Film Fun (Jan - Dec 1916)

Victor Moore, in "The Clown," a picture that mingles laughter and pathos so closely as to make it an exquisite bit of harmony, is horrified when he finds one of the circus children sampling his grease paints. The Making of a Comedy iij ONLY wanted to know," began the visitor, "why the rejection slip of the Keystone Comedy Company is so well known to the scenario writers." Hampton Del Ruth, managing editor and assistant manager of productions of the Keystone, whirled around on the starch box on which he was reposing for a few brief moments. "You got many of them?" he remarked curiously. "Not a one," promptly returned the visitor. "Never wrote a scenario in my life, and that isn't all " "Yes," said Del Ruth, wearily, "they say there are a few of them left; but I really didn't believe it. However " "Nevertheless," said the visitor, with dignity, "they tell me that you chaps write your own scenarios. How do you do it?" "It's a long story," said Del Ruth. "You see, I have a lot of ideas milling around in the back of my head. It may be an incident I have noted — it may be a plot that has come to me. I call in two of my staff for a conference and give them my ideas on just about what we want. We talk it over, and then each man is turned loose to plan out the scenario in his own way. " "Two?" said the visitor. "Why two?" Mr. Del Ruth grinned patiently. He is accustomed to foolish questions. But he explained. This is the way they do it. A couple of days after giving them the assignment, the writers come back with the finished product. Each one reads a synopsis. Del Ruth listens without comment. Then he calls in a Lenore Ulrich is a mystic, and she prefers a silhouette to any other form of photograph. All the circus children love the clown, and his dressing-room friend insists on going into the ring with the famous clown and his goose. Only fierce threats and a motherly persuasion induce him to remain behind. shorthand writer and skillfully combines the two scenarios. And then comes the casting. The director, his assistant and the cast go over the story. They begin rehearsals, and every night the camera men turn in the photographed stuff of the day. This is thrown on the screen in the projection room early next morning, and the director goes carefully over it, noting changes and eliminations. When the picture is finished, it needs cutting. It is shown in full, and the cuts made carefully by the director, and the titles called as the picture is reeled out. "A lot of this work must be done by the director while the rest of the company are blissfully resting or dining after the day's work," explained Mr. Del Ruth. "A director's life isn't the butterfly existence it is cracked up to be. Now I trust you see the reason why we do not buy outside scripts, and why it is that we are all joint authors of the script." "I see," murmured the visitor, backing out of the way of a determined-looking stage carpenter, who seemed bent on building a drawing-room set on the exact spot occupied by the visitor. Even the starch-box divan of the director was lost in the melee. * 88 My Fate By JAMES G. GABLE When I go to a picture show And find the room is hot, I sit down in a vacant seat, And then, as like as not, When I start in to view the screen, A fat dame comes in glee. She glances all around the room — And then sits down by me. UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD MOROSCO-PARAMOUNT