| Show CONFESSIONS OF A A. SCENARIO EDITOR A Helpful Article for the Many Thousands Who Vho Want Vant to Write fo for the Movies Quoted from Pictorial Review for June 1916 We do not read every scenario that comes into the office ottice No indeed Chorus of you told from a great army of readers who are also photoplay writers It is best to get the worst of of this confession off my mind at the very beginning Some confessions will follow follow follow fol fol- fol- fol low which will put my first statement in a mu much h better light Now that you know the very worst settle back and read the tale of woe of a scenario editor editor editor edi edi- tor who has an a thousand photoplay scenarios shunted on his desk every week First I I-do I do not accept more mom than five of ot th this s weekly thousand Generally I find no more than three out of the lot that I believe w worthy of production I Second I accept on an aV average Tage as many photoplays that are ungrammatical I cal and technically incorrect as I do those which are perfect In technique typing spelling g punctuation and so forth If all that was needed was was a perfect manuscript we could have that done right here in the office by typists What we are after Is to be summarized In one word word Ideas Ideas If you have nerves If it anything out of the ordinary upsets you If you must have your work run smoothly never become a scenario editor All in the same mall mail you will be cursed and blessed you will be reviled and ad addressed addressed addressed ad- ad dressed in the the- most endearing terms I l t i f t You ou will get manuscripts in almost every known language in every imaginable imaginable imag imag- form torm and some score of forms no one would imagine possible Just Justas as you get your desk cleared sufficiently sufficient sufficient- ly so that you can rest a moment and ancl fill your pipe the office boy will come along and empty a basket full of scripts right where you rou laid laid kaid your pipe and t bacco and you will sigh and dig through them and give up your our smoke for another half hour I can almost hear bear every person who has ever written a photoplay photoplay and and there ate are mighty few who haven't haven't- exclaim Why doesn't he tell us why he wont won't read every scenario sent him Very well heres here's the reason Did you yeu ever see a barrel of apples In the market In which all the poorest meanest littlest most spotted and wrinkled were piled on top No sir All the biggest and best and reddest and shiniest are on the top Now the synopsis Is to a scenario What the top apples are to a full bar bar- rel I If the synopsis is worthless impossible impossible impossible im im- im- im possible to produce and otherwise otherwise otherwise other other- wise not worth a continental whoop in ina ina ina a dumb deaf asylum why should I waste time reading the whole scenario scenario scenario nario I should not and I do not I If the synopsis contains a a new idea a plausible plot one that can be produced produced produced pro pro- and make a good drama or comedy comedy comedy com com- edy I read every word of the scenario carefully and the chances are I may find sufficient material therein to war- war I Continued on page 10 I j CONFESSIONS OF I Irant Continued o from page 9 rant purchasing it and having it pro pro- If It the synopsis' synopsis is worthless I stop at the end end and and sometimes midway of it in the reading apply my editorial tongue to the the gummed flap of at the return re return return re- re turn envelope envelop and have the whole thin thing sent back My experience has been n that not more than 20 per cent of th the e ef scenarios written have a synopsis o of f sufficient merit to win any further reading I t. None of the big concerns steal 4 d i a writers writer's plots There is rio no no deI de de- def i oJ f I 01 sire to do it The wise business i iman 1 t. d' man whether he is selling shoe I 01 strings or battleships knows he 4 i iJ I 01 J can not continue in business if 4 b bd d 01 he is dishonest Furthermore i p pd d fr the big producing companies can cano 1 o 4 1 get good material much cheaper d I 4 by buying it than by hiring hl high h hI d' d i i I 4 t. priced writers to st steal al material f 14 fr and ald work It over Thousands of people have written scenarios and sold them and never to their knowledge seen their brain child on the screen The reason is that th the scenario editor has changed the title shifted the plot all around and made mad the wh whole le thing over The author autho wouldn't recognize it ft Yet his rood gooc good idea was there and his crude but good good plot and for tor this he was paid Noone Not No one scenario In a thousand ever gets over as the author wrote it One of the biggest spectacular photoplays photoplays photoplays pho pho- of a few years ago ago- In which a famous wom woman n took part was written written written writ writ- ten by a high priced scenario o writer to order Then the director wrote It over I This director did it all as part of his days day's work The scenario writer had his name on the screen screen as the author End nd his check for tor 1200 In his bank and he didn't even bat an eyelash when he saw It and realized that scarcely two set nes In the entire thing and none o othe ot of the original plot were his About five scenarios out of ot a thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand are accepted The greatest trouble is that most mos people try to tell a photoplay story without keeping constantly iri Irl mind one question Can question Can this be photographed photographed photographed photo photo- graphed We do not care how old and ancient ancien and moss grown a plot may be i it there is some new business with it t it If the heroine has her picture in an ar ankle watch Instead of ot a locket if th the hero saves the child in the well with witha a grapevine instead of a rope It 1 Is new business in stage and movie movi parlance that we want I would rather have new thrills than thana a new now plot So o would every other scenario see see- nario editor We want human interest thrills and the greatest of these 1 Is I do not want wanta a comedy all laughter Now dont don't mistake me a farce is al aU laughter A comedy should have a afew afew few little bits of ot sobs a few streaks streak of ot pathos to heighten the effect of th the comedy I dont don't want a tragedy all horror and tears A little smile or a grin now and then makes the tragedy stand ou out all the more And now for the confession Every one Is asking every day dap a dozen dozen dozen doz doz- en times a day What do the producers want vant I dont don't know Neither da do other scenario see see- narlo nario editors know The producers d do donot not know If It they knew they'd have hav their own staff write it They wan want new ideas new human Interest but bu but i they theT do not kno know just what form these thes should be In That Is why there are I scenario editors editorS to to keep wading through a thousand or more scenarios a week forever looking for that some some- something something something 1 thing new |
