are minor executives, and must be capable of holding good inspections and making intelligent reports. Since it is through these men that the manager reaches his employees, it is necessary for him to be in touch with them. Individual conferences are excellent and should be
MANAGEMENT AND THE PUBLIC 43
periodic. Yet these are not enough. A valuable aid to theater management is the weekly or bi-weekly meeting of department heads, not only for discussion, but for inter-department adjust- ments, and for the excellent effect on esprit de corps. Depart- ment heads are made to feel that they are important parts of the organization and have a voice in its management. Further- more, the manager finds splendid opportunity to disseminate the ideals and policies of the company, to inject his morale into the minds and hearts of those who carry the message to their subordinates for the winning of the public by the reflection of a high and human standard.
The maintenance of strict discipline among all employees is an extremely important factor in guaranteeing proper service. The manager must see to it that department heads maintain such discipline by supervising their immediate staffs closely and by pointing out any infraction of the established rules. The heads must maintain their superiority, neither permitting familiarities nor indulging in favoritism. The best discipline is one that is not noticeable, but that nevertheless exists. The operation of a theater can be compared with that of a ship, where every member of the crew, from bridge to engine room, knows his place and does his duty.
And the manager, of course, is the captain — the brains, the will, and the law. In the ultimate reckoning, anything that goes wrong in the theater has gone wrong in his theater, in him. A false direction in publicity may be the error of the ad- vertising manager, but it nevertheless comes home to roost in the executive office. Unreliable accounting hits the manager harder than the cashier. Shabby service loses custom, not only for the doorman or the usher, but for the theater and the man who directs it.
In devoting a chapter of this part of the book to the man- ager as an individual, the author wishes to stress, not merely the obvious fact that the manager is the most important ele- ment in the theater, but that he is the heart of it, pumping vitality into the farthest and minutest tissue of its being. This view should be kept in mind by the reader as he goes along. There will be pages seemingly devoted to details of accounting,
44 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
or finance, or engineering, merely for themselves. That is not the author's intention; for although such matters do truly- come up in theaters, it is not their existence, but the use made of them, that counts. There is not a shred of explanation or information between these covers that should fail to interest the manager; it is intended not only for his enlightenment, but for his use, and, it is to be hoped, for his success.
CHAPTER IV
Departments and Functions
SUPERVISION is very essential to guarantee a fine serv- ice, and the larger the theater, the more essential it is to divide the responsibility for supervision. The oper- ator of a small theater books his own pictures, buys his own supplies, perhaps acts as cashier or doorman. His theater then outgrows its possibilities, and he perhaps moves to a larger building. The work in this newer house demands more time, making it necessary for him to concentrate on management solely. With the number of employees multiplied, the operator finds that his theater requires more careful planning and man- agement, and engages an assistant to whom he delegates some of the responsibility.
In a large theater, the manager retains control of each de- partment, even though he delegates the detail of conducting the departments to others. In this way he is able to concen- trate on general administration, while assistants or department heads carry on the routine. That is organization. The size of the organization naturally is determined by the number of employees required to dispense service. Supervision should be provided so that some authority is always exercised while the theater is open to the public. This prevents laxity amongst service employees and helps to maintain high standards at all times.
The manager's responsibility is to know what his objective is and to understand clearly what he wants to accomplish. To bring about that result he must fully control his organization by choosing capable helpers to make decisions. He must know every one in the organization, and be familiar with his theater from the cellar to the garret. He must love the theater en- thusiastically and be able to spread confidence throughout his organization. He must have ideals and must make the public
45
46 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
believe in him and his objective. If he does this, success will be with him. "Every institution that has contributed to prog- ress," said Theodore Roosevelt, "has been built upon the initiative and enthusiasm of an individual. The creative — the driving part of every institution can be traced to the individual."
Therefore the manager must clearly and definitely establish the various departments, together with their responsibilities. Every department must cooperate with the others, so that the organization may function harmoniously and with a single purpose. While department heads are to be encouraged in friendly rivalry, which is productive of initiative, they must not conflict. The manager must guard against such possi- bilities.
Proper advertising, for example, is dependent on early bookings. It is natural that the advertising department must know the type of attraction that is booked, as well as its merit, if it is to create an enthusiastic campaign. It is therefore im- portant that bookings be made promptly and carefully, so that the advertising department may function efficiently. In the same manner the projection department must dovetail with the efforts of the musical and the production departments. The duties of each must be carefully prescribed, however, even when they cooperate.
In Figure i the organization of a theater by departments is illustrated. This chart shows the departments essential to an operation of the highest efficiency, although in small theaters two or more departments may be concentrated into one.
The two operating divisions are :
1. The front.
(All activities in connection with the service and busi- ness end of the theater are included in this classifica- tion.)
2. The back.
(The "back of the house" includes everything pertain- ing to the entertainment, including musicians, stage- hands, projectionists, and performers.)
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48 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
The "front of the house" is the "selling" division of a theater. The success of this group is determined by its results in creating and maintaining a satisfied patronage. The "front of the house" is usually supervised by an assistant or house manager. He generally organizes various sub-department heads, who carry out the obligations of the "front." The "back of the house" is the entertainment division and is in charge of a production manager who is responsible for the entertainment.
The assistant or house manager is in close contact with the service and housekeeping departments. The uniformed service renders all possible assistance in making patrons comfortable. The housekeeping department is responsible for the physical appearance of the theater. It inspects and supervises the clean- ing, and keeps the equipment in repair.
The fundamental duties of the production manager are to create or arrange for the stage attractions, and to blend the various units in the program into a harmonious entertainment. Theaters that do not use stage attractions generally combine the duties of the production manager with those of musical director. The entertainment, however, is frequently subject to the direct supervision of the manager himself.
A department of utmost importance is that of advertising. The publicity of a theater is its mouthpiece, and as such must convey to the public the character of the entertainment. The advertising department is really the "sales" force of a theater. It must attract patronage. The work is generally conducted by an advertising specialist under the direct supervision of the manager. It prepares and places all advertising that ap- pears in the newspapers, on the billboard, and in and about the theater. The number of persons employed in the advertising department depends on the size of the theater and the number of people to be reached.
The Auditing Department of a theater has to do with all activity in connection with the handling of money and accounts. In small theaters, the owner generally attends to this work. In large operations the essentials are similar, the most important function being to give a correct presentation of the condition
DEPARTMENTS AND FUNCTIONS 49
of the business. It records checks and makes possible the control of the operation.
The Accounting Department must function without inter- ference by any one in the organization. At the same time, care must be taken that its activities harmonize with those of other departments, in order not to discourage initiative.
The Engineering Department functions in connection with the heat, light, power, and refrigeration, and is responsible for the upkeep of the plant.
Music is a special department of the theater and is super- vised by a musical director and conductor who is responsible for the music, both as to the personnel and the programs per- formed. The musical interpretation of motion pictures is ex- tremely important and contributes much to the success of a theater. Therefore the management selects only the best available conductor for this post. He must be a musician and at the same time appreciate the value of showmanship.
Good projection is the heart of a motion picture theater. Without a clear picture, with proper intensity of light, all the management's efforts are in vain. Therefore the importance of selecting men who are expert is apparent.
The volume of business of a theater often necessitates a sub- division of departments. A typical large theater in New York operates with the following organization :
1. Manager's office. 7. Stage department.
2. Service department. 8. Musical department.
3. Housekeeping department. 9. Advertising department.
4. Engineering department. 10. Accounting department.
5. Production department. 11. Sign department.
6. Projection department. 12. Tailoring department.
The assistant managers help to enforce the service policies of the company.
The uniformed service department includes doormen, ushers, page boys, footman, coat room attendants, and porters.
The work of the production and musical departments and of the management is very closely related; sometimes the duties of both departments are undertaken by the same person.
The organization of different theaters may vary in ac-
50 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
cordance with local conditions, and can be determined only by the circumstances that prevail at a particular theater. In some theaters, for instance, the production work is undertaken as a sub-division of the musical department. In such a case the musical director may have special talent for the added duties. In smaller theaters, similarly, the department of administra- tion includes the functions of publicity.
Each department head should be in control of his depart- ment. In no other way can he be held responsible for results. However, the management must at all times exercise control as to expense and proper coordination.
Since the modern theater should operate on a budget, de- partment heads should be required to submit estimates of their department operation, which must be approved by the manager to become effective. The subject of budgets is one of extreme importance and will be treated in another chapter.
In concluding this chapter on organization, the writer wishes to point out that he has attempted to emphasize certain princi- ples. First, the policies of the theater must be understood by all and must have a definite objective. Second, the operation of the theater must be divided into departments, with clearly defined obligations. Third, each department head must be a man who is expert in his work. Fourth, the manager must understand the requirements of all departments. This does not mean that he need have expert knowledge of all depart- ments, because, after all, he is to officiate as chief executive; but he must know what to expect from his department heads, in order to have the fullest understanding of what they accom- plish. Otherwise, he cannot measure results. He must coor- dinate the departments so that they function smoothly.
The only barometer of the business of operating a theater is in figures. Figures of the present must be compared with those of the past, to determine what progress is being made. Expense and income should be estimated, and against these the actual results should be measured. Managers must know whether the theater is marking time or forging ahead. The writer has known of situations in well-known theaters where aggressive management has increased the attendance consider-
DEPARTMENTS AND FUNCTIONS
51
ably, yet has resulted in smaller earnings. Careful comparison with previous periods detected those items whose expenses were increased, and through careful study and application the condition was improved. Such a solution would have been impossible without the special statistics offered by efficient departmentalization.
CHAPTER V
Personnel and Inspections
IF management could forecast any situation that might arise, if employees were always doing the right things at the right time, and if instructions once given were always followed out to the letter, the ideal theater would be with us. Is it necessary to point out that such conditions do not pre- vail? Standards, ideal though they be, are at the mercy of human performance. Policies are mere blueprints till the hand of man executes them. And since man is at least fallible, and often careless and negligent, the price of good management, like the price of liberty, is eternal vigilance. Hence the need of supervision; and hence the equal necessity of inspection.
Now, inspection has many ends, but three of them are preeminent. In the first place, it is one of the many instru- ments whereby the management serves the public. That the public is unaware of what goes on behind the scenes is beside the point. Patrons who attend a performance derive subtle pleasure from prompt service ; prompt service means that every one and everything is in place on time; and this readiness of the organization to handle every detail is possible only when accurate survey has made sure that every detail is as it should be. In the second place, periodic inspection is management's most important check on organization. Seeing is sometimes more than believing ; it is knowing. An employer has the right to know whether or not his plans are being put to effective realization. He cannot check up on the relation of standards to performance without examining the latter upon the basis of the former. If scrutiny proves that all is well, there is every reason for confidence in the outcome. If there are short- comings, there is opportunity to correct and to perfect. For
the director, inspection is perpetual inventory of a valuable
52
PERSONNEL AND INSPECTIONS 53
stock — the means and measures which retain good will. Thirdly and lastly, the effect upon employees is to develop an alert discipline. Knowing that they are under the eyes of superiors, knowing that at stated intervals they are responsi- ble for certain duties, and at all times liable to review for others, they react in two immensely beneficial ways. One is that they are ever mindful of what they are expected to do. The other is that they are aware of an opportunity to prove their worth by doing it. In the same two ways, a soldier is held to duty and is afforded the occasion to demonstrate his loyalty and his fitness.
Although all these aims tend to the one end of winning patronage, they are diverse in that they apply differently to public, to management, and to attaches. Therefore the atti- tude of management must be to approach inspection with all elements in mind. Since the patron is the determining cri- terion, it will be necessary to impress upon each employee that the part he plays, though subordinate, is important in its place ; and that inspection is in some measure intended to help him look, and be, and do his best. It will assist him to remember that service is to be unobtrusive because it is perfect; that a neat uniform is pleasing, but that stains and other irregularities are seized upon for comment.
Then again, the supervisor should so behave during inspec- tions as to emphasize the best possible relations between man- agement and personnel. Petty nagging or easy-going indul- gence are equally disorganizing. Employees are inspired by any evidence that inspections are dictated by a vital policy to please, and not as a measure of repression. They do not ob- ject to being held up to a real standard reflected in the manner and tone of the inspecting official. When he shows pride and interest, they are caught up in his enthusiasm ; when his reac- tion is disappointment, they feel their failure keenly. They recognize in him, not the spy, but the leader. And if they are animated by a fine desire to rise in the ranks, they will strive, not merely to please him, but to emulate the spirit that makes him a leader by right. No matter how high the stand- ards, no matter how exacting the demands, good leadership will
54 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
never be resented. It will rather be met with ready response.
As for the inspections themselves, there are of course two fields requiring them — personnel and plant. For the sake of clearness, let us consider them in order; and since I have em- phasized personnel so far, I will begin with that.
Every first-class theater should have regulations covering dress and appearance of employees who come in contact with the patrons. Such rules should not be left to rumor or hearsay. They should be precise and invariable, and passed on from superior to subordinate distinctly enough to leave no room for infraction. As a matter of fact they should be printed, or at least put in black and white in some form. This will indicate that the management, having gone out of its way in the desire not to be mistaken, means business and will tolerate no laxity. Cold type commands respect because of its permanence, and obviates error because it provides opportunity for reference in case of doubt. At any rate, whatever the form of instruc- tions, these should be such as to prepare for efficient inspections by laying a groundwork of complete understanding of what will be demanded.
Uniforms are furnished, cleaned and pressed. Management has a right to expect that cleanliness be carried out to the last touch. This means that shoes are shined, and that personal hygiene and manicuring are not neglected. Very often, uni- forms are consciously designed to conform with the decorative scheme of the interior. The time and energy and money in- volved in an effort of this sort are wasted if the trousers are allowed to go baggy, or the hands and face are grimy, or the hair is unkempt. There should be no hesitancy in informing employees along these lines.
Inspection of the uniformed service by the assistant or the captain should be made part of the routine of the day. Every group of employees is subject to scrutiny before going to post. The fixing of a definite time is of immense importance. Em- ployees feel that if the management thinks enough of the event to put it on the day's calendar, they themselves had better be entirely ready for review. To increase this impression, the inspector should go through the details of his survey in a oer-
PERSONNEL AND INSPECTIONS
55
tain fixed order, with military-like thoroughness. This pro- cedure is not merely impressive, but thorough and quick, to boot. It is likely to prompt the feeling, moreover, that the inspection is not so much personal as it is related to a high standard and a determined policy.
It must be further driven home that the observation of the inspecting official is decidedly not the end of the matter. An adequate report should be submitted after each review, and the fact that reports are rendered should be a matter of com- mon knowledge. Figure 2 is an inspection report which is filled out four times daily by the house or assistant manager, and provides a bird's-eye view of the inspection of the entire theater. Thus the management has constant measure of the efficiency of several departments.
So much for the periodic, stated inspections. These, as we have seen, have their obvious benefits. Equally obvious, of course, would be the unfortunate impression that employees are scrutinized at certain times and not at others. Such must never be the case. That the staff shall look spick and span when lined up for duty, is expected, although it is not taken for granted. The test that counts, however, is how they stand on the job. Every individual should feel that he is constantly on inspection. In that way "service" becomes a habit. The manager should therefore make the rounds of his staff at in- tervals when it is under pressure. It is then that they show whether they are living up to the standards or not. In so far as they fail, they bring the manager face to face, not merely with the needs of further drill, but sometimes with many prob- lems of operation. For instance, an usher disheveled and per- spiring from running excitedly up and down the aisles, may indicate that the whole mechanism of reception requires over- hauling.
To sum up, inspection of personnel is a function that oper- ates every moment of the business day, since at every moment there is going on the final, important, though casual inspection by the patrons. Therefore every executive of the theater is in a sense an inspector. Since it is the impression that a theater makes on a patron that causes him to come again or to stay
PUBLIX THEATRES CORPORATlON-
DAJLY INSPECTION AND OPERATION REPORT THEATRE-
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FIGURE 2
Inspection Report
PERSONNEL AND INSPECTIONS 57
away, the conduct of the entire staff, right down from the man- ager to the page boy, should be a shining reflection of the wish to please and to serve. Hence it is indispensable that execu- tives, circulating through lobby and theater, should provide employees with a model of demeanor — an appearance and a conduct that will embody the standards according to which inspections are made. In relations with the public, executives should accordingly evince the proper blend of solicitude, dignity, and unobtrusive efficiency.
This leads to a reverse consideration of inspection, but one justifiably connected with and arising from it. Progressive management invites constructive criticism and is glad to re- ceive suggestions from employees. In fact, many organiza- tions pay small sums to members of the uniformed staff for suggestions that are adopted. While every idea cannot be accepted, each should be given careful consideration. There is thus developed a widespread feeling of interest. Further- more, the manager is often thus informed of many points of interest. Complaints, likewise, should be carefully investi- gated, and those who register them be welcomed, for thus arises the investigation that may result in remedy.
Before passing from personnel inspection to that of plant, I would like to dwell briefly on a consideration that shares the features of both — projection. This is of great importance, since it is largely in projection that the motion picture theater has its character. The conduct of the booth is reported daily to the management by the chief operator. Furthermore, every captain or floor-manager must report any projection mishap that is apparent to the patron.
Now for inspection of the plant. A shrewd observer has pointed out that the public is attracted to splendid edifices partly by a longing to indulge, however briefly and fractionally, in the luxury of the surroundings. History records that though the ancient Greeks lived in very sordid hovels, their temples, theaters, and places of public meeting generally were, and in their ruins still are, among the noblest products of the race. Without intending any contemporary comparisons, one may safely assume that when people leave their homes in
58 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
search of pleasure, they are looking for something better than what they leave — more space, greater variety, greater enter- tainment. Particularly the average householder and his wife are in quest of a good time in a place which, if anything, is superior to the routine to which they are accustomed. And certainly the model housewife will be impressed by a standard maintained as constantly as her own.
The physical condition of the plant is of prime significance. Every nook and corner should be thoroughly clean from the cellar to the garret, if there is one. Portions never glimpsed by the patron's eye should present as scrupulous an aspect as that of the auditorium, the lobbies, and the other public rooms. High standards here can be maintained only through frequent inspections by an executive charged with that responsibility. Locker and dressing rooms throughout the theater should be subjected to a survey at least once a week.
It stands to reason that where thousands of people may be entering, leaving and moving about in the course of a few hours, there will be dirt of some sort. Carpets are tracked with footprints and marble or tile surfaces soon show the marks of use. This will happen with the finest patrons, in the best of weather conditions. In addition, there is an irreduci- ble minimum of careless folk, especially when they are dealing with property not their own, who are simply incapable of re- fraining from casting papers and candy wrappers where such things do not belong. Sweaty or sticky hands leave smudges on polished surfaces. For all these reasons, it is not enough to have a porter or porters make frequent, periodical rounds. There should be inspections of equal frequency. Two pairs of eyes are better than one — and sometimes the executive is blessed with the acuter eyesight!
For it is easy to become accustomed to an unsatisfactory condition, unless established routine sets up a counterbalancing, chronic dissatisfaction with dirt. The danger of uncleanliness is like the danger of freezing — first you don't notice, then you don't care, and finally you don't know. Others do, however; so investigation is important if management is to become aware of conditions. Better still, it keeps the cleaner on the
PERSONNEL AND INSPECTIONS
59
job, and conditions do not arise. There is a consideration of economy, naturally; since it is well known that things, like teeth, are less likely to wear out when they are kept ship-shape. Cleanliness is a habit, and may be acquired. It is a check against carelessness and inefficiency; and of course, employees will exert their efforts more energetically if they know they are being watched by one in authority. Inspection results in the better care of property and equipment.
When the formal inspection is made, either the house- keeper or the engineer should accompany the inspector in the sections for which she or he is responsible. Criticisms made under such auspices are naturally of greater force than those removed from the scene. And the force is what carries them along the line. In order that the impression may not pass with the incident, there must be reports, written reports, stating conditions in detail, with special copies for the manager and for the housekeeper or the engineer. Such a form should have place for comment on general cleanliness and neatness, on accumulation of unnecessary materials, on ventilation, and on heating. Accidents, or unusual occurrences of any sort, should be reported to the management, in writing, promptly.
Great executives, among other things, are great teachers. They take raw newcomers and instruct them in the science of the business and the art of the trade. You can't do this over night, or in any brief period, and get perfection. Even a high percentage of excellence requires time to form habits and to add new touches to the first lesson. Printed manuals and de- partment meetings provide opportunity for extended teaching. But the best chance of all comes when the teaching and the learning go hand in hand with the doing. All the lectures in the world won't get a porter to know his job half so well as the right kind of comment while he's doing it. So, too, a word of praise or censure at the time of physical scrutiny, will do won- ders in teaching an usher neatness — especially when the com- ment may be again occasioned — and repeatedly. You get nothing in this life for nothing. If you want a morale that will hold your force together and propel it in the right direc- tion, let the person inspected feel that you are making a demand
60 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
because you are communicating an ideal and giving a lesson. The ideal is service to the patrons of the house. The lesson is one in obtaining and retaining their good will. And the only sure way of maintaining the one and teaching the other is inspection — and inspection — and more inspection!
CHAPTER VI
Safety
THE first obligation of an institution that houses the pub- lic is the protection of persons, the second, the protec- tion of property. In either respect, a modern theater is extremely safe. It is almost impossible to erect anything but a strictly fire-proof building in any worthwhile town or city. State and municipal regulations prescribe the type of con- struction, the number of exits, the widths of aisles and alleys, the dimensions of seat placement, the number of stairways, and practically every other safeguard that has been thought of. It is safe to assume that no securer type of building exists for public gatherings.
Permits are issued to theaters each year, and then only after the fire, police, health, building, and other departments have approved the license. In addition, these departments make frequent inspections for violations. To the credit of most managers, causes for violations are infrequent, and indeed of very rare occurrence. The percentage of theater fires is ex- ceedingly small; and those that occur in modern plants are usually avoidable.
Therefore the danger of fire, and the associated menace of panic, have been eliminated in the well-conducted modern theater. Frequent fire drills among the operating staff pre- pare them for emptying the house rapidly and for handling crowds in an emergency. On page 64 is a set of regulations which illustrates a plan of drill that may be adopted. It is important to point out, however, that written regulations do not take the place of a drill.
In preparing a set of rules, the manager should not make them up out of his head. He should first find out what is done elsewhere, should apply the information thus obtained to the conditions at hand, and should by all means confer with expert opinion available at the local fire house. The rules themselves
61
62 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
should be simple and brief and should be posted where em- ployees can see them. New employees should be instructed in them as part of the initiation to beginning work. The man- agement must then establish a system of drill at regular inter- vals, with follow-up inspections. Laxity in this respect is unforgivable. The public wants safety, not excuses.
MANAGER'S SEMI-MONTHLY FIRE AND SAFETY REPORT
The safety of every patron requires your strictest observance of every point covered in this report
Theatre. Date__
OTHER INSPECTIONS
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Sprinkler Valve* |
Fire Eacape* |
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Fire Curtain, Stage |
Attic |
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Fire Drill, When Held |
Not* condition of Carpets, Stepping*, Aiale Lights, Down Spout*, etc.
t hare personally made the inspections and find the conditions noted above.
FIGURE 3
Fire and Safety Report
The same scrupulous vigilance will tend to do away with ordinary accidents. Where up-to-date methods of inspection are in operation, these should generally not occur. Marble or tile floors should be dried immediately after wetting. Any un- toward occurrence, such as a rip in carpet or a burnt-out bulb on a staircase should be reported and attended to at once. The habit of prompt repair, when it is advisable, like the habit of cleanliness, is one that may be acquired by employees. In ad- dition to the economy that results from maintaining equip- ment in perfect condition there is the incalculable advantage of getting at the accident before it occurs.
SAFETY
63
Should there, however, be any mishap, it is invaluable to have a first-aid room. The patron concerned is made to rec- ognize the solicitude and the preparedness of the organization, and other patrons may continue to enjoy the performance un- disturbed and even unaware, Another advantage of such service is that, in a place where so many people congregate, it is absolutely inevitable that some one or other will occasionally be taken ill. Of course, the unfortunate occurrence has noth- ing to do with attendance at the performance. A large theater contains the equivalent of the population of a small city every day; and it is rather to be expected that, of such a number, some few are always liable to ailments. Perhaps there will be a woman subject to fainting or dizzy spells. The writer has known of instances when sudden illness in the theater indicated that convalescents have left their beds too soon.
Regardless of the cause, the service is at hand. Where the theater is large enough, a professional nurse is always in at- tendance, and there is a house physician who can be obtained in case of serious emergency. Although it is true that the per- centage of patrons taken ill is small, the considerateness of the management always makes an impression. As a matter of fact, it is probable that patrons are a little more likely to comment upon such occurrences, and to render high praise, than upon the regular features of the theater, which they are perhaps accustomed to take for granted.
The same service, naturally, takes care of employees; and no one who has heard workers praise employers for provid- ing emergency treatment can have any doubt of the enormous advantages toward publicity as well as morale. Of course, most theater employees do not come in contact with physical danger. Sickness and accidents have been reduced to a mini- mum, with beneficial results in many directions. There are fewer losses for insurance companies. Premiums are accord- ingly reduced. The number of absences is very low. The working staff is more evenly efficient.
The workman compensation laws, now effective in forty states of the Union, are of benefit to employer and employees alike. Insurance companies, in addition, have rendered a val-
64i MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
uable service in helping to make working places safe. They have established protective devices that minimize accidents, es- pecially for those who are engaged at tasks in mechanical departments, in the projection room and on the stage.
REGULATIONS IN RELATION TO FIRE DRILL
These regulations have been prepared, not with the thought that they are complete or that these instructions can be followed at all times and under all circumstances, but with the thought that there may be in it helpful suggestions and that as a result you may find yourselves better prepared to meet the emergency of a theater fire when it arises.
This bulletin should be read and studied carefully by all em- ployees in the theater.
1. No matter what the circumstances, first call the Fire De- partment, preferably by using the fire alarm box rather than the telephone and if the box is not in the theater, stay at the box until the Fire Department arrives so as to direct them to the scene of the fire. (If there is no fire alarm box on the stage, it is often possible to arrange with the Fire Chief to have one installed at little or no cost if you can show him the importance of this device. If there is no fire alarm box on the stage a sign should be posted in the box office indicating the location of the nearest fire alarm box. All employees should be instructed as to its location.)
2. Where practical, a code signal transmitted by turning on and off the exit lights would appear to be the best method of advising the ushers and all other employees of a fire. It may not always be possible to do this in which case some other simple means may be devised which will not alarm the audience.
3. Ushers and other employees should be drilled and instructed as to what to do in case of fire. Have the ushers open all of the exit doors and direct the patrons toward these doors for there is a natural tendency on the part of audiences to leave by the same route as that through which they entered and it will be necessary to counteract this tendency in order to get the house emptied quickly.
4. This all points to the vital importance of having your exits clear. Exit doors should open easily and operate properly, fire escapes and exits should be clear of any foreign material and kept free of ice and snow in the winter and the inspection of exits should be followed through to the street to be sure there are no obstructions, doors or gates which you have overlooked.
5. The performance should be kept going, whether pictures, vaudeville or music.
SAFETY
65
6. The audience may be in real danger and it is essential that the house be emptied quickly and that the patrons be given no false sense of security.
7. It is most essential that a thorough search of the theater be made after the audience has left, to be sure that no persons are left behind. This search should include all out-of-the-way places, especially rest rooms, stage dressing rooms, basements, etc.
8. During the fire, cooperate with the Fire Department as far as possible as they will not be as familiar with the theater as you. You may enable them to locate the fire quickly, to get to inac- cessible parts of the building, to avoid useless water damage and to point out to them the property particularly susceptible to water damage such as organs, consoles, switchboards, etc.
9. After the fire, make every effort to prevent further damage. It may be necessary to remove damageable material from the theater, to put on a temporary portion of the roof, use tarpaulin, to pump out or mop parts of the building, etc. The cost of all of this work is covered by insurance policies, but should be done anyway, for protection. Do not consider that it is necessary to leave the building untouched until the insurance companies have had an opportunity to make an inspection. This is a popular mis- understanding and is not correct. The insured is required to act as though there is no insurance, taking care of property as far as is possible, except of course, preserving as far as is reasonable, any evidence as to the cause of fire or extent of damage.
10. Fire should be reported immediately to the manager's office.
11. It is needless to add this last and most important precau- tion "keep cool."
Apart from humanitarian considerations, the sensible executive is interested in employment health for sound eco- nomic reasons. Every illness is an impairment of organiza- tion, a leak in the flow of human energy — a waste. Multiplied on a large scale, such things show up in dollars and cents. Prevented, they bring fewer losses. Hence the value of pre- vention. In well-operated theaters the staff employees should be examined periodically for the detection of communicable or other diseases, as a safeguard to themselves, to the man- agement and, above all, to the public. Furthermore a certificate of health should be a rigid requirement of employment. Such certifications may be had free of charge at clinics, or after examination by private physician.
Group health insurance is an excellent arrangement for
66 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
stabilizing a certain type of labor. Most of the important companies offer attractive plans for insuring employees in a body, without the requirement of medical examination. The rates are very attractive, so that the cost to management is little indeed. The advantage to employees is incalculable, and the resultant effect is to tone up the esprit de corps.
The public is entitled to all these measures in its behalf. Law demands it, people expect it, and simple humanity re- quires it. Although it is true that patrons are very little aware of the complex and manifold measures taken for their security, they are subconsciously aware of the security itself — or of its absence — and they are likely to react accordingly. The simple sight of a fire ax or a numbered exit seems to receive hardly a glance, so habituated have we become to them. Yet that absent-minded glance ties up the object with a fundamental, if deeply buried, confidence. Confidence! There's the magic word! There's the thing that increases in value, in propor- tion as it becomes a part of the patron's attitude. The pro- tector is not merely trusted. He is admired and respected. He has laid the basis for getting himself liked.
If modern psychologists are leading us aright, the moving picture patron is more than a person who wants a good seat at a good show. True, he is aware of these desires. In addition, however, he is more subtly in need of delightful surround- ings, and of service upon which enjoyment runs smooth. Then, deep down in his basic nature, there lie the resentments, the affections, the fears, the trusts which he carries into the theater because nature makes him carry them everywhere. Capture every part of him but this, and you still have to win him. Repel him here, and you will probably lose him for good. Poor policy neglects to show him or overdoes showing him that he is being protected. The best system is to carry out what law, business, and humaneness dictate. In his seemingly unobservant way, he will observe as much as he needs. He will come again, and one of the obscurer holds upon his good will will be won for brainy management.
CHAPTER VII
House Management
THE larger relations of manager and public were taken up in Chapter III; and in Chapters IV, V, and VI there was explained the general background of prepa- ration. The present chapter will be devoted rather to present- ing some of the actual details of the contact.
There are usually four individuals who deal with the patrons directly. These are the house manager, the girl in the ticket office, the doorman, and the telephone operator. Upon these, and upon the ushers (whose function will be discussed later), falls the responsibility of maintaining the standard of the house as a human institution. The most spacious auditorium will seem empty without a touch of guidance. The most radiant decorations are cold without the presence of a warming smile. A theater is never so much a building as it is a gath- ering of people. Furthermore, it is no house of detention. Apart from average good behavior as it is practiced every- where, patronage owes management nothing. The shoe is on the other foot ; or to put the matter in plain business terms, the factor of demand is never to be taken for granted. Even when there is no rival house to-day, there may be one to- morrow.
The four representatives selected for mention above are sig- nificant in an individual manner. Not only is it true that most of their dealings are carried on with individuals, but they themselves are outstandingly individual. Therefore whatever applies to other attaches in a group, and so in a less partic- ular fashion, applies to these to a greater degree, and in more clear-cut lines. This is especially so since we are speaking now of the front of the theater, where the patron's first con- tacts are made. From the moment he or she purchases a ticket
67
68 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
at the box office, a guest has arrived, and every service of the theater should spell welcome. Patrons loosen up and respond with appreciation to the spirit of hospitality. To create this feeling is the delicate duty of every one whose name is down on the payroll.
Foremost on this reception committee is the House Man- ager. In smaller theaters, where various tasks may have to be combined, he may unite the duties of floor manager and captain. As house manager, he is the chief host. He must therefore embody the theater in human form. He must be of good appearance and excellent dress, of tact, of refinement, and of mature but ready judgment. Patrons do not analyze these qualities, of course, they have neither the inclination nor the time. Yet, just as the little noted fire apparatus inspires a deep sense of security, and just as the evidence of scrupulous cleanliness provides a certain pleasure, a man's externals and manner may arouse unquestioning respect in those that hurry past him, or exchange but a word of greeting or question. Such a presence tends, not only to obviate disorder by over- awing it, but to create a model for behavior in a positive way, and among those who are themselves self-respecting, estab- lishes a very important bond of kinship. By a convincing man- ner, an easy graciousness, and a genuine desire to please, the House Manager can make many friends for the theater.
Since this is precisely his chief value to the organization, he should make it his business to know the important people in his community. He should go out of his way to meet them personally and to greet them by name. No one is so great that he or she does not enjoy a personal interest evinced in this form. Of course, the point here is not merely to secure the business of individuals, but to obtain also the patronage of their lesser associates and admirers. The sort of keynote persons I refer to would be the city officials; the heads of local organizations, such as Rotary, Kiwanis, the business and pro- fessional associations, and the women's clubs; and very im- portant indeed, the representatives of the press.
So much for the social activities of the house manager. He has, likewise, his function in routine. He must be de-
HOUSE MANAGEMENT
69
pendable; his loyalty to the management can bear no ques- tion. In relation to his subordinates, he must be an executive. He cannot carry the house single-handed. His success will be measured by his ability to secure from the employees the greatest measure of efficiency and to develop the proper cooper- ative spirit. He should accordingly endeavor, for the most part, to achieve his results through suggestion and request rather than by assertion of authority. The work of the house staff is often carried on under conditions of rush and stress that require the preservation of good nature and a willingness to cooperate. Management looks to the house manager for the cultivation of such a spirit.
He is fully responsible for every employee assigned to his department. This refers to the conduct of that employee in the performance of duty, as well as to the routine observa- tion of regulations. He furthermore allots duties, arranges the hours and the remuneration established by management, prescribes dress, manner, and tone of conversation, and gives instructions as to tasks and following up. He approves time records, controls discipline, handles employment, promotion and, when necessary, dismissal. He commends new hands as to type, training and supervision. He passes on any lapse of courtesy and efficiency. Above all, he sees to it that the policies and standards of the theater are maintained. He does this in various ways; first, by selecting applicants who use good English, and who have refinement of appearance, dis- position, manner, and attitude; second, by instructing them in detail and without waste of time in their specific duties and their relationship to the organization ; third, by constant super- vision and regular inspections; fourth, by providing the best model, in himself, of what the theater wants; and last, by exercising to the utmost the social graces and winning per- sonality referred to above.
If the house manager is the foremost of the reception com- mittee, the girl in the box office is usually the first. She must be truly interested in pleasing patrons. Each of them should leave the box office with the satisfied glow of a cordial wel- come. The operation of purchasing a ticket is the work of a
70 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
moment ; yet in that brief flash of time it is possible to receive an impression. Naturally, that impression should be an agree- able one. When it is, it serves as a breaking of the ice, a pre- liminary characterization of the whole evening's entertain- ment. Furthermore, although the welcome is momentary, it may be composite — made of many elements. The girl's ap- pearance and dress, her voice and her speech, her glance and her manner are included in the single act her duty calls for; and though these may require many words to describe, they take only a moment to recognize. What makes this possible, of course, is not the details I have mentioned, but the cor- diality that animates them and gives them meaning.
Particular effort should be made to please women patrons, and special care should be exercised in catering to them. No one needs to be reminded, I hope, at this late date, that an enterprise depending on public contacts rises or falls in measure as it attracts the ladies. The feminine interest in beauty and romance is one of the open secrets of the success of the arts. In addition, women have an inherent gift and an innate desire for the exercise of all the little social graces. When an excel- lent performance is served up to them with an accompaniment of smiles and charming greetings, they readily identify the theater with the enjoyment, and they tend to come again. Wherever they go alone in public they are gratefully respon- sive to the cordiality of other women; a touch of the wel- coming feminine seems to give confidence and make them feel at home. Most men, for example, will eat in any restau- rant that will supply the immediate appetite acceptably; most women are as much interested in the environment and the appointments as in the cuisine. And whereas men are likely to take things in the bulk, so to speak, women are observant of details. Their unaccompanied patronage of the moving picture theater is in itself no slight item. Multiply this by escorts, friends, and families, and you can see why the girl in the box office should go out of her way to be nice to her sisters.
Some elderly women, to take a special type of case, are a little bewildered by a ticket office of any kind. The act of
HOUSE MANAGEMENT
71
opening a purse at the window seems to bother them, and they are quite distressed over keeping track of change when they are hurried. With a deft touch or two — the proper modula- tion of the voice or glance of the eyes — a young girl can make such a person feel extraordinarily relieved and easy. Then the frown gives way to a smile that beams all the way from the box office to the seat, and from that performance to the next. So too with children or with those souls of either sex or any age who are likely to be easily embarrassed or diffident. Put them at their ease, make them feel good, and they'll come back of their own accord, and bring others with them. All this for the price of a cheerful glance and an unexpected "Thank you !"
It may be necessary to explain these things to the girl when she takes the job. But the right sort of girl doesn't have to be told much of this sort of thing. She not merely understands the necessity — she likes the idea. She wants the exchange of smiles. She's a woman herself. The stimulation of good- uatured greetings enlivens the performance of her routine duties.
Among these, the most important is that she is accountable for tickets charged against her shift by the house manager. The tickets are numbered, and are sold through automatic registering machines. Thus, there are two checks made at change of shifts — the numbering of the tickets as well as the numbering by the machine. She should be thoroughly familiar with seat locations, with range of prices, and with conditions of attendance and times of performance. She cashes refund slips when any such are issued by house manager, but she does not cash checks. As a matter of fact, aside from giving change, she surrenders cash only on the receipt of properly authorized vouchers. She balances her cash at the end of the shift, in a book provided for the purpose, and makes a nota- tion of the balance over or under. She is responsible for her cash, and liable for all losses through mistakes or failure to carry out instructions. Itemized listing on proper form ac- companies the closing of the box office. (See Figure 4,)
The Doorman, in his turn, should greet the patron in a
72 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
friendly manner. Unless he does, he nullifies the advantage gained by the box office. Although it is distracting for him in
WTDBMATKW REQUESTED ON THIS FORM MUST BE FILLED IN
DAILY BOS OFFICE STATEMENT
PICTURE THEATRE
Theatre
|
PICTURES PLAYED— TITLE AND MAKE |
EXPLANATION WHY PICTURES BOOKED WERE NOT SHOWN |
|
(WHEN HISS-OUT-ATTACH MISS-OUT aCTOBT) |
OPPOSITION
|
MATINEE |
1 |
a H |
NIGHT |
Total No. Tickets Sold |
||||||||
|
Ooeing No. |
Opening No. |
Sold |
Net Receipts |
War Tax |
Closing No. |
Opening No. |
Sold |
Net Receipts |
War Tax |
|||
|
Passes |
||||||||||||
|
TOTALS |
RECAPITULATION
Net Hatbea Receipts Net Night Receipts •
TOTALS . . Tax . ......
Miscellaneous • • • Slide Advertising • - Co. SI
Deposit
Attendance.. Attendance.
FIGURE 4
Box Office Statement
moments of peak load, to see that the number of tickets corre- sponds with the number of those entering, nevertheless the press of duty should not be sufficient to destroy his poise com-
HOUSE MANAGEMENT
73
pletely. Indeed, his equability should be constant, so that it may become contagious : people who have been crowded and perhaps jostled in a popular lobby are made themselves again by the sight of a calm, easy expression on the face of the very man they might reasonably expect to see upset. Passing under his quiet glance, and returning his good-humored nod, they are restored to balance, or at least more agreeably settled in it. A contributive element to this bit of practical psychology is his appearance. He should be well groomed in official uniform. He should always wear white gloves. Another factor, to in- sure the unobtrusiveness of his service, is that he should never address a patron except in answer to a question. In his reply, he should give special attention to his manner, tone, and lan- guage, characterizing these with an attitude of cordial help- fulness. He must be courteous and affable.
His place in routine is to perform certain tasks with exact observance of instructions. He sees to it, primarily, that no one enters the theater without a ticket. Tickets are torn in two. One half is returned to the patron for purposes of identification ; the other is placed in the ticket chopper for rec- ord. The doorman must not himself retain any part of the pasteboard, but must comply with the above directions imme- diately after cancellation.
These are his positive duties. Since they are of extreme importance, nothing must interfere with his performance of them. He must accordingly take no further obligations upon himself. When he is requested to do anything outside his routine, he can respectfully refer the patron to the proper official, or make use of the page boys for the purpose. For example, passes must be exchanged for pass tickets at the box office. The Doorman exercises no jurisdiction here, nor is he to make refunds. In the event that a patron desires a refund, recourse should be had, by page boy, to the House Manager, who issues the desired slip which is then cashed at the box office. Similarly, complaints must be referred to the House Manager or to his assistant, again by use of the page. Where no outside entrance for the business office is
74 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
provided, telegrams, mail, and other communications are di- rected to the box office.
Cards of callers for officials are forwarded to the latter by page. The Doorman must know the names of all executives, in order to be able to serve those in search of general informa- tion as well as those who wish to see a specific person. All such callers are politely requested to wait in the lobby until the return of the page boy, and must not be directed to offices until the page comes back. If the desired person happens to be out, the caller should be asked whether any one else may be of service. If so, the invariable procedure is repeated until some satisfactory arrangement is arrived at. When any pa- tron asks for the manager, the Doorman sees to it that the House or Floor Manager is reached immediately.
In the matter of admitting employees, it is no doubt best to have a special entrance for them. Where such a provision is impossible, a weekly employee's pass must be presented. Of course, it is a good thing to have the Doorman as fully acquainted as possible with other attaches; but it stands to reason that the pass system is the best all round.
The Telephone Operator should obviously be chosen for agreeable voice, pleasant disposition, and nimble intelligence. She is in one important sense the voice of the management, and she should be impressed with the value of the motto that "the voice with the smile wins." Patrons sufficiently interested in their own enjoyment to call a specific theater on the 'phone should be made to feel that they have chosen the right num- ber— that they are being and will be received with an interest equal to their own. A pleasant 'phone personality may do much to win patronage by answering inquiries as to the theater and the performance in such a way as to attract. Naturally, the information itself must in the first place be accurate; so the operator should be primed to respond at once to questions concerning every unit of the program, and the time it begins. For this purpose time schedules must be available. (Figure 5.) Other information that must be on the tip of the tongue is: scales of prices and location of seats, future programs, and, for visitors from out of town, the best means of getting
HOUSE MANAGEMENT
75
to the theater. Finally, an ideal operator minimizes the neces- sity of calling executives to the 'phone, especially during the rush period.
na«,u)Uii(iMia»iDvt«>iiti
SKFBBQKZ CHIT FEBSUAHT 12th, 1927
|
TITLE" OF OVERTURE : |
PBELUDE TO MUSIC HASTES |
||||||
|
TITLE OP FEATURE : |
5HIHD IEGBES |
||||||
|
TITLE OF COMEDY : |
|||||||
|
TITLE OF OTIT |
PAUL WHITE? |
IAS & BAND |
|||||
|
1st SHOW |
2a4 SHOW |
3rd SHOW |
<tb SHOW |
Stb SHOW |
6tb SHOW |
Tib SHOW |
|
|
Prelude 1 |
12:45 |
2:57 |
5:U9 |
||||
|
Hews 6 |
12:46 |
2:58 |
5:10 |
7,22 |
9:34 |
||
|
Gettysburg 5 — Address |
12:52 |
3:04 |
5:16 |
9:40 |
|||
|
Mosic Kasterl |
12:57 |
3:09 |
5:21 |
7:33 |
9:45 |
||
|
Organ 6 |
1:07 |
3:19 |
5:31 |
7:43 |
-9:55 |
||
|
Wiiteman 23 |
1:13 |
3:25 |
5:37 |
7:49 |
10:01 |
||
|
Feature |
11:24 |
1:36 |
3:48 |
6:00 |
6:12 |
10:24 |
|
|
Trailers 2 |
12:43 |
2:55 |
5:07 |
7:19 |
9:31 |
11:43 |
|
|
11:45 |
|||||||
|
AT THEATRE : |
|||||||
STABT fflTH FEATURE SATURDA? 0SLY
doors o?iN swaaiut u^ui.
FIGURE 5
Time Schedule
The above information is offered in the belief that it is fairly full, yet it is not intended to be exhaustive. Responsible positions, such as the four I have been describing, are to be
76 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
considered filled only when they are occupied by people who know the meaning of the term "obligation." No such indi- vidual could for a moment look upon his or her post as a mere performance of stated tasks. These are required, of course; that goes without saying. Routine is the track on which the operation runs smoothly to success. But, as I can- not too often point out, there is something over and above customary practice, something which is in fact the ideal aim of routine, which is the ultimate value. That golden fruit is a sustained and ever-widening patronage, magnetized by what- ever means may be effective.
The four individuals who have been the subject of this chapter can, without neglect of duty or annoying officious- ness, throw into their work a vitality of resolve to succeed by omitting no effort that may be within their scope. Not merely can they readily enlarge upon their function, but they can and should study it constantly. In that way they will be able to suggest to management significant and far-reach- ing improvements, within their own spheres, and to the or- ganization as a whole.
Why is this of value?
Because it means growth.
CHAPTER VIII
Training for Management
THE growth of the moving picture industry is the work of outstanding individuals, who have carved out their careers very much as Daniel Boone cut his trail through the original wilderness. In the realm of operation, promotion has come to some mainly by graduation from the school of experience. Those who have had ambition, initiative, and resourcefulness have made progress by pioneering their way. Like the industry itself, the successful operators have had to evolve their own methods; and like it, again, they have sur- vived and prospered by finding chief guidance within.
More concretely, the successful manager of the past genera- tion learned the game while playing it. He found out what mistakes he might be making, and analyzed, and experimented, and worked himself out of many a tragic crisis. He looked out upon the field, present and future, to study the market, to meet competition, to increase income — and experience brought many lessons of encouragement and profit. He kept pace with the march of events, he disciplined himself into the status of executive, he turned his days and nights of experi- ence into manuals of reference. To-day his training, his library of research and authority are, as the phrase puts it, under his hat. He is not merely self-made but self-taught.
The necessity is clear. The moving picture industry has in many phases been a business without precedent. Allowing for the fundamental resemblances of all forms of commerce, allowing for past wisdom in showmanship as developed by the older arts, the cinema had to become familiar with its own novelties, and with a public still to be attracted. One may say that it created itself and its audience at one and the same time. And all this in a fraction of a century! Even if the
78 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
early pioneers had had the opportunities of instruction in their chosen field, it is doubtful that the rush of progress would have allowed them the time to avail themselves. It was business before theory in those days — nay, business without theory, except such as might be snatched from hard experi- ence, day by day, hand to mouth !
As a result the self-made executive of to-day has acquired, in addition to his success, the very body of information he lacked thirty years ago ! As an economist, he knows the value of every lesson shaped by hard knocks and lighted by inspira- tion. And as an executive, he sees no reason why he should wait an equal period till his younger lieutenants — the man- agers of to-morrow — learn the game by the same laborious (though in his own case necessary) and time-eating process.
The industry, as it is striding forward to-day, has no years to waste. Since every season brings new development and a widening public, in figures that dwarf even the past, it is simply ordinary good business sense to provide a quicker and more economical means of instruction. Furthermore, the basis of such learning is now available. It is written in large letters, in the results of original initiative, from coast to coast. It is engraved deep in the memories of those who paid the price of courage and earned the reward of victory. As the silent demand for more and more theaters urges the industry on, there is need of more and more young men not merely suited but equipped for direction. Bluntly, there is a shortage of the right kind of man-power in the field of theater operation; and thoughtful executives are encouraging every effort to cul- tivate competent employees in keeping pace with a demand that is ceaselessly expanding.
The condition is not merely of the immediate moment. It reaches back into the recent past. It was because of it, in fact, that I not so long ago established the institute known as the Publix Theatre Managers Training School. After what I have said, I believe that it is hardly necessary for me to dwell on the causes that impelled me to take the step. The old hit or miss policy, that had functioned so heroically in its own time, was out of date. No longer could it be feasible to rely
TRAINING FOR MANAGEMENT
79
entirely on the skill that shows itself after the accumulation of years of trial and experience. There was a great new need. There was a vast fund of information drawn from many sources. There were young men of promise. The hour had come to bring these elements together under the swift manipu- lation of scientific training. So the Publix Theatre school was brought into existence.
Let me take the word "scientific" from the sentences I have written above, and restate it here, to clarify at once the main distinction between the former training and the present. Science is common sense to the nth power — that is, common sense operating not by occasional inspiration, but so organ- ized as to give a maximum return every time and all the time. Previously, the manager who wished to train another to fill his place would bring the younger man into association with himself and give him every opportunity of observation, coun- sel, and responsibility until the man was fit to go it on his own. He could thus school another in a period shorter than the one in which he himself had made his own wisdom. This method of transmission from one man to one man may still have its uses where organization is small. But, in view of the far- flung organization demanded by present day standards, it is hopelessly inefficient. As old-fashioned and cumbersome as the discarded practice of educating a young lawyer in the office of an older! We have law schools to-day. And to-morrow, I confidently believe, we shall have, at least, a number of the- ater operation courses included in the curricula of several universities. Although the demand for good managers will never cease as long as the industry grows, the time is not far off when organized training will do away with any like- lihood of a dearth.
Since it is wise, in instituting any new procedure, to carry over the tried and true virtues of the old, the Publix Theatre school maintains the sensible practice of opening its doors not only to worthy applicants who are new to the field, but to what may be termed "star" employees. These are young men who, because of their sterling efforts, are entitled to promo- tion. Such employees make the finest material. They already
80 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
have the requisite basic understanding of operation, acquired in their earlier, subordinate connection with policy and prac- tice. They understand the necessity of fact and personality as prerequisites for leadership. They have learned the in- dispensable lesson of wholehearted application, and have won the regard of superiors therefor. The commendation of em- ployers is the best practical certificate of admission to train- ing.
On entering the school, they are first acquainted with the measures entailed in financing and organizing a new theater, following closely its growth through construction, equipment, systematizing — right up to the opening. Here they gain a knowledge of the parts played by architecture, engineering, banking, decoration, protection, values, sanitation, ventilation, and a host of kindred elements. Theater accounting, with ref- erence to budgets, controls, insurance, purchase, stock, and every item of income or expenditure, is explained and discussed thoroughly. On these two bases, the students take a new stand of wider scope, not merely for the duration of the course, but more especially for the days of actual management to come. It is confidently expected that, with vision so widened in ad- vance, they will meet their problems with quicker recognition and readier solution.
The method of instruction employed is a combination of theory and practice. Total reliance on either would defeat the end of well-rounded training. Of course, the practical phase is a continuation from the days of employment ; for, naturally, the attaches have already received a certain amount of train- ing, direct and indirect, from contact with managers and de- partment heads, from attendance at conferences, and from reading and study of general instructions and manuals issued to the staff. The last named method is, naturally, broadened in the class room; so that the student is not merely given formal instruction, but is permitted and in fact required to join in the discussion.
As the course proceeds, the student is carefully observed. If it becomes evident that he is not making the kind of progress that will justify graduation, he is not encouraged further.
FIGURE 6
Remote Control Switchboard
TRAINING FOR MANAGEMENT 81
This eliminates wasted effort on his part, and enables him to return to his apprenticeship, or to his former pursuits, there to find and follow the path of effort to which he is best suited. On the other hand, the man who shows that he is not merely a promising apprentice but a candidate for executive status is retained and urged onward to completion of his studies. After graduation he is given a position at a fair working sal- ary, with the occasion to practice, under actual working con- ditions, the many lessons the organization has taught him. The principle of preference, which caused his employers to admit him to the school, is thus soundly rounded into results. Promotion of men in an organization is an incentive toward loyalty, without which there can be no efficiency worthy of the name. And the young man who goes from the school to a managership faces his biggest assignment with the best moral as well as mental equipment to serve. The school pro- vides such full appreciation of the responsibilities of theater operation.
So much in general.
In addition to the other subjects of study listed hereinbefore, the applicant is made familiar with matters of advertising, air-conditioning, electricity, gas, water, heating, housekeeping, care of furniture, music and entertainment, motion picture value, stage production, color values. Though there is no ex- pectation— or desire — that he shall become an expert in each of these fields, he is required to know enough to guide him- self and to engage the right kind of experts to assist him.
In the same way, he is instructed in his future executive connections with personnel. These, of course, include em- ployment, supervision, discipline, and training. For, as a student-manager, he is learning to teach others. He is there- fore enlightened as to the methods of securing a personnel that will be vital because it is youthful, and in the methods of toning down that excess vitality which, in the young, threat- ens to convert their great virtue into a disorganizing element. The student, in looking forward to his future control and guidance of employees, learns the need and the process of inspection, the value of routine, the high desirability of service
82 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
as the magnet of good will. He learns these lessons not merely to know them himself, but in his turn to teach them to others.
It has been argued that executives take up too much time in conferences, and in instructional work generally. However, experience points out that it is more economical to have em- ployees do a thing right as a result of training than to take time to correct errors in practice. General training also has its value in giving each employee an appreciation of the prob- lem of the whole; he is able to see his relations to the parts of the entire enterprise. When he knows only his own job, his interest is self -centered and he cannot work for the success of the big thing of which he is a minor factor. For instance, an usher has several vacant seats; instead of filling them at once, he waits until several more have accumulated. In the meantime, the doormen are holding patrons out in the lobby. These people, held too long, resent the delay. Others seeing the crowded lobby, decide to go elsewhere. Multiply the original shiftless usher by a large uniformed staff — and there is no arguing against training. If the usher knows his job in relation to the whole, every seat is kept working.
Along with these considerations, the student learns that large organization requires diversification of routine and therefore of training. He learns that there are classes of ushers and that routine affecting each class should be estab- lished by whoever is responsible, and should be followed up by conferences, written bulletins, manuals and discussions. He knows that forty ushers cannot be left to their individual de- vices in doing one thing that should be done one way. In a word, our manager-in-training assimilates the most progres- sive attitude toward employers, employees, public. That, after all, will be his great asset as a captain of men and a leader of industry. He will be neither made rash nor manacled by ignorance. Knowledge gives courage as well as clear thought ; and the instructed man will do his best because he knows what is best.
I emphasize the point because I believe it brings a new ad- vantage to the business. I am not by any means proposing to discard the whole past or any valuable part of it. I am
TRAINING FOR MANAGEMENT
83
certainly not unaware of the fact that success in business is something that comes from the man more than from the theory. Executive ability cannot be created where it does not exist. I do insist, however, that where it does exist it can be brought out most effectively and most economically by the right kind of training. What do I mean by 4 'the right kind of training"? I mean training that can be transmitted as quickly as may be sensible. I mean training that doesn't waste an organization's time and money. I mean training that is handled by experts — men who not merely know the infor- mation but who know how to make others understand it. I mean training whose greatest economy lies in the fact that the trained manager makes fewer of the errors that experi- ence can warn against, recognizes his errors more quickly, and repairs the damage more intelligently. And finally, I mean training that takes a man who can be a good manager, and makes him a better manager.
I would go further, and apply the idea of training to the whole staff and every member of it. The old-fashioned notion of never paying attention to employees till they do something wrong, and then calling them down for it, has a tendency to dampen enthusiasm and to engender a hostile attitude. Em- ployees who speak good English, give worthy service, and try to please, need only a suitable incentive — plus training meth- ods. As a further development of educative effort, staff con- ferences on service are becoming an important feature in es- tablishing the ideal of the management as an art of the em- ployee. Furthermore, steps in this direction reduce labor turnover, promote efficiency, develop ambition, improve serv- ice, and build up esprit de corps.
Progressive managers should encourage and support every promising movement which aims to produce a supply of better educated and trained employees. They will contribute what aid they can in cooperating with educational institutions which will offer to supplement the experience on the job with good courses. They will likewise organize the best methods of instruction in their own organizations.
To the new manager, or the man preparing himself for
84* MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
managership, I would say this : The future of the moving pic- ture theater will tend more and more to be put into the hands of trained men, and those already engaged in the industry will go ahead or fall behind in measure as they train them- selves. Just as it proved true that the pioneer with a brain and a will, built up the industry, so the modern executive with enough sense and force to enrich his knowledge will be the one to rise. Be your own teacher always. Discipline your- self. Instruct yourself. What you learn from others, make part of yourself. That is what your predecessors have done. That is why they have succeeded.
In closing this chapter and this section, I have only one thing to add. I have dealt largely with the manager here be- cause this book is mainly for him, and about him. In the remaining sections and chapters, I shall still be discussing management, though most often in connection with matters which management delegates to subordinates. Yet it is the manager's conceded responsibility that all duties in the the- ater, whether performed by him or not, are his duties. He should know much about them, from first hand, from re- port, from reading. And I offer my words of information and counsel in the sincere trust that the right kind of man- ager, new or old in experience, will absorb the facts as he would in practice, making of them a part of the only true training — ambition ever eager to learn and to profit.
Part III Plant and Structure
CHAPTER IX
The Building and Its Construction
IN considering the building of a new theater, the first thing of importance that must be decided is whether there is room in the town or community for the development. To build where there are already too many seats is to invite al- most positive disaster. Where there are too many, for ex- ample, it is almost impossible to be sure of sufficient product for the new theater. After all, there is only a limited number of pictures made, and distributing organizations are morally under obligation to take care of their old customers. There- fore, whoever plans the building of a new theater must assure himself that he will be able to secure feature films necessary to operate it well.
If you are sure that there is an opening, however, the next step is to locate advantageously. In choosing a location the first consideration is an assurance of sufficient population to support the theater which is planned. If you are satisfied on that score, is the location accessible to most of the people? The size of the plot depends most naturally on the size of the theater you are considering and the extent of the com- mercial building to be erected. Such information may be procurable from the architect whom you are tentatively con- sulting.
The price of land is of secondary importance these days, because the cost of a good location can be offset by the sub- rentals from stores and offices — and the actual building costs just as much if it is poorly located. It therefore can readily be seen that a good location is economy in the long run. A poor location is too expensive, even if you get it for nothing. The cost of drawing people from the main street, out of their way, is prohibitive. The loss of the custom of those that will not
87
88 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
go out of their way often means failure. A choice location is the first requisite in the successful operation of a theater. There are many instances where shrewd operators have been able to reduce the burden of theater rentals to a very low fixed charge, because of the commercial income obtainable through stores and office lofts. ,
When a location is secured, when you are ready to consider the plans of your theater and the amount you are going to spend for your building, you naturally must know your cost before making any commitments. It is a common experience to see men plunge into important investments without clearly studying and planning projects; and, frequently, vitally im- portant problems are settled hastily, without due regard to the practical. This is particularly true in the launching of new theater enterprises. The balance sheet tells the story after it is too late, and frequently it is a tale of disappointment, — a tale of costs, away beyond estimates; of a set-up that dis- regarded income. A practical theater operator seldom goes wrong when guided by experience, or when advised by capable architects and engineers. The important factors to be con- sidered are those of finance, of plan, of construction, and of equipment. All of them together determine the overhead costs, the control of which is important in the successful consum- mation of the venture.
Let us assume that the prospective operator has acquired the site, and that the financing awaits the plans and cost esti- mates. The next immediate problem is to select the profes- sional advisors, the architect-engineer, the decorators and others whose experience may contribute. It is important to secure the cooperation of a capable architect who is familiar with theater construction. A complete plan should include not only the architectural and decorative layout, but should also comprise specification, since in no other way can you know the actual cost. The architect will develop an outline specification to give some idea of the construction, and there should also be a preliminary estimate of costs on a cubic foot basis.
The economically designed theater is the one that in addi-
THE BUILDING AND ITS CONSTRUCTION 89
tion to a careful selection of material and a wise choice of the various contractors, has a layout with a maximum of in- come possibilities. These possibilities will appear and develop in proportion to the amount of concentrated study that is spent on the plans. An architect is too often required to pre- pare sketches in much too short a time. These are later trans- posed into working drawings without sufficient deliberation to study the possibilities of the sketch profitably. Conscien- tious effort spent upon sketches, which takes time and means money, is a far more profitable investment to the theater man than many of the devices he later installs for increasing re- turns. The study of sketches for the purpose of conserving space necessitates an investigation of the structural and me- chanical features of the building as well. Thus considered, the possibilities for economy multiply. Furthermore, unattrac- tive exteriors and interiors are the result of poor design and bad judgment.
Maintenance is another big factor in theater operation. The modern house is a great machine filled with miles of pipes, wires, and many different materials. A theater properly de- signed and erected requires a minimum of maintenance. This factor is determined in advance largely by the experience of the architect and builder.
The first problem of the planning proper is to establish the seating capacity; after that, the stage, the lobbies, and the rest rooms, and other necessary spaces for theater operation, arranging the areas in the most compact, convenient, and at- tractive manner consistent with the budget. Only after all these details are developed should the exterior design be stud- ied. Some one has well said that theaters are designed from the inside out — that the architect is expected to hang a grace- ful cloak on a structure already completed. The architectural design should be influenced, entirely, by the taste of the people to whom the theater will cater.
Now that the plan has been developed, and the cost esti- mate is reasonably correct, the project is in form to be shaped. The big problem of financing has now a better chance of being worked out by means of a necessary building loan, and there
90 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
is a better background for bond selling, if that is to be the scheme of promotion. Sometimes it is best to get a local loan, because a local bond sale means cooperation by those who eventually purchase the securities. In some instances local stock selling is resorted to by prospective operators.
Let us jump over the rough road of financing and assume that it has been accomplished. The next step is the mak- ing of working drawings and specifications in which, line by line, the entire building is put on paper, so that contrac- tors may submit their bids. It is always most economical to give the building contract to a man who has a reputation for integrity; this is more important than merely giving the con- tract to the lowest bidder. While building, there is a great temptation to make changes and additions, and it is good to remember that this is very costly, and that every added ex- pense has to be paid for by heavier carrying charges. Every time a change is made in the specifications, moreover, it means an additional charge by the contractor. Unless great care is taken in this connection, a building may cost from 25 per cent, to 100 per cent, more than the contemplated expenditure. In every operation that the writer has been associated with, he has strictly adhered to the original specifications. In that way he keeps close to the original estimates.
It is generally advisable to let the entire construction as one contract to a reliable man, who has the experience and facilities properly to supervise the sub-contractors operating under the direction of the owner and the architect. The op- erating equipment contract may be placed with a theater equip- ment organization which will supply engineering service, to- gether with all the items required; or this equipment may be purchased separately from various manufacturers.
The building nearing completion, the next step is the selec- tion of furnishings. The use of inferior materials and equip- ment is the result of false economy; such a policy serves only to establish high maintenance and replacement costs. Having in mind that styles and fads change, it is good judgment to keep to conservative and simple design in furniture and decora- tions. The decorative schemes are developed by interior
THE BUILDING AND ITS CONSTRUCTION 91
decorators, who will undertake the provision of all the fur- niture and interior schemes under one contract. This work is done under the supervision of the architect and the owner, who sometimes purchase rugs, drapes, and the like, in the market. The purchase of the organ and the seats should be made directly from the manufacturers. Such special equip- ment should be ordered only after study and consideration.
The most important item of equipment is the seats. No other equipment is given such hard use. Nor is any other article so important in contributing to the comfort of the patron. Management must therefore take unusual care as to the type of chair installed. Considerable experiment by the leading manufacturers has produced chairs of various types that bring a maximum of comfort. Seats are upholstered either in mohair or in imitation leather. There are two fur- ther types of seats : one which is known as a spring seat, which is preferable; and the squab seat which is not quite so ex- pensive. Good seating plans provide a spacing of thirty-two inches, back to back, with a seat width of twenty or twenty- one inches.
The item next in importance is the organ. There are sev- eral fine organs manufactured for theater requirements, but an orchestral unit organ is probably the best type of organ to install in a theater, because of color tone, quick action and its flexibility. The orchestral unit organ is played by an elec- tric action which makes possible instantaneous "speaking" and which imitates with a degree of success the units of an orches- tra, such as the flute or the oboe.
It is needless to emphasize the importance of getting the very best in projection machines, and no theater should be equipped with less than two of them. Three are often de- sirable in theaters of the better grade, so that in operation you can be prepared in case of emergency. However, two projec- tion machines are essential, in order to give a performance without a break.
Handsome draperies and hangings lend a great deal to the decorative treatment and should be designed by experienced decorators, and blended with the decorative scheme as well
92 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
as with that of the furnishings. Well furnished rest rooms add greatly to the appearance of any theater. Therefore great care should be exercised in designing these, with special effort in furnishing ladies' rooms. (A list of equipment of a first class motion picture theater is shown on page 93.)
Electric signs that are simple in design and that announce the name of the theater, as well as the attraction, are a de- sirable feature. The ticket booth should be designed by the architect and should be placed as close to the sidewalk as pos- sible, so that it may be seen by the passer-by. An attractive box office is an invitation to enter a theater. A hanging marquee lends tone to the front, besides being a protection to patrons against the sun or the rain. The ceiling of the marquee should be studded with electric lights. Appropriate frames (one-sheet size — 22" x 48" on the inside) should be in evidence in front of the theater, on both sides of the lobby, and in the lobby as well. It is important that the lobby itself should be well illuminated. The auditorium should depend on in- direct illumination in preference to chandeliers that have glar- ing lights, which detract from the pleasure of viewing the stage or the motion picture. (The subject of lighting is given particular attention in a chapter devoted to that purpose.)
Experience has proven that the best carpets are the cheap- est in the final analysis. Therefore the best grades should be given preference, and carpets should be lined with felt or especially prepared pads. This will give added life to the floor covering, and make the best materials, in the long run,^ more economical than the cheapest.
The construction of a new theater entitles you to publicity in your local papers at no cost to you, because papers will print a story that is news. This, supplemented with adver- tising and exploitation and good bookings, will bring good patronage. The important thing is so to impress your patrons that they will come again.
Many things can be done at the opening of a new theater that cost a little money, but that will create favorable im- pressions. For example, one may provide an abundance of uniformed attaches, who are carefully rehearsed as to their
THE BUILDING AND ITS CONSTRUCTION 93
duties and who are therefore able to render a good, courteous service. This stafr* can be cut down gradually, according to necessity. An opening invitation audience, including city offi- cials and prominent citizens, generally creates a good impres- sion, and gives a theater an auspicious commencement. An aggressive publicity man may be able to induce the local press to furnish a special section for the opening, the section to be paid for by advertising furnished by the contractors employed in the building of the theater, and by neighboring business houses, who wish success to the new enterprise.
In conclusion, a sensible operator will not open his theater unless every detail is carefully rehearsed many times, so that a smooth opening can be assured. The rest depends on good management and consistently good programs if they are pro- vided, and if the patronage is made to feel at home after the fashion which I have already dwelt on too often to do more than mention it here.
LIST OF THEATER EQUIPMENT
Signs : Vertical Marquise Directional Price
Carpet :
Carpet padding Rugs
Organ
Chairs: Orchestra Balcony Loge
Draperies (house)
Box Office: Ticket machine Coin changer
Chair
Price signs Cash boxes
Ticket Chopper
Rails
Cords for Rails
Mats
Sand Jars
Projection Equipment: Projectors
Low1 |^ntens^y Lamps Strong change-overs Lens
Clayton take-ups Panels
94 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
Projection Equipment (cont'd. Voltmeter Ammeter Speed indicator Generators for speed indi- cator Effect machine Stereo machine Transverters Rheostats Dissolver Floor machine Spotlight Rewinds Film cabinet Film waxer Steel chairs Fusible links Metal desk
Lockers (See Misc. Equip't.)
Color wheels
Color frames
Lobster scope
Carbon cabinets
B. & L. Irises
15 inch wire reels
12 inch wire reels
Film can
Splicing machine
Measuring machine
Stage Equipment: 1000 Watt Olivettes 1000 Watt spots head only 1000 Watt spots complete 400 Watt spots head only 250 Watt spots Color frames for 1000 W Color frames for Olivettes Color frames for 400 W Color frames for 250 W Lamps 1000 W G 40 Lamps for 1000 W Ps 52 Lamps for 400 W
' Lamps for 250 W Lamps for foots
) : Lamps for borders Gelatine Gelatine cabinet Stage screws Slip connectors Stage plugs No. 12 Stage cable No. 4 Extension braces Screen
Screen frame Blue black velour Ground cloth Draperies
Black plush draw curtain Black plush border Black plush legs Gold plush draw curtain Gold plush border Gold plush legs Work curtain Tormentor set Valenco border Main curtain Painted scenery Grand piano Piano cover Piano truck
All Lamps
Orchestra Pit Equipment: Piano
Piano rack and light Music stands
Conductor stands with dim- mers Musicians' chairs Organ music rack and light
Ushers' Room : Lockers
Table (checker-board type) Cuspidors
Table round (App. 36 inch
diameter) Leather chairs, heavy
THE BUILDING AND ITS CONSTRUCTION 95
Ushers' Room (cont'd.) : Leather lounge Mirrors Clothes racks Chairs, heavy type Ash tray sets
Manager's Office: Desk
Desk, typist
Chair, swivel with arms Chair, steno Typewriter
Filing cabinet with lock Medicine cabinet Lockers
Treasurer's Office: Safe
Ticket Cabinet
Locker
Desk
Chair (swivel, straight)
Desk lamp
Table
Table for typewriter Typewriter, large carriage Steno chair
Filing cabinet with lock
Musical Director's Office and Library: Music cabinets Desk lamp Desk
Chair, swivel Chair, arm
Piano (Apartment size) Bench for piano
Telephone table Small table for music
Dressing Room :
(Janitors and Porters)
Lockers
Cuspidors
Racks for supplies
(Scrubwomen)
Lockers
Fire Extinguishers, located at: Stage Booth Auditorium Basement Aisle lights Lockers (clothes) Managers Treasurers Janitors Ushers Musicians Stage Manager Booth
Scrubwomen Engineer Organist Box Office
Pianos, located at: Stage Pit
Music room
Musical director's room Rehearsal room Organist's room
CHAPTER X
Structural Equipment
THEATER, as I pointed out in the last chapter, is
no mere shelter. It is not a skeleton shell, like a barn
or a warehouse. It contains many materials, for many purposes. There are wires, pipes and other conductive ele- ments. There are rest and locker rooms, machines and offices. These cannot "just happen" after the floor and walls and roof have been built. They must be planned into the blueprints be- fore the first shovelful of ground is broken. Otherwise they are not merely forbiddingly expensive, but often simply im- possible. Such parts of the theater, because they are specified in the plan, and because the nature of the edifice requires them, I shall call structural equipment.
In dealing with the subject, let me say first of all, as I did in connection with choice of location, that cheap con- struction is most expensive in the long run and is never justi- fied by experience. Although initial costs for better grade materials sometimes loom quite large to the builder, he should remember that later alterations and necessary replacements are still more expensive because they imply a previous waste. Houses that have been built without regard to quality are antiquated in very short time. Why? Because inferior stuff deteriorates under hard usage — and shows it.
Furthermore, this lack of dependability may have its seri- ous consequences in undermining safety. I have said a great deal on that head in another chapter, and I do not intend repeating what I have already emphasized so strongly. I wish merely to connect the general matter of prevention with the present topic; and in that connection all I can say is that no detail that may enter the plans, and no consideration of long- run value, can profitably be ignored. Floors should be con-
96
STRUCTURAL EQUIPMENT
97
structed of the most durable substances. All plaster walls should have armored corners. Doors should be provided with substantial hardware, kick plates, and checks; and exit doors must have push bars to permit easy opening. Working or service sections should be built for strength. Exterior walls must have enduring resistance; and the same aim must be dominant in roofing, cornices, leaders, gutters, skylights, and plumbing. Wear and tear may not be mathematically calcul- able in advance, but one thing is certain: Nothing deterio- rates so surely or so quickly as cheapness.
In the matter of fire equipment, to take up a special and essential point, it is important for both patrons and building that every ounce of equipment of any utility shall be pro- vided. It is not enough to comply with the law. That is expected and demanded. In addition, ample fire prevention apparatus approved by the underwriters should be supplied. Indispensable items include fire alarms and a watchman's clock system. This latter is a series of signal stations, lo- cated in various parts of the theater, which permit a record of the watchman's patrol at regular intervals during the night.
So much in general for safety appliances. As I go for- ward in this chapter, I shall touch on the subject again in other connections; for the question of public security is one that arises in every physical part of the house. On the other hand, the very equipment for other purposes has its own in- terest to the theater man. I shall therefore turn now to the important considerations of illumination, heat, ventilation, and refrigeration, and deal with them in order.
The building must be well lighted. Indeed, theater illu- mination systems are elaborate in character, and must be de- signed by experts. In large theaters, all the lighting, both in the auditorium and back stage, is controlled from a switch- board behind the scenes. There are various types of such switchboards, but the finer theaters endorse what is known as the remote control method. It consists of an operating board of buttons and small levers which, in turn, manipulate switching machinery that is placed in the basement. (The diagram shown in Figure 6 shows how the stage board oper-
98 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
ates and controls all the lighting changes you see while at a performance.)
All lighting on the stage and in the auditorium should be wired for four colors, and is controlled by dimmers which permit gradual blending of colors and a very flexible light- ing scheme. Dimming is a process that diminishes the light through the use of resistance coils. In connection with colors, this method makes it possible to blend many combinations with most pleasing results. In addition to the usual stage lighting of footlights and borders, auxiliaries are provided in the form of spotlights and flood lamps. A bridge hung between the rear of the proscenium arch and the first border supports a number of spots, which are worked by electricians who follow the action on the stage. (Figure 7 shows the lighting of a typical modern stage.)
Emergency lamps for stairways and exits are generally on a circuit of their own. They are always lighted while the theater is in use. The exit bulbs are generally in red, and are placed on the top of the door frames. They are not only advisable but mandatory in an important community. Public spaces and corridors are lighted brilliantly for attractiveness and safety. Another touch of prevention, within the audi- torium, is the aisle light, attached to the seat standards, for guidance of patrons and ushers. By such displays of fore- thought management not merely protects property and public, but makes its high standards manifest to all.
The heating plant should be installed with utmost care, under rigid specifications, and should be equal to peak de- mands. There should be recording devices to show the pres- sure, automatic dampers to prevent waste of fuel, and com- bustion records to check the amount of fuel consumed. For safety, in addition to the customary measures, the installa- tion of non-return valves on each boiler is recommended for plants of two or more boilers, to guard against casualties and shut-down. Provision should be made, likewise, for easy de- livery of fuel and discharge of ashes, if coal is used. In the case of oil, fuel capacities should be as great as municipal and
100 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
insurance regulations will permit. It goes without saying that cleanliness is as important in the boiler room as in any part of the theater; and engineers should be impressed with the fact. Finally, large savings will accrue through utilization of the best and safest insulation.
In the auditorium and other public rooms, particular care must be taken to avoid the annoyance of hammering or snap- ping. Noise of this sort would make the finest theater un- tenantable. For this reason, the system most advisable is both direct and indirect; i.e., air is forced from the heating chambers by fans and is distributed over large spaces from grills in the walls and the ceiling. Then it is exhausted by the aid of fan systems through openings under the seats. Sometimes the procedure is reversed. In the most important rooms, radiators are concealed behind grills, which are acces- sible for cleaning purposes. Radiators are eliminated in sys- tems which provide for heating through duct systems.
Provisions for regulation of temperature, whether manual or automatic, are of great importance. The installation must provide an arrangement of the greatest flexibility, that can adjust the temperature to conditions of capacity, and of the opposite extreme, with equal delicacy. The ventilation, of course, is exceedingly important, affecting as it does the com- fort of patrons, the earnings of the enterprises and the effi- ciency of employees in many departments.
Modern mechanical ventilation systems afford apparatus for air-washing, which is a means of forcing air through chambers in which it is washed by streams of water; for de- humidifying, which is a device for removing excess water from the air by means of heat; and for air-conditioning, which provides refrigeration in the summer and heating in the winter. Liberal capacities in all these directions should be a guiding factor of designs, in order to assure the best re- sults. Another consideration is to provide machinery that will be free of objectionable odor and noise. Economy may be insured by subdividing the apparatus to permit shutting of parts not in use. Another measure in economy is effec- tive insulation by sheet cork, since deterioration of the cov-
STRUCTURAL EQUIPMENT
101
erings of tanks, pipe lines, or other parts lowers the effi- ciency of operation, as well as adding to operating cost.
Air-conditioning and refrigeration installations have reached a state of perfection in guaranteeing a temperature of the greatest comfort in the warmest weather. This installa- tion has virtually turned the summer months into periods of capacity attendance, reversing a condition that threatened financial loss and seasonal activity. Nowadays, city people go to the theater in July and August as much to escape the torture of urban temperature and humidity as to see the pic- tures. Here is a selling point no one can ignore. No one, in my opinion, will. I confidently believe that in the next five years no house of any consequence will be without refrigera- tion.
Of the power plant, I would say that its installation must appeal to any reasonable operator as a matter of outstand- ing significance. Its upkeep may prove very expensive unless careful study is given to the requirements of the building. Therefore, the equipment involved must be appropriate in type and adequate in supply. Few theaters, of course, use electric generators, since this service is available through central sta- tions. These are equipped, for the most part, to give theaters preferred service and to guard against emergency situations.
In connection with power, I predict that one important modification of the up-to-date theater will be universal in the theater of to-morrow. I refer to elevators for patrons. Al- ready, the balcony of many a house reaches the height of a nine-story building. It is unreasonable to expect people to climb so far in preparation for an evening of comfortable diversion. Elevators will make balcony seats as accessible as those of the ground, and will thereby make it easier to establish the one-price system, rapidly becoming popular where- ever all parts of the house are equally inviting and desirable.
Elevators should be equipped with every possible device to insure safety and the elimination of noise from machinery, doors, gates and counterweights. In addition to elevators, stairways, and fire towers are required, the number being de- termined by the fire code. In some places, escalators are in
102 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
use; but since moving stairways require considerable space, they generally interfere with architectural treatment.
Another feature that requires attention on the part of the architect is the provision of suitable rest rooms and quarters for personnel. The object here is to aim at fine service through efficiency. Hence there should be locker and dress- ing rooms for the house staff. Each class of worker should have a separate room, with toilet, and, in some cases, shower bath facilities. Locker rooms should be so arranged that employees may pass through the building, without necessarily traversing the public areas. A valet and tailor shop is a valu- able adjunct for theaters engaging a large uniformed staff.
For the musicians, there should be back-stage dressing and lounge rooms; and the musical director should have a room of his own located close to the music library, which is essen- tial for operation of high grade. Another desirable cham- ber is the screen room, where motion pictures can be screened in rehearsal for synchronization with the music. For the purpose, in addition to the screen, there are required two pro- jection machines in a fire-proof booth, and a piano. In very large theaters, special rehearsal rooms are built, so that artists may prepare for the next week's attraction. Finally, I take it for granted that every one will understand the need of special store rooms, and carpenter and electrical shops, together with the equipment to make them serviceable.
The one man who, after the management, is solely respon- sible for operation of structural equipment, is the engineer. With him and his duties I propose to deal in another chapter. Here I wish only to point out how his efficiency may in large measure be guaranteed by steps taken, in plan and construc- tion, before he is engaged. In the interests of economy and safety, for example, all water or steam or electric lines should be metered and recorded according to consumption. The engineer may thus report and suggest, and the manager study and decide, the times when unnecessary lines, or lines not in use, may be cut off at the source. A regular time schedule likewise, should determine the hour for turning on steam, and valves be labeled with the time of turning on and off.
STRUCTURAL EQUIPMENT 103
Equipment of the right sort gives opportunity to make and keep the right sort of records. I offer, as an instance, a typical report:
BOILER ROOM REPORT
Week ending February 27, 1925
Coal on hand Feb. 21 $ 50.00
Coal purchased Feb. 24 200.82
$250.82
$110.50 140.32
$250.82
Chief Engineer.
A good engineer, active supervision, frequent inspections, sterling routine, are all highly desirable. And the way to make sure of them is to build into the house the best possible structural equipment, the finest materials and mechanisms that experience and vision can summon forth. The surest return you get out of a theater is the kind you plan into it.
Coal consumed ,
Coal on hand this report
CHAPTER XI
Fire Apparatus and Water Supply
IN dealing with fire apparatus after structural equipment, I am moved by considerations of convenience of arrange- ment, and not of importance. It is true that a great many materials are put into the building before extinguishers, hose, and axes arrive on the scene; yet need I point out the fact that, without the latter, the former are never secure? I believe I have said enough on that head in other chapters to take the reader's agreement for granted here.
There are, however, precise details of fire prevention and control which I would enumerate at this stage for their value in disclosing the mechanical and human organization requisite to preserve the house or any part of it from the flames. The background and the procedure I am about to explain are no mere figment of theory. They represent the sum total of the best information which experience has learned from the two great sources of afterthought and forethought; and the matter presented is therefore not only to be read, but drilled into ready memory.
In the first place, let me list the equipment needed: The stage skylight, the asbestos curtain, fire tanks, extinguishers, automatic sprinkler systems, hose, hooks, axes and fire alarm systems.
The stage skylight is probably the most important protec- tive device installed in a theater, for it provides an immediate vent for suffocating gases, which might otherwise belch out into the auditorium and reach the galleries at the early stages of a fire. The asbestos curtain is next in importance for it serves a similar purpose and also acts as a screen between the audience and the fire — and from a moral standpoint may pre- vent panic by cutting off the view of the fire. The automatic
104
FIRE APPARATUS AND WATER SUPPLY 105
sprinkler system ranks with the two above, for it may be de- pended upon in most cases to extinguish stage fires.
In the second place, come the auxiliary features : Exit lights, exit doors and shutters, together with their key parts and their surfaces.
In the third place, I name the localities which flames must never enter: the projection booth, the closets, the elevator shafts and pits, and the fan, machine and locker rooms.
In the fourth place, I list the gravest menaces : Defective electrical equipment, rubbish, unguarded electric lights, oily waste, and smoking — the last to be strictly forbidden so far as personnel is concerned.
In the fifth place, I call attention again to organization of management and personnel in regard to prevention, report- ing, and control of conflagration.
How are these five standards maintained ? The answer is : Constant Vigilance. The official who, after the house man- ager, is responsible for blaze conditions, is the chief engineer. His duties in this connection are complex, yet they are mo- mentarily imperative. He must carry them out to the last letter. Accordingly, I will not express them in essay form, but will outline them, so that every detail has a clear-cut mean- ing of its own. I hope thus not only to make the subject clear, but more especially to provide the reader with a model form, which may be copied or reprinted from these pages, and serve as an effective monthly report.
REPORT OF FIRE INSPECTION By Chief Engineer
A. APPARATUS
1. Fire Tanks:
a. Repainting
b. Level of water-pails near by
c. Repairing
d. Replacement
e. Accessibility — material piled around
f . Other information
2. Extinguishers :
a. Refilling — level of acid in bottle and level of soda solu- tion
106 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
b. Dating on tag — recharged within one year
c. Missing
d. Inspection of nozzle and hose by means of thin wire
e. Accessibility — material piled around
3. Fire Hooks and Axes:
a. Condition
b. Missing
c. Accessible
4. Fire Alarm Systems:
a. When tested last ?
b. Box on stage accessible?
c. If no box in theater, do employees know location near-
est box and telephone number of fire department?
5. Asbestos Curtain:
a. Condition
b. Operation
6. Automatic Sprinklers:
a. Supply tank full
b. Valves open
c. Sprinkler heads unobstructed
7. Stage Skylight:
a. Operative condition
b. When tested
c. Rope and knife accessible
8. Hose:
a. Properly racked
b. Good condition
c. Nozzle in place
d. Hose valve O.K.
b. exits
1. Lights:
Condition inside and outside lights
2. Doors :
a. Condition — Tested by opening
b. Door checks and Hardware — Panic-lock working
c. Unobstructed
3. Fire Doors and Shutters:
a. Operation
b. Mechanism and ropes
c. Lubrication
d. Fusible links should not be painted
4. Fire Escapes or Exit Passageways:
a. Followed through to street
b. Clear of ice or snow
FIRE APPARATUS AND WATER SUPPLY 107
c. Clear of trunks, scenery, etc.
d. Gates in courts or alleys opened
C. PARTS OF BUILDING
1. Projection Booth:
a. Cleanliness
b. Rubbish
c. Oily waste
d. Film cuttings
e. Fireproof containers for film
f . Shutters in place
g. Fusible devices in shutters in operative condition
h. Safety devices in machines operative
i. Extinguishers
2. Closets :
a. Condition and cleanliness
b. Combustible materials
3. Elevator Shafts and Pits:
a. Cleanliness
b. Obstructions, rubbish
4. Fan, Machine and Locker Rooms:
a. Cleanliness
b. Obstructions
c. Rubbish and inflammable materials
d. Benches, lockers, etc.
e. Bearings lubricated
f. Electrical equipment
5. Dressing Rooms:
a. Lights guarded
b. Smoking
c. Miscellaneous heating devices
d. causes of fire
1. Oily Waste:
a. Safety cans
b. Daily emptying
2. Electric Lights:
a. Unguarded
b. Near combustible material
3. Smoking :
a. Departments
b. Individuals
4. Electric Wiring:
a. Temporary wiring
b. Fuses
c. Condition insulation, joints, etc.
108 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
5. Ashes and Rubbish:
a. Metal cans
b. Ashes kept away from wood partitions or combustible
material
e. personnel
1. Management:
a. Instructions
b. Inspections
c. Reports
d. Fire Drills
2. Employees :
a. Cleanliness of building
b. Precautions and rules
c. Smoking
The matter of prevention, of course, is not left to one man, nor is it to be taken for granted. Management is required, in this connection, to frame a definite policy and to conduct a formal routine. In order that employees may fully under- stand what is required, there should be clear instructions, pos- sibly printed, as to regulations; and also there must be fire drills at regular intervals. In such procedure, department heads call upon the superintendent of the building and the house manager in instructing employees to greatest advantage. The lessons thus taught are : How to send fire alarms ; how to telephone if fire is discovered; how to use extinguishers; how to comport oneself.
In case of fire, it is the principle duty of employees gen- erally to look out for the safety of patrons. Ushers go to posts, where they remain. Some open exit doors and direct people to safety. Others are stationed at stairways, per- mitting no one to go up, except an employee in the perform- ance of duty. Above all, every one from the house manager to the page boy does everything in his power to reassure and to calm, by cool manner, bearing, speech, and direction. Each employee should be drilled, in case he discovers fire (see Regu- lations on page 64), to act as follows:
1. Keep cool and behave without excitement.
2. Call the Fire Department.
FIRE APPARATUS AND WATER SUPPLY 109
3. Inform the house manager of the location of the fire.
4. Attempt to put out the fire by means of extinguishers or
hose.
5. Make a thorough search of the house to be sure no one is
left in rest rooms or other out-of-the-way places.
6. Continue the performance as far as possible. Have organ
or orchestra continue playing. Make announcement from stage as far as is possible.
When the notice is received by the house manager, he takes full charge; or, in his absence, the assistant manager. The first step is to send in an alarm to the city departments by telephone or fire-box. Remain at the fire alarm box until the department arrives. At the same time, an assistant telephones to the stage to have the asbestos curtain lowered, and stage skylight opened, and notifies all departments as to the en- dangered spot.
The actual fighting of the blaze is directed by the Super- intendent. He goes to the place at once and attempts to ex- tinguish or control. The only permissible alternate is a house fireman who may be assigned to the theater to act for the city authorities. In either case, assistance is rendered chiefly by a specially assigned crew, who have the prime responsibility of this task. Other employees, as has been explained, de- vote themselves to the care of patrons. The crew itself con- sists of the engineer, his assistants, and the porters. They sim- ply obey orders; for example, they never turn the hose on, except by order of the Superintendent, his representative, or a member of the city fire department.
The night watchman naturally plays a very special role in this connection. He reports for duty at 10:45, an<^ patrols the theater until 7 a.m. He makes use of the clock at every station, and goes his rounds every hour. He turns off all un- necessary lights, and closes and secures the doors and the windows. In case of fire, he gives the alarm, attempts to control the flames, and then notifies the manager or the house manager by telephone.
110 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
WATER SUPPLY
Without unduly stressing the connection between the two topics of this chapter, let me say that the matter of water, fundamental to all life, is one deserving close attention by the- ater management. More pointedly, since water is one of the commodities a theater buys and uses, the question of economy must be raised here as well as elsewhere. The financial factor is waste; and in this connection, waste means leakage. A dripping faucet destroys fifteen gallons a day; one running with an opening of an eighth of an inch consumes 3806 gallons — a day! Need I point out the simple truism that leaks make larger bills ?
In order to grapple with the problem of prevention, it is essential to understand meters. There are two kinds, the cir- cular reading dial and the straight. I shall deal with them in order.
CIRCULAR READING DIAL
Meters indicate the amount of water used, either in cubic feet or in gallons, according to the unit upon which charges are based. For purposes of convenience I shall refer only to measurement in cubic feet. For circular meters the read- ing is conducted as in the case of a register of gas or electric- ity. For example :
The illustration above shows a reading of 79,584 cubic
FIRE APPARATUS AND WATER SUPPLY 111
feet, as determined in the following manner: Place the num- ber indicated by the hand on the "10" circle in the units place, and the figure indicated by the hand on the "100" circle in the tens place, and so on :
When a hand on one of the circles is in any position between two figures, take the lower number as the reading. If the hand seems precisely on the figure, observe whether the hand on the next lower circle has passed zero. If this is the case, the count should be taken for the figure which the hand on the higher circle seems to indicate, but not otherwise.
Assuming that the present reading indicates 79,584 and that the previous reading was 69,584, the difference between the two figures, or 10,000, would be the number of cubic feet (or gallons) of water consumed during the intervening period.
It is never necessary to reset the registers. When the hand or pointer of the circle of the highest denomination has made a complete revolution, the hand on every circle will point to "o." For example, should the register illustrated indicate
4
80 500 9,000 70,000
79,584 cu. ft.
STRAIGHT READING DIAL
112 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
79,584, and then at the next reading show a registration of only 6,248, to obtain the total reading it would be necessary to add to the latter reading 100,000. In other words, the con- sumption indicated by the meter between the two readings would be 106,248 — 79,584, or 26,664 cubic feet (or gallons). The same principle, of course, applies to the straight reading type of meter.
The small denomination circle found on all meters and regis- tering either one cubic foot or ten gallons is used for test- ing purposes only, being disregarded in the regular readings. One complete rotation of the hand indicates measurement of the amount printed on the dial (i.e., one cubic foot, or ten gallons).
One cubic foot is equal to 7^ gallons of water. This type of meter is read like an automobile speedometer.
HOW TO DETECT WATER LEAKS
If the consumption of water appears abnormal or if you wish to be sure there is no leak, make the following test :
Let the water stay on, but have all outlets closed; and do not draw any water during the test, which should continue for 10 or 15 minutes. Watch the hands on the meter marked "ten gallons'* or "one cubic foot." This dial is divided into ten parts, each division being one gallon or one tenth of a cubic foot. If this hand continues to move, a leak is indicated. The size can be determined by timing the meter: i.e., one- tenth in 15 minutes, two-tenths in 15 minutes, etc.
A leak at the wash basin or sink can be easily located. The water can be seen dripping from the faucet ; but a leak at the water closet is hard to find. Sometimes yard hydrants, street washers, and underground pipes leak, and the water soaks away in the ground. If possible, a leaky pipe or fixture should be shut off until repaired.
If there is a leak call a plumber immediately. Do not allow waste to continue indefinitely. It adds to your bill every minute. Of all losses, this is one of the most readily detectable, the most easily preventable.
FIRE APPARATUS AND WATER SUPPLY 113
BUILDING AND ITS CONSTRUCTION
In closing this section on plant and structure, I wish to offer the reader an outline which shall serve, not merely as a summary, but as a guide in building and as a check in main- tenance. The chart printed below is intended to establish the logical sequence of developing the various divisions of a new theater project. When it is followed in a thorough and sys- tematic manner, it will create an efficient and valuable in- vestment, and will result in reduced maintenance and replace- ment costs.
THE SEQUENCE OF A NEW THEATER BUILDING PROJECT
Selection of Site
Preliminary Design and Plan
Preliminary Cost
Estimate, including Architect's Fees} etc.
Development Stage
The first step is a thorough analysis of the general locality from the viewpoint of prospective business, competitive situation and sub-rental possibilities. The space requirements, establishing in a fairly definite way the areas required for the stage auditorium, public space, lobbies, foyers, rest rooms, sub-rentals, etc., must be worked out in a general layout plan prepared by either architect or engineer. The next step is definitely to name the architect, so that preliminary layouts may be studied and developed in the most efficient way, with proper relationship to design and requirements. Stage space, seating capacity, lobby space and other details are in this way established. Then equipment requirements are developed.
The above information makes possible a preliminary or estimated cost. This gives the information required for financing — (a) Cost of plot; (b) Cost of building estimated on a cubic foot basis; (c) Cost of equip- ment.
Details and Speci- fications
Architecture
Contracting Stage
Complete working drawings, details and specifications must be prepared by the Architect, covering every item of construction, decoration and equipment. The problems arising in connection with these items should be considered in an orderly manner. The divisions of these problems are indicated below together with an itemized list of the major items involved under each heading.
(a) Plans to be worked out in detail; (b) Decision as to type of construction; (c) Decision as to exterior and design, materials and equipment; (d) Develop- ment of the exterior.
114 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
Acoustics Boilers Box Office
Bronze or ornamen- tal iron Built-in Furniture Coilings
Commercial Building
Construction
Display Frames
Electric Wiring
Elevators
Excavation
Exterior Design
Fire escapes
Fireproofing
Floor plans
Floor surfacing
Foundation
Glass
Hardware
Heating Interior Design Iron work Lighting
Lighting Fixtures Lobbies Lumber finish Marble Marquise Mirrors Orchestra lift Organ lift Partitions Plastering Plumbing Power plant Projection room Public rooms Pumps, tanks Refrigeration Eoofs
Screening room
Service rooms
Shafts and ducts
Skylights
Sprinkler system
Stage
Stairs
Stone or brick Store fronts Switchboard Tank housing Telegraph system Terra cotta Tile
Vacuum system Ventilation Wall finishes Waterproofing Window and door openings.
Engineering All mechanical and special equipment problems come
under this heading. The architect coordinates with the engineer.
Interior Decorating
Interior decoration and furnishing, while considered a separate undertaking which often involves the service of a decorator, should be carried out in close cooperation with the architect, so that decorations are harmonious with the architectural design.
Designs
Paintings
Decorations
Wall covering Murals
Wood finishes
Decorative Equip- ment
Art objects Curtains
Drapes and cov- ers
Floor coverings — carpets, etc.
Furniture — Pub- lic rooms
Paintings
Public rooms furniture
Standard Lamps
Wall hangings
Equipment
Here should be considered the requirements of what constitutes theater equipment which is not classified above. (See Equipment listed in Chapter 9.)
Box office equipment
Lockers
Music stands
Office furniture
Organ
Pianos
Portable stage lighting
Scenery Screen
Seat indicators Signs
Stage draperies Stage furniture Theater seats
Fixed Charges All fixed charges are included under this caption
Building permit Bond cost
Insurance: Contingent liability; Fire; Cyclone
Taxes
Interest.
FIRE APPARATUS AND WATER SUPPLY 115
Contracts Only when all working drawings, details and specifi-
cations are complete, should the question of actual con- tracts be considered. Here arises the selection of con- tractors— not necessarily the lowest bidders, but those who by experience and reputation are best fitted for the work. Contract bids should be taken through the architect.
Supervision It is the architect's function, and that of the engineer,
to carry out constant supervision, insuring the proper performance of contracts. The owner should receive reports and should hold meetings with contractor, builder, engineer, and all concerned, at regular in- tervals, to watch the progress of the job.
Experience has shown that where plans and specifica- tions are properly developed originally, there should be few extras.
Part IV Personnel
CHAPTER XII
The Function of Personnel
BUILDINGS and equipment are inert. They are life- less. Of themselves, they have no more power to cre- ate, than a ruined temple on the banks of the Nile. One of the blankest things on the face of this earth is a de- serted farmhouse, or an untenanted factory. It is the presence of the human element that vibrates an institution with life. A man who puts up a handsome theater and furnishes it superbly — but does no more — may be a leading builder or a gifted decorator ; but he is no operator. He must not merely know how to handle people. He must know how to handle people through other people.
Therein lies the function of personnel: A group of people multiplying the effectiveness of a dominant and guiding per- sonality. Just as, in a healthy body, the brain controls the limbs without itself appearing to the eyes of an observer, so in a sound theatrical enterprise, the vitality of one policy throbs in the smile at the box office, in the alertness of the ushers, in the harmony of the orchestra, in the smooth efficiency of the projectionist's work, in the very dance movements of the stage ballet.
I have pointed out, before, how enormously the duties of management have branched out in a modern theater, and how many hands are required to execute a single policy on a vast scale. The same is true of smaller houses. No one dreams of running his theater single-handed. The successful oper- ator, knowing that he has to sell his house to hold his public, is just as keen on the subject of personnel as on the quality of the show or the attractiveness of the environment.
Granting the importance of the issue — and I have no doubt that any sensible person would grant it — there still remains much to say of the substance. For there are at least as many
119
120 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
different types of employee in a motion picture theater as there are functions and departments. The mere listing of these groups, together with their duties and their supervision, makes a bulky report, no matter how briefly one may essay to express it. Hence the devotion of so much space in this volume to the explanation of man-power; and hence the sub- division into chapters to make the individual factors distinct.
Yet to plunge into so many details without an intelligible bird's-eye view might result in some natural confusion. I take time and space at this juncture, therefore, to approach the subject with a presentation of the salient features of the entire field, in order that I may thereafter proceed to each of those features with the assurance that it is fitted into its place in the larger plan.
What, first of all, does a theater management do? It re- ceives people, it seats people, it cares for and protects people. It amuses them and entertains them. It runs a plant in a clean and attractive manner. It handles money in receipts, disbursements, profits, investments. It engages, trains, super- vises, discharges, promotes a varying number of workers.
For every such function, there is a department. I have elucidated the organization before; but for the sake of con- venience I will give the list again briefly here: Service, pro- ducing, housekeeping, and finance. In each of these major groups there are divisions and sub-divisions. There are street- men, doormen, floormen, ushers, musicians, pages, cashiers, clerks, maids, dancers, vocalists, projectionists, stage hands, porters. All along the line there are department heads or group captains. In other words, whether you look at the top, at the bottom, or at the middle of this regiment, where- ever your eye rests on a single point of the organization, you will find a single individual. What I mean is that a manager or a captain or a porter is one person— neither more nor less.
Now, on the other hand, the theater must be just one the- ater— very definitely just one theater. And I claim that the ideal in utilizing personnel is to establish the unique charac- ter of the house in the specific task of the individual. He or she will sell a ticket, or seat a patron, or run a projection
THE FUNCTION OF PERSONNEL 121
machine, or play a violin, not only as a recognizable man or woman, but in a recognizable way — the theater's way, the management's way.
Then the first thing the management must do is to obey the ancient injunction: Know thyself. What is the policy of my theater? To what audience am I appealing? What do they like? What might they tend to like? What are the resources of the industry ready to supply the demand? What new resources must I create? If I aim at a metropolitan at- tendance, I must create a reputation for exquisite, precise serv- ice. If I seek a neighborhood attendance, I must establish a warm and friendly reception for them. If my patrons are poorer folk from the humbler walks of life, I must not op- press or repel them with a solicitude they are likely to mistake for a condescension.
Then the management, not vaguely, but sharply aware of its aim, must break it up into convenient divisions. This much I assign to my uniformed staff. These duties will be cared for by my production staff ; these, by the housekeepers ; these, by the bookkeepers. Since I cannot run after each and every page boy or drummer or porter, this man will be my house manager, this other, my production manager. I choose them because each is fit for his field, and all are fit to in- struct, to lead. I gather them about me; I charge them with the success of my venture; I confide to them my plan and my dream. I set them to their responsibilities, I lean on them, I guide.
They, in turn, select their aids and subordinates and, pass- ing my wishes down to the last and the least, reflect my vi- sioned theater in many minds and many hands. They not merely teach me to my employees, but they return again and again to relearn the lesson from me, to reapply it down the line, till the perfection of practice and supervision and con- stant checking makes my theater shine from the face and the acts of every one of us. For this I reward performance with promotion, bringing the lowly up from the ranks to lead in their turn. Before my ideal I am humble to learn — I listen and observe, as well as show the way.
122 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
Perhaps none of my patrons will ever meet me face to face. But in each step they take about my theater they will find a something that is I. Just as the plan and the ornament and the equipment have been my choice, so the smile of the usher is my cordiality; and in the voice of the orchestra my ambition is singing. When people observe an athlete, they do not think of the brain which is invisible to them. Yet they say : "What coordination! What response !" When people leave my lobby, they do not think of me as a man, but if I hear them say, "How perfectly managed!" or if the crowds come back again and again and again, they may not realize it, but it is I that they have come to know.
The manager who can thus commune with himself, and can convey the contagion of his spirit to others, has the emo- tional driving power to make something better than a herd of helpers, or a human machine. He brings into existence a a super-personality, a social entity. His theater is as easily pointed out and recognized as the face or the name or the record of a person of prominence. For that reason, let me repeat : The real function of personnel exists only when many persons multiply by their number the effectiveness of a domi- nant and a guiding personality.
So much for the ideal, and for the emotion that moves it. What are some of the practical steps whereby the aim is achieved every work day in the week? To begin with, it is a profitable measure to have a printed leaflet outlining the standard to be maintained, together with individual sets of rules and instructions for the various groups. If the manager does not feel equal to expressing himself on paper in a style he would wish others to respect, he can assign the task to one of his staff, or get some representative of the local press to draw the thing up for him. If it is worked out carefully, and enough copies are made, the service manual will save time and trouble for years, at a comparatively low initial cost.
The engaging of employees should be governed by the policy of the house, since random employment makes for many mis- fits. Naturally, theater employees should be selected largely on the basis of appearance; and employees in any kind of business
THE FUNCTION OF PERSONNEL 123
must show promise of working sympathetically with superiors. Concerning the two weeks of probationary employment, I will speak in detail in Chapter Eighteen. Concerning advance- ment, I add only the caution that it should be made on the basis of merit alone. Any other method means the defeat of policy by disruption and disgruntlement. Where good will is the fruit, the seed is initiative; every one wants to grow and spread.
Concerning the general conduct of personnel, I believe firmly that management is entitled, not merely to expect, but to exact the best. Workers are not merely to preserve good appearance, but to behave well. Hence, there should be no eating, chewing, smoking on duty. Loud talking is vulgar and distasteful; certainly there should never be comment of any sort concerning patrons. I have already referred to the policy of the Statler Hotels. Mr. Statler, in his "Service Code/' not only delivers a message to his employees, but in the same words voices a pledge to the public, with a practical adaptation of the Golden Rule: "In all your dealings with people, guests or employers, do unto others as you would have them do unto you." A theater can operate on this basis if department heads understand their business and are alert to promote it. The rule, of course, works both ways. The right kind of effort should be encouraged by the right kind of re- ward. Occasional meetings or smokers, at which light re- freshments are served, make a good background for the pro- motion of good will.
There is one other means of dealing with the public that should be put to service whenever occasion arises — corres- pondence. Attention should be given to letter-writing re- gardless of the cause. A note of courtesy and cordiality should characterize every communication, whether in connec- tion with a bill, a claim, or an article lost. The letter head should be neat, but individual. The tone should be friendly, the wording concise, the information accurate. Correspond- ence should work for good will as effectively as a good em- ployee would work for it.
CHAPTER XIII
The Service Staff
HIS chapter deals with the employees, chiefly uni-
formed, with whom the public comes in actual con-
tact. Their collective name, as I have said before, is the Service Staff.
The House Manager I have described in Chapter IV. I have likewise explained the Staff, in general, in several places. What I wish to do now is to analyze the sub-divisions in de- tail.
The floor managers are charged with the responsibility of enforcing the policies of the theater. On account of his close contact with the patrons and the service staff, the floor manager has a splendid opportunity to build up a satisfied patronage and a loyal force of employees. He should make his influence felt in securing a reasonable spirit of satisfac- tion among employees, since a loyal and satisfied staff is essential to give patrons efficient and satisfactory attention. He cooperates with and works under the direction of the house manager in the superintendence of the service staff. He supervises all details relating to the corps, reporting to the house manager those who do unsatisfactory work, as well as those who are commendable. He directs uniformed em- ployees in their duties, and assists in all possible ways to se- cure speedy and courteous service. During peak loads he should always be in command of the service on the floor, re- ceiving complaints from patrons and carrying them through to the house manager to a prompt and satisfactory conclu- sion. Whether reasonable or not, all complaints must re- ceive courteous attention, and should be settled to the satis- faction of the patron. The senior floor manager must set an example to other employees by his appearance.
FLOOR MANAGERS
124
THE SERVICE STAFF
125
There are two or three floor managers in charge of the large sized theater, who in addition to the assistant manager
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FIGURE 8
Service Staff Report
and house manager must be on duty during the peak hours of business; at no time, furthermore, is the floor to be with- out at least one manager. At times of shifts, changes must be
126 MOTION PICTURE THEATER MANAGEMENT
made in the presence of the floor manager in charge, who shall inspect the appearance of the employees before they take their posts. (Figure 8.) Such shifts should be made in military formation. The floor managers shall be appropriately uniformed, with distinguishing marks that establish their ranks (Figure 9).
Emergency duties are performed in accordance with the policies formulated by the management. In case of alarm of fire, the house manager shall be considered the responsible officer; in his absence, the floor manager takes his place. The officer in charge shall see to it that all employees are at their posts, in accordance with the fire drill, and shall see that the fire alarm is sent through to the city fire department. He shall allay apprehension. Fire drills are to be held every three weeks.
In case of accident to a patron, the floor manager shall summon the doctor and the nurse, so that patron may receive adequate care. The person is to be removed to the first aid room, if there is one ; or else to the rest room. The floor manager must make out a detailed report as to such accident or illness.
PROCEDURE FOR REPORTING ACCIDENTS
1. All accidents to patrons or the public inside or about the theater should be reported.
2. Any occurrences which might conceivably involve the management in suits should be reported. This would include such things as arrests, ejection or barring-out of undesirable patrons, fights or disturbances, either between patrons them- selves or between employees and patrons. Even though there is no personal injury, report should be made. Injury to clothes of patrons should be reported.
3. All accidents, no matter where occurring, should be re- ported; for instance, any occurring in connection with bill- posting away from the premises, exploitation, publicity, etc., even though there would appear to be no liability, should be as carefully covered as those occurring on the premises.
4. There should be no delay in the investigation or mak-
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ing of a report. All of the facts possible should be gathered at the time of the occurrence. Statements, names, and ad- dresses of witnesses should be obtained at this time, as should also the statement of the injured person. It will be much simpler to obtain this information on the spot than to obtain it later.
5. A report should be filled out and mailed at once, one copy to be mailed to the Insurance Agent, and a second to be kept on file.
6. The report should be as comprehensive as possible with- out magnifying the injury or the situation in the injured per- son's mind by the method of obtaining information.
7. Make frequent inspections of your theater and be con- stantly on guard against anything that may contribute to an accident even in the slightest degree. After an accident, immediately investigate carefully as to the cause. Do not assume it was entirely the patron's fault. You may discover a condition which could not have been disclosed by ordinary reasonable inspection, but which will serve as a warning for the future. Improve lighting, tightening of floor or stair carpets, installation of hand rails, or other minor changes which might help to prevent a repetition of similar occurrences.
If it should be necessary to eject any one from the theater because of objectionable or improper conduct, such action is taken under the direction of the house manager or floor man- ager, in case of the absence of the former. While it is the duty of every employee