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74 TECHNIQUE OF THE PHOTOPLAY miles to get the train, since it must be worked on some little traveled branch instead of the main line. It costs nothing to picture a man getting on or off a train standing in the station. The player merely climbs the steps and gets down on the other side or climbs up from the opposite side and comes down on the camera side of the train as though he had just alighted. Ships in dock can be gotten by most companies, even those in Chicago, but a ship that must be moved must be chartered, and this mounts the cost up tremendously without giving much return in effect. Automobiles are used to carry the players around for the outside scenes and are always at hand. It is better to use an auto than a carriage where there is a choice. Stories partly in America and partly in foreign countries are difficult to produce and are seldom convincing. It is possible to play the foreign scenes in a succession of interior sets, but have no scenes calling for exteriors, houses or other structures, Mexican and South American plays can be made by those com- panies located in the south or southwest, but it is not possible, for example, to give a convincing street scene in Paris or Berlin without going to those cities. Costume plays add to the cost, since costumes must be fur- nished by the company; the players being required to supply only modern costumes. When you see a costume play on the screen you may feel assured that there was some particular reason for the production that would have no bearing on your own script should you send it in. It may be that the company came into possession of the costumes and wrote the plays to fit, or the owner of the company may have wanted a picture of a certain type. The chance of sale is so limited that it will not pay you to write costume plays. Most studios are willing to go to considerable expense now and then in producing something out of the ordinary for the sake of the advertisement and because of the larger European sales, but it is best to leave the costly productions to the studio force or wait until you are able to get direct orders from the Editor. As a rule most manufacturers keep the cost down and look to the plot to make the strength rather than to the me- chanical effects. Another requisite of the good plot is a small acting cast. Some companies want plays that can use many persons, but the story must be held to not more than four or five people if it is to be clear and understandable. Other characters may 'be intro- duced as required, but the narrative must center about one per- son and the bulk of the work of developing that narrative should