Motion Picture Story Magazine (Aug 1911-Jan 1912)

MUSINGS OF "THE PHOTOPLAY PHILOSOPHER'' 131 When asked for advice as to the best New Year's resolutions to make, I always reply, Subscribe to The Motion Picture Story Magazine and resolve to read it. Could we afford it, I would present each person with an umbrella with this advice engraved upon the handle, for then it would be sure to be taken. Why will forty or fifty thousand men and women pay several dollars each to witness two teams play baseball? And why did those inter-league contests interest the whole nation ? And why did the fistic encounter between Jeffries and the negro, Johnson, intensely interest the whole civilized world? The answer to these and to many similar questions may be stated in one word — Contest. The spirit of rivalry and contest is inherent in the human race, and even in the lower animal kingdom and in the vegetable kingdom. We are all engaged in a struggle, and we all love a struggle. There is hardly a successful novel, short story, play or Photoplay, that does not contain a struggle. A Photoplay containing a long chase is always popular, not only because it presents the important element of suspense, but because it represents a struggle. ^ Recently, the licensed manufacturers sent letters practically to all the theaters, asking what kind of pictures were popular in their districts. Out of 1,153 answers, 754 asked for educational pictures. Does not that speak volumes as to the kind of people who patronize the Photoshow? Which is of the greater value, an arm or a reputation? You say the latter? Then why is it that when a person breaks or loses an arm, all men have pity, and when he breaks or loses his reputation, he has so few sympathizers? As somebody has said, a wicked rumor is like a snowball that rolls down hill, gathering all the dirt and filth in its path, becoming the bigger as it rolls. A soiled reputation is like a broken cup : it may be mended, but it always shows the crack. C ' ' The Awakening of John Bond, ' ' the story of which film we are publishing in this issue, is the latest of a series of "Educationals" which the Edison Company has produced. While the Edison Company is perfectly able to put out these important films at a loss, if necessary, there are many who think that any company that accomplished so much good should be subsidized by the State. Various societies use these films, and all exhibitors show them to their audiences in the regular way, so that there is perhaps enough demand for these "Educationals" to pay the manufacturer a fair profit; yet, the work is a public work, and it should interest the State just as much as any other form of education. The time seems to have arrived when the Motion Picture manufacturers must offer such inducements as will attract writers of a higher standard. Nearly every manufacturer has on his staff one or more writers whose business it is to collect plots and to write scenarios by the yard. Sometimes these experienced scenario writers produce creditable work, but more often their productions are slipshod and ordinary. To attract the great writers, two things must be done : first, offer a better price ; second, agree to use the author's name upon the film and also to give him credit when the film is reduced to story form. This magazine is only too willing to give the scenario writers credit, and it does so whenever the name of the author is known,