MOTION PICTURES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4361, 4 January 1922, Page 4

MOTION PICTURES.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS.

Very few people who attend motion picture entertainments have any idea of the great cost, time, labour, and trains required to produce motion pictures to-day, says Mr A. E. Glensor, who is the senior salesman of Paramount Service of! New Zealand, a subi sidiary company of Famous PlayersLasky Corporation of New York, U.S.A., the greatest producers of motion pictures to-'day.

The managing director, Adolph Znkor, in 1911 was running small theatres, screening pictured which were very crude displays. He was unable to procure better pictures and decided to start a production company. The public has seen how he has kept his promise of “Better Pictures.’’ His first pi.cture was “Queen Elizabeth,’’.with Sarah Bernhardt as star. Eventually other leading stage stars were induced to come over to screen acting.

About July, 1916, the Jesse L. Lasky and Famous Players- joined hands, thus bringing into being the Famous Players Lasky Corporation, producers of Paramount pictures. This company owns three of the largH est studios in the world—situated at Los- Angeles, California; New YOrk, and -at London, England—and will xsoon have yet another, on the Continent. Here are a few details of the Hollywood Studio, C,al.: The floor space is 14,000 square yards, enabling sixteen- companies to operate at one time. There is room on this gigantic stage to hold a chariot race of four charipts with four horses each, racing abreast.

Next year will be released the biggest picture yet produced, “The Affairs of Anatol,” with a cast of twelve leading stars, at a cost of £400,000, the salaries of these stars being from 7000 dollars to 10,000 dollars per week. Cecil B. de Mille is the producer.

The Famous Players Lasky Studio in New York has ' two floors. The ground floor has space large enough to stage a miniature battle. The ton floor is large enough to allow twenty companies to operate at one time. Three hundred people are employed to read stories, etc., with a view to their usefulness, or otherwise, as screen productions.

The English studios are situated just outside London. Here English stories are c.onverted into beautiful screen productions by leading English actors and actresses and directors. Some five productions are now being released throughout New Zealand.