Picture Play Magazine (Oct-Nov 1915)

k Hints for Scenario Writers By Clarence J. Caine It is assumed that the majority of those who follow this department have had some experience in preparing scripts for the market, but for the benefit of beginners even the most simple questioning pertaining to photo-play writing will be treated at some time or another in the future. Any scenarioist who is in doubt as to anything which comes under the head of script writing is welcomed to write in and state his trouble. Questions will be promptly answered through this department or personally. Address all correspondence to Scenario Writers' Dept., Picture-Play Weekly, Street & Smith, Publishers, New York City. •Jt : THE STATUS OF THE FILM GAME. •HERE are many amateurs who see pictures on the screen regularly, i who learn much about each comhy's products, but who are ignoat as to which of filmland's combi:ions the company belongs. This is ■egretful condition, for, while success. scenarios may be written without X knowledge at all of the selling end the game, the writer who knows always has the advantage over the ! e who is in the dark. For the beneof our readers who are not ''in the ;ow" about this matter we will give short outline of the various releasing oups into which the various compass are divided at the present time. The General Film Company ia the Jest of the program-distributing conrns and is composed of most of the d companies who were in the game the very beginning. Biograph, Lubin, itagraph, Selig, Kleine, Essanay, Kapn, MinA, Edison, and Knickerbocker je the brands which appear in this rvice. All are made by companies ' aring the brand name except MinA id Knickerbocker, which are turned .at by Melies. One, two, and threeelers are the bill on this program, >ur reels being the highest mark ever , ached. i The V. L. S. E., Incorporated, cornnation is supplied by four companies hich are also making films for Genial, Viz, Vitagraph, Lubin, Selig, and ssanay. This program is made up )lely of features five reels or more in ngth. The four companies alternate 1 supplying a feature per week, makag an average of about cne feature month for each. There are also speial releases of features during each lonth, and there is talk of the program becoming much larger in the near future. The Mutual Film Corporation recently underwent a big change, as the Ince, Griffith, and Sennett pictures were withdrawn and others had to be secured to take their places. At present the brands which are distributed through Mutual are American, Thanhouser, Falstaff, Gaumont, Beauty, Centaur, Cub, Novelty, Rialto, Clipper, Mustang, Reliance, Than-o-Play, and others which have not as yet been announced. The American Film Manufacturing Company, the Thanhouser Company, the David Horsley Centaur forces, and the Gaumont Company are the producing concerns behind this company. Its program is made up of one, two, and threereelers, with a Mutual Masterpicture of more than three reels every week. The Triangle Corporation is made up of Fine Arts Films, produced by David W. Griffith, NYMP pictures produced by Thomas Ince, and Keystone comedies directed by Mack Sennett. These films were formerly released on the Mutual program under the brand names of Reliance, Majestic, Komic, Domino, Kay Bee, Broncho, and Keystone, though they were not so pretentious at that time. They are now turned out in weekly lots of two five-reelers and two two-reelers, the former pair being dramas by Ince and Griffith, and the latter two being comedies by Sennett. The World Film Corporation is made up of several feature companies who make five-reelers and release them at the rate of one every week. Among these companies are Equitable, Peerless, Shubert, Brady, World Comedy, California Moving Picture Corporation, and many others who produce pictures irregularly. The Paramount Corporation is one of the oldest film-distributing mediums in the feature game. Its companies are the Famous Players' Film Company, the Lasky Company, the Bosworth & Oliver Morosco Company, and the Dallas Pictures Corporation. Like World, it releases five-reel pictures, but gives the public two a week instead of one. Kleine-Edison, Pathe, and Metro are other releasing combines which have gained recognition, the first and the last of this trio turning out one fivereeler per week, and Pathe handling what will probably be in time a complete program of everything from one to five-reelers. Other combinations come and go with regularity that is amazing. They do not amount to a great deal and should not interest writers to any great extent. All the programs and companies mentioned above are going nicely at the present time, and should continue in the game for some time. Numerous changes are undoubtedly due to take place in the motion-picture world before long, but the companies we have mentioned are all able to hold their own, and, despite the way matters shape up in the future, these companies will be found near the top. We would advise all our readers to keep this list and also to keep in touch with the game in the future so that they will be able to know what we mean when we say that scripts should only be sent to the companies having a releasing outlet. It is this outlet that brings the money to a producing company, for without it the company is helpless — it has films, but no practical means of getting them before the public other than by the precarious way of "States' rights."