Moving Picture News (Jul-Oct 1913)

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THE MOVING PICTURE NEWS 15 For Those Who Worry O'er Plots and Plays Not So Bad WRITING for a li\'ing is not so bad as it is painted. We are going to publish a little inside information anent some well-known writers as a sort of encouragement to the picture playwright who may some time get a larger remuneration than the usual $25 per, and be classed with the "regulars." Irwin S. Cobb gave up newspaper work because he can make $15,000 a year writing stories. Lincoln Stef¥ens. the original muckraker, was a city editor not so manj years ago. Recently he invested $35,000 in newspaper stock. Charlie Van Loan was reporting a street car strike in Philadelphia when an idea for a short story came to him. He wrote it and sold it. At the end of the following year he was netting about $15,000 for baseball fiction. Robert W. Chambers makes about $40,000 a year. George Randolph Chester averages at least $20,000 yearlj-. One young man we know, works one week in three and averages $350 a month. Another has done his $100 weekl}^ for five years. They are representatives of a large class of writers who sell stuff to the lesser magazines and depend on quantity of output for their income. The moment they make a lucky serialization or dramatization their income runs into alluring figures. One picture playwright we know used to add $40 every week to his income by writing dime novels (not for moving picture screens). Another "novelizes' three plaj's a year at an average price of $500 each. And so it goes, active and former newspaper men. nine out of ten, and all in the literary treadmill. Speed the day when the field of picture play writing opens like possibilities for the hard worker. Would Rather; Send a Check Richard D. Armstrong, script editor of the American Film Mfg. Co., would rather send a check than a rejection slip. He has been up against the game himself, and for many moons has been fruitlessly endeavoring to secure the return of a crucifix that helped win the Powers prize contest for Armstrong. He even feels cross when you mention the occurrence — but that is another story. Editor Armstrong sends in the following from Santa Barbara : "Since completing the new studio American is now ready to consider any class of story with the exception of Indian or military scripts. With the ocean at our front door, the mountains at our back, and with background suggestive of the old world and the 15th century, particularly, we are ideally located. Costume plays of all kinds, railroad or sea stories. Western or societj drama, good light comedy of the better class (nothing slap-stick) in fact, everything but the above two exceptions will be carefullj' considered. Good two-reel drama is especially desired at this time and we will pay good prices for the right kind of material. Contributors will receive prompt and courteous attention on all manuscripts submitted and encouraged in every way to submit their best efforts to us. I want all contributors to know that we are as anxious to buy meritorious work as thej are to write and dispose of their scripts. I am much better pleased to send a check than a rejection slip." Now, here is a courteous editor, a generous company, and a good market. Get bus5'! It Was Expected Replying to our letter asking for detailed information anent the "Photoplaywrights Association of America." inaugurated in the Photoplaj' Magazine. Mr. Kenneth G. Cloud, manager, says what we have to say is no more than he expected. Mr. Cloud writes: "We believe in the movement, are confident the proposition is a good one. and have nothing whatever to hide or disguise in connection with it." He says supplementary information will soon be furnished. As we stated previously, we are open to conviction and do not mean to intimate that the "Association" is not started in good faith. We have complimented the new issue of the Photoplaj Magazine because the issue is deserving and we hope for its success. However, we do not think that any supplementary information will convince us of the advisability of "one dollar membership fees" in photoplaywright "associations." It stands to reason that a member who pays a dollar and who may submit ten or a hundred or a thousand scripts in a year will not get expert criticism on them by "a staff of competent editors." Competent editors cannot work for nothing. If the profit is to come from $5 or $10 revisions the announcement should so state. We have been in the script-writing business for many j^ears and "membership fees" and "associations" do not appeal to us at all. They Should Worry You should not worry if Edison has held a script for five weeks. It's a sign that the story is being seriously considered. This in reply to an anxious author. Wish Farces Only Reed Heustic is the new script editor for Keystone. Recently he sent this statement to an author: "We never deviate from farces. Script sj^nopsis for us will be sufficient." Typewritten Revisions A script writer discovered a little something for himself the other day. He found it was much easier to discover discrepancies, etc., in reviewing typewritten copy. He had been writing his stuff with pencil, revising the written copy, and sending the final copy to a typist. His scripts came back with startling regularity". Now he thinks he has discovered a vital weakness. He rented a typewriter of his own, and instead of revising his scripts in longhand he typed them and revised the typewritten copy. He finds the real changes come in studying typewritten copy, and he can spy the little things that went unnoticed in the longhand script. What Does He Mean? An Iowa beginner received notice the other day that his script was "impossible." "What does he mean?" queries the Iowa man. The editor means just what he says. If a script is "impossible" it's a "derned bad" sort of script and you had better forget it. Probably this script was written with pen and ink and on both sides of note paper. For the Love of Mike! For the love of Mike, how often must we reiterate the advice to "leave schools alone," After a year's campaigning along comes this one : "Would you advise me to take a school course? I took my best play, which is as good as many I see on the screen, pinned a two-dollar bill to it and sent it to Mr. Thomas at his Cleveland address for criticism. What do j'ou suppose he did. he returned my money and said he couldn't honestly give me criticism on my play that would be of benefit as it was not worthy of criticism. I should think anyone would take money and give advice for it. Would the schools return mj money also?" A school was never known that would return anybody's money. Be your own schoolmaster. Mr. Thomas did just what any other honest man would do. He probably appreciated that you would not succeed as a script writer in a thousand years, and could not honorably retain your money-. You will find others doing likewise, but they are not with the schools. And another thing: Don't write plays as good as you see on the screen. Write 'em better ! Pertinent Pointers An editor does not like to receive manuscript, the pages of which are fastened together with a pin. If the pin happens to stick in his thumb it helps him to decide at once what to do with the communication. And above all do not write the poetical script. We got one the other day in blank verse. The typewriter had one of those two-color ribbons and the typists overmarked the red one. Don't become vain after selling a script or two. There are too many examples of inordinate egotism as it is. They only incite laughter among the elect — and sometimes they incite laughter among the elect — and sometimes they incite contempt. When we urge every beginner to purchase some standard text-book on picture play writing, we expect another attack from the Los Angeles faker who seems to have a chronic grouch. However, we recommend Sargent's and Leed's Technique to beginners. Mr. Sargent will shortly have a de lu.xe volume from the presses. Buy one.