Moving Picture News (Jul-Oct 1913)

i6 THE MOVING PICTURE NEWS Keystone is paying $15 to $20 for the idea alone. The shorter the synopsis the better for Keystone. They will consider synopsis only. Keystone wants the "punch" without the spike. A series of incidents is not a pictureplay. There must be a good lusty situation with incident written around it. A man walking down the street is action all right, but if he does something unusual while walking you have incident and action. There is no such thing as an original plot. A theme may be entirely new to you but old to hundreds of thousands of others. All plots are ancient at the conception. What makes them salable is a new twist or situation. We read a script the other day that was highly recommended to us. It was very like the plot of the opera "Gypsy Love." Yet the author never saw "Gypsy Love." The plot was new to this particular writer, yet old to others. Some writers appear to believe that when a plot leaves their hands it is likely to be stolen in the first office where it is received. This is the wrong idea. But many times, some other writer has hit upon your pet plot and situation first. Here's the way to prepare your script. Use a typewriter. Set down your title, then your cast of characters. Use a short cast. Next give a synopsis of the story in narrative form not to exceed three hundred words. Make the synopsis appeal. Put brains and thought into it. Then write your script proper giving each scene in order in which it should appear on the screen. Number them in figures and consecutively. The form of writing a scene should be brevity itself. For example: Interior editorial office. Editor opens and reads letters. Tears his hair, dashes some letters into waste basket. Runs letter carrier downstairs. Grabs a pipe and smokes up in despair, etc. (incidentally, it should be explained that this is a scene in our office when the editor gets a sackful of giddy letters about handsome actors, correspondence schools, scripts to revise— and which are not wanted, etc., etc.) To continue: Insert subtitles needed to add clearness. Don't use up five thousand words writing your script. Maybe you can do it better in five or six hundred. WM. LORD WRIGHT. THE SCAPEGOAT (America Release, July 28th) John Fordyce, the bank clerk, stood at the side of his fiancee ; a blush of shame spread over his countenance at the mockery of the happiness of Beauty Van Sant, who had confided in him and had added her meagre savings to his so that they might start life right. The bank book looked all right — it was in his name with all entries on the left hand side, deposits all of them and no withdrawals. But he knew the whole thing was a forgery and he did not deserve her confidence. This money, almost a thousand and considerable additional of the bank's funds had gone in an effort to realize quick returns on the stock market. His defalcations were detected by Alwyn Jasper, another clerk at the bank, who, like himself, had appropriated funds of the bank. Jasper was also in love with Beauty Van Sant, but had lost out. He now offers to make good the shortage and by innuendo suggests that John is not worthy of Beauty's affections. Thus he gains the upper hand and John always feels that Alwyn is a friend indeed. John confesses his crime to Beauty, extols the virtues of Alwyn and insists upon breaking the engagement. Jasper wooes and wins Beauty and success and happiness seem assured when the hand of fate takes their only child. In the meantime Jasper has covered one shortage by a greater misappropriation and things are nearing a climax. He cleverly weaves a case of circumstantial evidence against John Fordyce and the latter, at first highly indignant, denies the charges, but later, in doubt as to the outcome of any defence he might make, pleads guilty and is sentenced to five years of penal servitude. Alwyn Jasper meets with an accident, the result of which is fatal, but before death he makes a confession complete, by vindicating John. Beauty seeks the prison and John to make restitution, but Fordyce has already been liberated. Her untiring efforts to find John are finally rewarded when she recognizes in a total wreck at a Rescue Mission the man who had made such noble sacrifices for her. The two are reconciled and the silver lining of the heavy clouds of the despair of years scintillates all the brighter. THE FRESE CAMERA The Frese Cinematograph camera, a new product of California manufacture, made its first Eastern appearance last week at the Exposition in the booth of Rice & Einstein, of Berkeley, Cal. With its many unique features and sturdy construction, It was quick to win the enthusiastic approval of the scores of camera men who visited the booth to inspect the two models on display. The one feature that appealed perhaps more than any other to the camera men who have much "dissolve" and other trick work to do, is the simple reversing device by means of which the film may be reversed without changing any belts, cranks or gears. This is accomplished with a single spring belt that runs over both the upper and lower take-up pulleys. The latter are provided with ratchets so arranged that when the crank IS turned forward the lower pulley operates its magazine and the upper pulley remains idle. When the crank is turned backward the lower pulley becomes idle and the upper one operates so as to wind the film into the upper magazine. This feature is extremely convenient in all studio trick work. A handy feature of the Frese camera is its sliding aperture plate which allows of framing by the mere turning of two eccentric screws. This makes it possible to expose film so as to have the division line between pictures wherever desired with relation to the perforations. Extreme simplicity and accessibility are claimed for the camera. Any part of the mechanism may be reached easily and instantaneously. On the crank side of the camera is a removable panel which gives access to all of the principal gears. Focusing is accomplished through the side of the camera, where a sliding tube and a 45-degree mirror give a square view of the aperture. This has the advantage over the rear focusing tube of allowing the operator to see the image at much shorter range. It also saves considerable space in the camera, permitting four hundred foot magazines in the same size box that is usually equipped with magazines of smaller capacity. A great convenience and time saver is the pair of tracks so fastened to the bottom of the camera that the camera may quickly be slipped onto the tripod and locked in place without the usual fumbling with an inaccessible thumb screw. Carl Zeiss Tessar lenses form the regular equipment of the camera although other lenses may be specified if desired. Liberal provision is made for the small conveniences that go to make a camera complete. These include such equipment as footage register, film punch, adjustable shutter, changeable masks for keyhole and sirnilar effects, stop motion crank, up-side-down socket, spirit level, ground-glass view finder, oil can and small tools. The view finder, crank, oil can and tools fit into brackets inside the camera, leaving no loose parts to be carried in the pockets. The Frese Camera is being marketed by Rice & Einstein of 1933 Center street, Berkeley, Cal, who, in addition to being camera dealers are producers of educatiftnal and industrial films. MANNING IS EASTERN REPRESENTATIVE FOR MIRROR SCREEN CO. Frank Manning, of 922 Sixth avenue. New York City, has been appointed general sales agent for the Mirror Screen Co., of Shelbyville, Ind. Mr. Manning will be the Eastern representative for this popular screen. Inquiries are coming in rapidly regarding "Arizona," the first product of the All Star Feature Film Company, and at their offices in the Candler Building and at the offices of Mr. Harry R. Raver in the Columbia Theatre Building there are coming numerous buyers seeking to get in "on the ground floor." Among recent callers were Ben D. Crose and Menlo Moore, respectively of Indianapolis and Chicago, and Carl S. Rothleder and J. A. Schwalm of the Imperial Feature Film Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Missoula, Mont. — The Family Theatre has opened, with Charles Freshwater as manager.