Next to movie studios, the National Screen
Service ("NSS") had the most direct and profound impact on the
movie paper advertising industry. From 1939 until the mid-1980s, the NSS
was the "control center" for almost 90% of the movie paper
distributed. In essence, the NSS turned the movie paper advertising materials
into an industry all their own.
By the 1940s most major
studios turned over the production and distribution of all movie paper advertising
to the NSS. NSS produced, printed, distributed and stocked all of the materials
(See a complete history of the National Screen Service, see our section
History.
NSS had established several regional
offices throughout the United States. In 1943, after losing a legal battle
relating to monopolizing the market, NSS subcontracted with a number of
independent exhibitor exchanges throughout the country. These independent
exhibitor exchanges would get their movie paper from NSS and distribute
or rent them directly to theatres. Theatre owners would simply come to one
of the NSS offices or one of the independent subcontractors to get their
advertising materials. If they were rented, they would be returned after
use for credit toward other advertising materials.
In an effort to regulate and control
the materials going through it, the NSS established a dating and coding
system. This NSS number was stamped on all
paper distributed through them. In addition, a special stamp was used on
the outside of the materials. The NSS also printed the NSS
Tag on all materials. This tag basically set the guidelines for use
of the materials the materials were on loan only and were to be returned.
The NSS would also indicate variations such as advance,
style, awards,
or review.
The mid-1980s saw a slow but drastic
change in the movie industry. Individual screens gave way to multiplex theatres
with multiple screens. With more than one film sharing the lobbys advertising
space, there was less room for each theater to promote the film. A total
readjustment of the advertising materials had to take place. This readjustment
caused the phase out of certain sizes of materials (including half-sheets,
three-sheets, inserts,
30 x 40's, 40 x 60's and
lobby card sets). With fewer sizes to deal with,
movie studios began to control their own movie paper advertising, thus causing
the phase out of many NSS offices around the country. By the end of the
1990s, there were only three regional offices still remaining. A small
percentage (approximately 15%) of the movie paper advertising materials
were being handled through these offices. As of September, 2000, the remaining
NSS offices were bought out by Technicolor, Inc. Technicolor plans to continue
operating these offices, with particular emphasis on the one-sheet.
