We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
30 A HISTORY OF THE MOVIES
producing organizations, and marked the first faint indication of a trend toward quality in pictures. Hitherto anyone could be an actor, almost any camera man could be his own director, and as no formal scenarios were needed for films of fifty feet, professional writers were unknown in the producers' small establishments. But now changes began to occur. Clever camera men or actors were designated as directors, and professional players were sought for leading roles.
Henry Marvin of Biograph was in the forefront of the movement toward quality. He found or trained many of the best early photographers; actors to whom he entrusted the direction of playlets later became famous makers of photoplays; and he was, for instance, the first manufacturer to organize the writing of scenarios as a separate branch of production.
A young newspaper man, Roy McCardell, after seeing several living-picture shows, concluded that a new field of writing might lie back of the screen, and, calling at the Biograph office, asked Marvin if he did not need someone to prepare manuscripts.
"Indeed we do!" was the prompt answer. "Now we are depending for our stories on the momentary inspiration of directors, camera men, players or members of the office staff, and it's a great nuisance. If you can write ten scenarios a week for us I'll pay you ten dollars apiece, and if they are good I'll make the price fifteen."
"Let me have a typewriter and I'll do this week's ten now," said McCardell.
McCardell completed the week's requirements that afternoon, and became a member of Biograph's staff at a salary of $150 — soon increased to $200 — a week. At this time, early in 1900, newspaper wage scales gave reporters twenty-five to thirty-five dollars a week; none but the highest editors received such princely remunerations as $5,000 to $10,000 a year. The news of the gold field discovered by McCardell spread quickly among the scribes of the press, and thereafter they buzzed about the headquarters of film makers like flies around sugar barrels, and scenario writing soon became an occupation as definite as reporting.