Topical Pictures.—The foremost example of the topical pic ture is the newsreel, showing current events, often within a few hours after their occurrence. Initiated in France by Pattie, and introduced in the United States in 1910, this branch of production has reached enormous proportions. The March of Time, a modifi cation of the newsreel picture, presents re-enacted events of spe cial significance. Other topical pictures present scientific subjects, travel, etc., accompanied by a recorded explanation or description.
Camera Magic.—One of the earliest discoveries in the cinema was that physically impossible things could be shown on the screen. Early topical novelties showed flowers blooming in the space of a few seconds, buildings disappearing piece by piece, inanimate objects moving without human assistance. From these simple beginnings many production practices of today were de veloped, among others, the animation of cartoons. Slow-motion pictures, obtained with super-speed cameras, exhibited as novelties, proved of vast scientific value in the analysis of motion. Micro scopic motion pictures opened a new field of bacteriological inves tigation. Slow-motion films of surgical operations recorded in detail the methods of great surgeons. In studio production, in genious use of the camera has resulted in startling scenic effects. By one process, it is possible to blend actual sets with paintings to give the effect of lofty interiors or extensive foreign "locations" with a minimum expense for actual construction.
The motion picture industry in the United States continued to maintain world leadership in production and exhibition, in the manufacture of equipment and in exportation, despite restrictive measures imposed in a number of foreign countries. In 1937, ac cording to best estimates, there were 89,097 motion picture thea tres throughout the world. (See MOTION PICTURE THEATRE.) Approximately 55o feature pictures were produced in the United States and were exhibited to 88,000,000 weekly attendance paying over $1,000,000,000 for the year in admissions at an average ticket cost of 22-1 cents. The 92 active producing organizations in the United States had a combined budget of $135,000,000 for the 1937-38 season (August to August). The approximate combined weekly payroll was $1,653,85o. Individual salaries, especially those of starred players, writers, directors, and principal executives, were among the highest paid in any industry. The average feature picture production cost approximated $350,000, the More elaborate productions entailing costs of from one to two million dollars.
The total personnel of the industry in the United States was 282,000-28,500 employed in production, 12,500 in distribution, 241,000 in exhibition. Permanent investment in the industry was $2,000,000,000 against a world investment of $2,500,000,000. Film exports for 1937, including negative and positive, reached a total of 215,721,956 feet, with a declared valuation of 641. Exported standard (35 millimetre) projectors totalled 1,625; substandard gauge, 2 ,3 7 . The estimated value of exported sound recording equipment was $535,639; sound reproducing equipment, $1,745,322. The 490 standard motion picture cameras exported were valued at $165,503. Great Britain continued to be the most important outlet for American films. Its imports for the year, including negative and positive, aggregated 17,568,588 feet, with a valuation of $484,844. Forty per cent of the world's motion pic ture product was made in the United States but its value was 75% of the world total.
Under modern practice, production is highly systematized. Stu dios comprise many departments, each organized for the perform ance of a particular function. Production activities are usually under the supervision of a single production head, but to facilitate the completion of the large number of pictures made annually, actual production is in the hands of several individual producers. Operating independently of each other but responsible to the pro duction head, each producer is surrounded by a production unit. The facilities of. the entire studio are at his disposal. With the approval of the production head, the individual producer selects the story which is to be the basis of the film and determines the general plan of the production. It is his duty to supervise writers in the preparation of the screen play, to approve the selection of players for the various roles and, in an executive capacity, to carry out the production of the picture. Working in conjunction with the producer, the director is responsible for all matters re lating to the staging of the story, and the translation of the writ ten screen play into the finished motion picture. In some in stances, producer-directors undertake the responsibilities of production and direction. The system which employs individual producers has been found to have the additional advantage of bringing variety of treatment to the studio program.