Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1911)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 197 Technique of the Photoplay By EPES WINTHROP SARGENT Copyright 191 1 by E. W. Sargent. All rights reserved. Chapter II. Scenario Form. The photoplay manuscript consists of two essential parts — the scenario and the synopsis. Cast and scene plot are optional, but it is better to give these since they are easily prepared and aid the editor in forming a quick estimate of the demands of the plot in the matter of people and settings. Wherever possible, the manuscript should be typewritten. Some of the companies follow the general magazine practise and do not require their editor to read the manuscript done in long hand, but most editors will at least read a synopsis if the handwriting is legible. If written in long hand, a good black ink should be used in preference to color; the lines should not be run together and there should be no attempt made at ornamentation with red or other colored inks. For written manuscripts the paper should be white, unruled, and either &l/2 by 11 inches or 8l/2 by 5^2 inches. The first is the regular letterhead size and the latter is known as "commercial note." Where the note sized is used the writing should be across the long way of the paper. With the typewriter the paper should be the 8l/2 by 11 inch size, although some authors prefer the half sheets as being more conveniently handled by the reader. The larger sheet is the more generally used, but the 8l/2 x 13 and the old-fashioned foolscap should be avoided by typist and penman alike. They are the certain signs of the novice. Typewriter paper may be either white or a light buff, of a quality costing not less than sixty cents for a box of 500 sheets. A light but strong bond paper costing about $1.25 a box is advised. The additional expense is not great and the difference in the appearance of the manuscript is worth a hundred times the cost. A neat businesslike manuscript will prejudice the editor in your favor and may influence the payment made for your story. For typing, a black ribbon is better than the more common purple or the more uncommon green. A one-color ribbon is better than the two color, and it will pay to renew the ribbon before it gets so worn that the imprint fades to a light grey. The "record" ribbon should be used in place of the "copying," which is likely to spread and make a manuscript unsightly after a few handlings. Your Address Is Important. Your name and address should appear at the top of he first page of your synopsis and at the top of the first page and the bottom of the last page of your scenario. It is not sufficient that your name and address are given in a letter accompanying the manuscript, nor is it enough that your name appears once on the manuscript. If you send out much manuscript it will pay you to obtain a rubber stamp with your name and full address and a black ink-pad. With this you can stamp your address on the sheets with small trouble. The best stamp carries the name in twelve-point gothic and the address in ten-point of the same face. Smaller than that will not be legible in rubber. Except on the first sheets of the synopsis and scenario, the title of the story should be typed at the too of each sheet in the left hand corner. The pages of the scenario should be numbered in consecutive order. The synopsis sheet — if there is a second — need not be numbered but carries the title. A carbon or pen copy of all manuscript should be retained by the author to guard against loss in the mails or in the studio. The editor is not responsible for lost manuscript, although he is supposed to use all reasonable care, and manuscripts are occasionally lost. Manuscript should be sent out held together by a pin or a paper clip. One of the forms of clip which does not perforate the paper is best, since it keeps the manuscript in better shape. Do not use permanent staples, McGill fasteners, or sew or glue your sheets together. Keep it so that the removal of a single clip will permit the editor to handle the loose sheets. Do not write on both sides of the paper, and do not roll your manuscript. Putting the sheets in the wrong order or fastening two pages together "to see if they have been read" are favorite devices of the novice, but they are known to the editor. Do not do it. An editor does not have to read every page to arrive at the estimate of the story. He reads enough to satisfy himself that it is not available. The editor is far more anxious to take the story than you are to have him. Do not try to trap him. Making a Price. If you have set a price on the manuscript mark that price in plain figures on the first page. If you cannot determine the value follow the general custom and mark it "submitted at usual rates." This should be typed or written in the upper right hand corner of the first page. Do not convey the information by letter. The letter may become lost. The more common practise is to offer the manuscript at the usual rates and if the price is not satisfactory send no more to that firm. Do not write in advance and ask how much will be paid for a manuscript. There is no fixed price. The value is determined by the merit of the plot and the amount of work required of the editorial staff to get it in shape for the director. This varies with each manuscript and the editor cannot tell you without having seen the manuscript. The average manuscript will bring from $10 to $40, although some advertise that they pay from $10 to $100. Fold your 8l/2 x 11 sheet in three (making two folds), using only sufficient force on the folds to cause them to lay flat. This will give you a package Sy2 x 3% inches. Place this in an envelope just large enough to contain it. Address this cover to yourself and stamp it with one two-cent stamp. If the postage is more than the two cents the effort of the postmaster or carrier to collect the postage will serve the same practical purpose as registration. Do not seal this envelope, but place it in a larger sized envelope which you will seal and address to the secenario editor of the firm to which your manuscript is to be sent. The half-sheet paper, if used, should not be folded, but should be sent in an envelope sufficiently large to contain it without folding, and this in turn in the mailing cover. The postoffice can furnish the two sizes required for the large sheets, but it is better to use a stouter manila envelope. Do not use the cheaper sorts. Pay the Going Postage. In any event, the postage should be fully prepaid on the outer cover. If you use only one grade of stationery, find out how many sheets of paper with the two envelopes will weigh one ounce and how many sheets will weigh the same. Once this is known you can figure the charges for yourself. Most companies will acknowledge receipt of the manuscript within a week, but if you wish a receipt, register the letter and state at the time that a receipt is demanded, otherwise none will be sent you. You should hear from your story in from six to eight weeks. If no answer comes, make inquiry, always enclosing a stamped and self-addressed envelope for reply. Your letter should state the title of the story and the date it was sent. The standard of measurement of a manuscript is not the number of words, but the length of the finished film. A 5,000word manuscript may only make a half reel. The thousand foot reel is the film yardstick. Eighteen to thirty scenes, according to their length, make a full reel, which will run 18 to 20 minutes, but it must be remembered that scenes are quickly played. Study some pictures on the screen and you will be better able to judge. Only original ideas are wanted. Adaptations of standard literature are made by the editorial department. If you send these in as such they will be returned. If you make adaptations and offer them as original, you may be able to sell them, but you are required to sign a receipt that will convict you of obtaining money under false pretences if your trickery is discovered. No editor or staff can be familiar with all of the stories written, but it is almost certain that the picture will be seen by some person who will detect the fraud and advise the manufacturer. Stick to your own ideas.