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Show H Much of the ,W i " r I 1 1 B jf ITW 1ft i.gflKI l - f Old-Time a H of Making Fur H Is Now Done H TKrough Tricl H P ho-iro g r a p h. y M Such as Making an Actor Bounce 1 Up and Down or M a Jet of vvater. Hl , A AK2NG people laugh may H "yn not be regarded as a 1 r serious business. But l Hl Is It Is a very serious Hj y business In the moving picture world. H J "When the films -were H first made, comedy wa. H " " V I X V the easiest thing the Hl rY s screen actor did, Any Hj performer -who coulr fll act the "cut up" "was sure of success as a Hj comedian. The early comedies were nothing Hj more than a series of monkey shines, and no Hj serious thought was Riven to comedy except fll when It was done in trying to figure out a new Hj tray for tho short comedian to slap his tall H partner in tho face with a custard pie. fl Any actor who could bounce an over-rlpc to- fl mato from the head of the Patsy Bolivar or fl the piece in a. way that would make the audl- fl once laugh louder, was regarded as a positive fl Some of that sort of comedy still remains In fl the pictures, and there are still many perform- fl ers who argue that since screen comedies must H of necessity be on the slap-stick order, no plot H or sequenco of events Is necessary for their fl development. H Tho place of this kind of screen comody has H been taken to a large extent by a new school H of comedians who arc producing a new kind of H comedy. H Miss Uusch a Later Addition. H True, a great deal of the old-timo comedian's H tricks have been retained, but It has been dlg- H nlflcd and reduced to a science. This has been H done by taking comedy seriously and writing H comedies with plots tho same as dramas. H The comedy director of tho new school will H tell you that tragedies make the best como- Hl dies, because of the strong dramatic element H in tho plot. The characters may do absolutely Hi Illogical things, their every action may be ab- H surd and incongruous, but because of the plot H that Is woven in with the action it all seems real. It Is "monkey business" dignified and re- duccd to a science. Much of the old rough-house comedy Is either Hl done away with or given in another form, anil 1 many mechanical tricks and illusions made with H double exposure photographs are used. For In-- H stance, in a recent comedy where Fred Mace fl falls through the roof of a fashionable restau- H rant, he ia caught on the jet of water from a. 1 fountain and bounced about llko a ball. H Miss Busch is a later addltiou to tho forces H of the Iveystone comedy company, of which H Mr. Sennelt is director general. Fred Mace was H ono of the original group, composed of Macu, H Sennctt, Ford Sterling and Mabel Normand, H who jumped over the traces of picture tradition H along in 1812 and formed the Keystone Comedy H Company. 1 Tho polite, or parlor brand of comedy 1ms 1 been growing lit favor recently, but there Is llt- M tie doubt, but that the Keystone brand of fun H will always have a large following, for th very M man who says he cannot stand anything of the H slap-stick or rough house In comedy, Is the H Very chap who will laugh and wlpe the tears of H laughter from his eyes at the antics of the H scientific monkey shiners. H The little studio, -where Mace and Sennett j and Sterling anil Miss Normand made thnlr H first funny films, is now replaced by a modern H plant that covers two city blocks, and a ga- H rage Is being built that will hold iifty auto- H mobiles, that will transport the Performers who H formerly tramped their way around, to the H different locations. H As to Photoplay Writing j: H A. E. E. H npHK term feature Is usually applied to a four H A or five reel play, although some producers H make shorter subjects which they call features. H A a general thing, however, a feature means j jt Icatt ,four reelH. Your synopsis must not be H written out In scenes; that would be the same H as writing two plays, ono shortor than the j other. The "synopsis is an outline pf the plot H of your play in story form; it is intended to H give the editor who reads the play an illca of H the. story you have written. Write tho synopsis j after the play Is finished, use from 200 to 250 m words ta th reel, let it follow the cast of char- H oclra in your manuscript, then go on with tho H Piny, scene by scene. H Miss C. B. H "WB knoy nothing-about the books on photo- M VV play writing advertised by magazines. H Thro are many good books on the subjoct H which, may be had in tho public library of your H city. Be- careful about paying monoy to any H one unless you aro entirely sallsflcd you are H pealing with responslblo people. Many persons H kro trying to teach scenario writing who can- H not tell their own work. Jessie B. YOUR question indicates the need of consld- . rablo Instruction. A photo play is noth- H lng -moro than a story told In action. First get H tho atory Well flxed Jn your mind, then move H tho characters along, make thciri do things M that will tell tho story. If John loves Mabel M and wanta to marry her and Mabel's parents fl say "No," because John is a godless youth, and 1 Mabol resolves to reform him and make him H fecceptaplo-,lq Jicr-paronts Invent cccnos, In the " i. house, in the garden, on the street, anywhere. Scenes that will show what Mabel aifd .7ohn and the other characters do, and how John is reformed, and how It all ejids. First of all. you must have a story, after that tho rest Is not. so hard. Good stories almost toll themselves. Ask at the public library for books on photo-play writing. Victrola K, tlK do not advise you to tako a corre-vv corre-vv spondenee course In scenario writing. If m.any of the peoplo who claim to teach wcro as competent ns they claim -to ho they could make a. great deal more money writing and polling poll-ing plays themselves than by teaching others. Go to tho public library, where you will find looks thnt will give you ns much Instruction as any course, and will cost nothing. Miss E. St. Louis. You. "!' use 250 words In Ihe synopsis to each reel In writing multiple reel plays. Make tho synopsis ns short ns yon can and avoid fine writing. State your plot as clearly and as forcibly as you can in simple words. Do not falL to ge In all of what you consider tho dramatic points of your story. Tho synopsis Is rend first. E. M. L. v VOU eem to have complied with all of the requirements 0f the contest. All that you can do now Is to wait for tho announcement of the prize winner. C M- B. The company meant for you to J study their productions on the screen at tho plcturo shows. This will cost nothing but the prico you pay to go in tho show. It is a good idea to study the pictures you see. not only of one particular studio, but a general study of thcrh all. Count tho scenes and notice how .tho Eccncs shirt from one'polnt of tho story to another to make tho plot clear and glo it Ftrchsth. Answers to Fans Do not send loose stamps In your letters. If a personal answer is desired, inclodo 'stamped, self-addressed envelope Only very Important questions are given personal replies. Address Moving lecture Editor, care of this paper. A. W. R., Kansas. TiflOST of the studios will buy plnys from out-' AY1 Bldors If they arc good. Thcro Is always a market for plays with strong and new plots. -ITore is a list of studios: Thomas A. Edison.. Inc.. 2S2C Decatur avenue, New York; Universal Univer-sal Manufacturing Company. 1000 Broadway,,' Xew York; American Film Manufacturing Com- pany, 6227 Broadway. Chicago; Olograph Company, Com-pany, 807 Kast Ono Hundred and Seventy-fifth street. New York; David Horslcy Studio, Main . and Washington streets, Los Angelc3, Cal. Get two sizes of envelopes, address ono of theiVi to ' yourself, put stampH on it, inclose It with your' play, and be sure to nut enough postage to carry the play both ways. B. R. B. P rci-IEK a pen or a pencil written sequel is - all right. You will get tho prize if your story Is tho winning one, no matter how It is written, provided you have compiled with the instructions. The North American Company will announce tho winner as soon as all thoP plays arc read and tho winner decidod on. OENSON FARM Thero Is a "chanco" for AJ every one of us to do what wo most want to do, .but wo must mako that chance. You are just tho right age to begin vour life's work. Oct your parents' consent to trv it, and talk to pcoio Tvho havJ ,md alaRo expcrlcnrc Lcarn nil you can abouL acting, then mako your plans t ?ked 99i-- ' Mi-r '&KL. I J ( MACE I- Bfcr.- -r &SHk.il 1 i and carry them out. Everything depends on you. OILLIE. Nashville, Ark. There were alto- pother thlrty.-slx episodes of the Elnlno serials. Address Pearl "White. Crclghton Hale and Arnold Daly at 25 West Forty-fifth street. ,IvTew York. We have never heard of any relationship rela-tionship between Pearl White and CreiGhton Hale. SO. S. Dorothy Davenport was horn In Bos- ton twenty-one years ago, and Is the daughter of the noted comedian, Harry Davenport, Daven-port, and a niece of tho late Fanny Davenport. Mis3 Davenport has been In pictures about four yars, and before that was in vaudeville a year md, a ialfv She Is now with tho Universal Company at trnicr-al i uv, i'uL She was married mar-ried last year to Wallace Rcid." T OU Tho Fairbanks twins arc named Marion - and Madeline and may be addressed in care of Tho Thanhouaer Film Corporation, New Ro-chelle, Ro-chelle, N. Y. pvORA The actor you ask about Is named - Dcsforges. Wo have no further information concerning him. OPAIy, Highland, 111. Robert Warwick was born In Sacramento, Cal., June 2, 1SS1. His address is at tho World Film Studio, Fort Lcc, N. J. Aa far as wo know he is not married. JAMES AND GEORGE Graco Cunard and Francis Ford are working- on an Irish picture, pic-ture, which can bo seen early In March. pEGGY, Albion, HI. At one llmo tho Lubln ifl Company o PhiUidolphia, Pa., sent a form ! sheet, with directions on how to preparo a man- jH script, If a stamped, self-addressed onvclop 3H nccompanled the request, but wc do not knov If tJioy still send thorn. Thcro are vpry gooa ifl books ou tho subject of photo-play writing, jfl which you should be able to get in any publio .j'sB library. -JJ CS, S. Mary Plckford gols moro salary than " '"C Charles Chaplin, although he is said to b '"M thehlghc'st salaried man appearing in pictures. H -Miss Plckford gots 5100,000 salary a year, be- H sides a pcrcontngc on tho pictures in which sho H appears. Charles Chaplin received J 1200 a week H and a percentage while ho was with Essanay, . ':S |
