How to Write Moving Picture Plays (1915)

HOW TO WRITE MOVING PICTURE PLAYS 23 more of these envelopes (botn sizes) at your stationer's, printer’s, or at the postoffice, for a few pennies. Address the larger or outer envelope to SCENARIO EDITOR, Co., (Street Address) (City and State) Place your name and address in upper left-hand corner of this outer envelope for return of papers to you, if for any reason they do not reach the proper address. If you buy a few of these envelopes, ask for sizes number 9 and number 10. After you have met with a little success, it might be well to have a hundred letterheads printed with your name and address as below in the upper left-hand corner : — Frank R. Jones, Photoplaywright , 508 Walnut St., Cincinnati, Ohio. This will give prestige and the appearance of a successful writer. Your printer will do this for a nominal sum. You can also have several large envelopes printed with the same heading. See advertisement in back pages of this book covering a set of manuscript paper and the two required sizes of envelopes. Many writers find it more convenient to order this stationery from time to time direct from the Atlas Publishing Company. They keep a large stock on hand, and fill every order on the same day it is received. The next thing to do is to make a record of the title of your play, the company to whom you are sending it, and the date it is mailed. I think the most convenient way for doing this is to fold the copy of play >ou are going to retain, place it in one of the long envelopes, and on the envelope write out this record,— title, company, and date. If play is rejected, make a record of date returned, name of next company to whom you submit it, and date mailed, etc. Then when it is sold, mark down the company to whom sold, date, and price paid, with any additional remarks you wish. In this manner you can keep a dozen or more plays traveling and at a moment’s notice find a record of each, — just where it is at present time, times rejected, prices paid, length of time each company holds play, etc. Take your manuscript to the postoffice and have it weighed before placing postage on it, as it will certainly have an ill-effect if your manuscript arrives at editor’s office with postage due on it. Also be sure to place sufficient postage on the smaller, or return, envelope which you enclose with play. Some scenario editors will refuse to accept a play from the postman if it arrives with “postage due.” This is one of the chief rules to remember. Never send loose stamps for return of your script. Always affix them to the return envelope which you enclose. You may send two or more manuscripts at same time in same envelope, if you desire, PROVIDED you send a separate RETURN ENVELOPE for each play. Company may want to return one script at once and retain the other for further reading. When you have acquired success, you can buy a postage-scale at any first-class stationer’s for weighing your manuscripts, avoiding a trip to the postoffice on each occasion. Do not accompany your play with a letter to the Scenario Editor telling him that you are very much in need of the money (he will not accept your work as a charitable act) ; that you think play is well worth fifty dollars (he may think it not worth fifty cents) ; or that this is your first effort (this is perhaps obvious without telling it) : all these things would stamp you as a novice. The PLAY is all the editor wants to read. The professional writer does not include these letters of appeal, and if you want your work to bear the marks of an “experienced writer,” let the story speak for itself. If it is worthy, you will be paid for it, and asked to continue your contributions. REMEMBER, if you can possibly do so, have play copied on typewriter; it improves the appearance and gives it a “professional” style. However, if you cannot do this yourself and have no friend who will copy it for you, write it in a neat, legible hand, or get someone who can write in a neat, clear style to copy it, following the exact form as to technical construction. See advertisement of Atlas Publishing Company in back pages of this book, relative to their department for typewriting manuscripts. Section 29.— WHERE TO SELL PLAYS. It might be very difficult to dispose of a really good play unless you are informed as to the companies who are in the market for the style of play you have prepared. It is therefore absolutely necessary that you keep constantly in touch with the most prominent producers of motion picture films, ascertaining the KIND each one wants and judging accordingly as to where you shall submit your work. It would be impossible for us to tell you exactly the KIND of plays each one of these companies is in the market for TODAY ; their needs change from time to time. One company may prefer Indian or Western stories, another comedy, another melodrama, another historical, etc. Then there are times when some certain company may have an ample supply of plays on hand for a certain period; again, one company may at the present time be producing Western plays and in a few months from now may move this studio and prefer Mexican stories, or perhaps have a good supply at that studio and desire society dramas for their Eastern studio. In other words, a progressive and successful photoplaywright will keep in close touch with the leading producers, ascertaining the ones who are producing the style of plays he has for the market. It is therefore our suggestion that you select about five to ten companies from the list of producers (or all of them would be better), and write each one a letter along the following lines: — Scenario Editor, Co., (City) Dear Sir: — I would thank you to advise me the nature of your present requirements, if you wish comedy, melodrama, Western, cowboy, Indian, rural, historical, biblical, or society drama, and the prices you are paying for acceptable scripts. Also kindly state if you will consider manuscripts if written in a neat, legible hand? (Ask this latter question if it is impossible for you to have your play copied on typewriter.)