| Show Wrinkles on Photoplay i A the Straight Talk Full Fuji of Hints on the and Expression of Photoplay Plots 1 Novices No at the thc writing of or motion motton plc- plc turo scenarios arc aro almost almo Invariably surprised surprised sur sur- to find that tat a a. great deal of or thought and energy ma may be e expended on the tho work work that that pot a It little art is re required rc i-c- to turn out some something thinS thinS' that Is even adequate for tor first class production To be sure extended effort has not al always al al- WilY ways been profitable but those who have ha made m-ai-Ic It Il a n habit to turn out scenarios worth Just a little more moro than they the were paid for Cor them have havo found that In the Ion long Ion longrun run their care re has haa been to un ad 11 tage ge General Genera themes l arc not lIot particularly difficult dif dlf- clif- clif to find iii provided pro one cinc Is prepared to think a bit Of or course that la is where an obstacle presents Itself to success In any tine line of endeavor So few people arc are prepared to work ork for or the things the they re receive n i-c- cel c or ra rather thEr desire A case that Is I frequently found CountI Is that of a a. man of much I capacity who greatly tl e. prefers to exercise I his hIo wit wll In finding lu a wa way to live at a minimum min mm cost In labor to calling such Mich ox- ox I work und and obtaining from It a di dl direct di- di recto i material return So o whit while the the- findIng findIng find find- Ing of oC photoplay themes IB is read ready Ii 1 to the tIme initiated It still calls for definite effort And a dl discriminating Judgment I Ithe Is ic the result of a careful training Gust Guste Gustave e Flaubert put GU Guy do de through h Just such lIuch a 11 curriculum when whon he ho us used to send him out for a walk and arid then Wh when ll ho hI returned showed him the rich lit literary literary lit lit- erat material J to be derived suggestively cl from the things S 'S ho iad lad seen casualty casually Your well developed de dramatist of the cinema can enn write a n photoplay around his glue pot or aroun around J his typewriter ter for Cor that matter lIe He sees a discarded umbrella um urn- brella In the tho gutter turned Inside out outA A mans man's umbrella What hat was the man doing out In the storm Going Goins for the doctor What hat for A burglar burlar trying to break Into his safe Injured himself and now lies ties unconscious at his hom home Pho Pho- topIa Now a n lad lady drops a on the street hero Where Near a United States court Why h was she ehe goIng going go- go In Ing to the court To be a respond co cot ent In her friends friend's divorce suit Photo- Photo play piny A Cigar Is lit III with a 1 match Where did d the match come como from Made by b A n widow who Is trying to eke out an exIstence ex ex existence cx- cx following the death of or her husband husband hus hus- band who was killed while op operating machinery machinery machinery ma ma- chinery for a heartless factory owner How may nay she compel t tie the factory factor owner to help support her Photoplay And BO 50 on On and BO so on In that wa way material material mate mate- rial is developed with the theme and Iti it itin i in lit only a l short time when th the author has a well wen developed idea rleS that will make UD well welt for screen use uso But if It it is PaS easy to compose e scenes I and situations It I Is difficult to arrange I them vo so o that the they tell teU one distinct story ston I no mor moro flora and no mo less In fact the time principle prin ciple of unit unity is 11 perhaps the most de debated the the- hated bated and 1 debatable h tl of or am any amIn In li-i tin tm technique technique tech tech- of tho tIme drama Incidentally l lt t It be said eald that th the technique of ot the photoplay photoplay pho pho- Is the technique of the drama modified to the same mc decree that motion motion motton mo mo- tion pictures art are limited In li-i their means of or expression lon Ju Just t why wh- and wherein the the arc are limited will b bo considered di directly dl- dl Jn JO the meantime return for a moment mo nio- ment to unit unity Unity Is 18 as Mr 11 Caudle Candle I said raid Id in Nicholas I after h he had hl coughed and considered a sort eort of universal universal uni uni- versal oneness It Is a structural completeness com corn that tat Insures the telling of ot Just one story That Is determined b by ar arranging at- at ranging matters so M that there Is a single lc main issue to tho the Some Sonic one thing Is accomplished d b by what takes place An Issue Implies two contending sides aides so o the story stor Itself Is Js made of t two o opposed as aspect aspects as- as poets of a given question If It there Is anything an that Is not clear in that reason rca rea son from Cram another angle The object of ot orthe the photoplay as In any other entertainment entertainment enter enter- is to interest interest- In order to croato cro- cro ate ato interest t. curiosity lly must be arou amused ed edIn In some manner shape or form It If it Isto is isto isto to be aroused with regard to action which 1 is of tho the very e- e essence of drama the curiosity will be doubt as 86 to what will be bo accomplished by b that action And Andas as the alternative implies two acceptable conclusions wo we are returned to the tho Idea Iden of a A. story as made mado of or two sides Hides of or a 3 question both contending for supremacy Tho The establishment of a Ii story therefore aa as a question completed by a definite outcome out out- come come Is tho the accomplishment of at structural structural tural unit unity Developing a a. plot from this Is merely an amplification of the material already at hand but always taking care that everything contributes to the Uie main idea Mea Complication is required to afford situations situations situa situa- lions each of ot which is a play in miniature miniature minia minia- ture having a question of ot its own oVon while the Interest in the outcome Is more immediate immediate im im- im mediate than that Involved ol In the broad particulars of the photoplay as os a whole The thing ever over to bo be borne borno In mind by br bythe bythe the writer of or scenarios as tin well as by the regular playwright Is la that the e chief thing in drama is the objective quality Things are happening now and here berB The audience pays to 5 see e a play not to hear hearIt It told toM about in subtitles That la is how the most moet effective sequence of scenes is accomplished All AU 1 II so eo arranged that nothing happens in tho the past tense It Is Ls before the tho eyes eyl'S of the audience That also aho implies s another very Tery important im Ira portent thing and that Is I preparation which means tho the planting of somo some object or fact early in the action that it may be used later without explaining where It ft came from But Butto to prevent its boin being too obvious it must insist pay for fOT its presence by some immediate use nse when fir first t introduced Adequate pro propagation preparation reduces th the n necessity Mity of the flashback flash back back II to a minimum The 4 flashback flash dash C back is IB merely a reminder or em- em of ot preparation that has baa already been made so that it WI win will not b bo be forgotten for for- gotten when tho the time eom comes S to use me It If rf the t plot ia is BO so constructed that the preparation is very Tery close to the purpose of ot it its being the II flashback 11 will be a unnecessary 1 his does not mean b hoever ho hoever ever that the I flashback fla is bad aOn ai 11 On the tho contrary there thero aro arc times vim I it is iM a highly useful aud and h c I As is is 18 the tho case with the loquacious ma maI with the feather d duster who 1 used d' d a I open HO fO man many of tho the old comedic comedies may be mado entirely lc legitimate u up occasion SlOn 5 The great limitation of or the moti mati picture is its ita A ti tJ mn ou compensation is its facUlty facility ty f the cLan changing ing scone Explanations n Dc mario maelo in dialogue dialog on the regul stage may ere cre be acted out in sc J changed in the twinkling of an aa eye B tho is felt whoa when it comes tIO C matters that occurred before t story stor- opened time tho exposition How t I story is to open in media res resor or in t mulct midst of events event aud and the same samo si et in in convoying conveying iD all those thin things tram trai pirim before is j a baffling The letter Jetter is a familiar r device lovice to surmount urmo this difficulty It is 18 t i but hilt in a considerable con s sense n e more moore so than a U subtitle is is At best is a subterfuge This vision method a variation that shows sho an attempt to it in a now way n hut even that is r t satisfactory It Ii cannot well bo ho act out for that is misleading in an and the point of the real story But nut to appearances some somo extraneous dc will always alwa's have o a to he be employed to to corporate this expository matter in In t story paper The art of it will lie liethe liethe liethe the ability to accomplish it with ju jUt ment an and good taste Exceedingly important Is the of a a. photoplay If It the matter at atis is is not definitely made mado clear clrar within t first minute or so of opening the will go off on Oil the issue th treated and have ha diff difficulty in iu rotu ing to the main thread of the story etory- th get back at all A di diffuse c has spelled failure to many liters l and nuel dramatic offerings offering i r Above all aU let no one imagine nc tl there is any high road to success in t writing citing of scenarios t an any more th tim there is a blob hib road to success in a other profession There was a ti U when the th business was newer than it toda today when incompetence command commanda a I price but hilt that time is is gone gono mo most t places am and going fast in oth Tru it is that in the motion business II S nN there is considerable money l ho o hat hail by In- tho the man with the tho proper p but bitt ho bo must work for that 1 1 of vision viRion with hi his whole heart and 6 s before ho can stoop down an and find with a Il string attached It is is no fl fi for drones There Thero is no n-c gold old to kicked up idly in the stubble It is a pr process cc of reason not knack The rho man who is not to revolve the cogs in hi lila his brain win will mi i got anywhere lie Je must think In i 1 first firt place examine tho the market marlet Belin Sc Bel in ing out ont scenarios 1 at tt random is g gc revenue to Uncle Sam but not Dot to i 1 writHe writer It is obviously absurd to I patch a u manuscript dealing with c e clife life lifo to a company that does docs nothing 1 Western cowboy films or to send scud gr dramas to a con concern that specializes comedies And it is not a a. question of foi fOl There Thore is is f no m magic majc ic in the tho more arran ment meat of dramatis dramatic personae for exam So while it is well to have e a manu cr that is neatly typed and and according the usual scheme it i is much amuck moro more i to have an idea well express Probably the tho best way to take tako d dalto alto nito position among photoplay writ nit nitis is to get into the game boldly an and of gr-of off mo too rough edges Of course that not to be bo taken too literally A jr might have hac two or three lifetimes experience and still not get any an loss less out of it Also leo if it is just tilo ch of hard knocks that he hc goes noes OS to he be going to have havo a Jon long and anti painful ti of it before gaining his equilibrium is a great reat economy in time and off elf to hood heed some Borne of ot tho the good ad advice adice ice tl authoritative writers have havo supplied The Tho writing of photoplays is a re retable retable table profession It will attain the d of ot an art rt in this country w wl competent nun and serious effort is devoto devol to meeting its difficulties in the tho b way EDWIN ARTHUR |
