The Moving picture world (October 1922)

656 MOVING PICTURE WORLD October 21, 1922 Rowland Urges More Attention Be Given Continuity Writing TX 7 HAT are the rank and file of pro- W ducers, directors, stars, contin- uity writers and others going to learn from the best of this season's mo- tion pictures? Are they going to profit by them? Or will they go along in hap- hazard fashion ignoring logical continuity and otherwise turning out pictures that aggravate the public? These questions were put to Richard A. Rowland, a member of the executi.'e forces of Associated First National Pic- tures, Inc., who for many years has studied production from every angle and who is an expert on the making of pic- tures. As president of Metro Pictur.;s Corporation, Mr. Rowland made a big name for himself, both as a producer and executive. As senior member of the firm of Rowland and Clark, with extensive theatre holdings in We-tern Pennsyl- vania, he has demonstrated his ability as an exhibitor. "For the last ten years we have bean educating our patrons up to the idea of seeing 'better ])ictures,' " said Mr. Row- land. ".Vnd it has only been within the last ten \ears that we have had discrim- inating audiences. We have brought more people into our theatres by showing better pictures. And now we must live up to the standard we have set—or what ballpens? Use your own imagination. "To my way of thinking, while the director is a tremendous force in good picture making, the continuity writer is just as important—in some respects more important, because it is he who must visualize and then construct the story which millions will see on the screen. If the story—or play^—is poorly put to- gether, then a poor continuity writer is to blame. "Our early productions were nothing but experiments. We forged ahead grad- ually, improving in photography, etc. We. engaged the interest of the public. We profited by that interest, and at the same time led the public to expect much of us. ^^'e now have reached that stage in our development when we must live up to what the public expects of us. "And what does the public expect? Good stories, told in a logical and con- vincing manner. Who is primarily re- sponsible for turning out stories of that kind? The scenarist, or continuity writer. The producer gets an outline for a great pla)-. It has big dramatic situa- tions. He talks it over with his director, his star. Then the story is turned over to the continuity writer, who must make it a smooth piece of machinery with logical situations. "Too often the continuity writer is-— let us be charitable and say 'careless.' The machinery of the play is poorly con- structed. The situations are not logical. The picture is shown to the public which, in these times, is discriminating, and often insults their intelligence. This is our danger. "If every producer would bear in mind that his picture is 60 jiercent made in the scenario department, there would be more big time pictures. The picture should never be made worse than the story. It is up to the continuity writer to see that the story is de\ eloped logically before it reaches the camera, and it is up to the director to see diat the picture lives up to the strength of story and con- tinuity. \\'e are facing a big danger in finding out how we are going to satisfy the public in motion pictures. "The remedy is that we must have bet- ter scenario writers; the stories must be made more logical. "W^e have improved from the stand- point of direction. Scenario writing ha^ great room for improvement; in fact, *W scenario writing as it now is being turned out is, to me, a weak spot in the making of pictures to-day. It is weak not onlv in the continuity of stories, the arrange- ment of logical situations, but in its seem- ing lack of knowledge as to what actu- ally pleases or displeases the entertain- ment-loving public. "How many of our scenario writers are painstaking enough to systematical!) go to theatres and study the effect of plays on audiences? How many of them talk to exhibitors and obtain ideas? Un- til they do these things they will not grasp the angle of 'showmanship' which is es- sential to the artistic as well as financial success of pictures. It is only by getting showmanship angles that scenario writer* will begin injecting into their stories novel or unusual situations brought out in a logical manner. "The scenario writer of to-day is too much inclined to give way to 'hackney- ism' in his or her writing. .And he or she will get away from that by studying the effect of plaj's on audiences." Legal Battle Goes On Says Statements Are "Irrelevant, Im- pertinent and Scandalous" That the legal conflict between the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation and Rodolph Valentino is not confined to the temporary injunction obtained by the Famous Players, restraining \'alentino from engaging his ser\ ices to any one else during the term of a contract they have with him, is disclosed in the N. Y. Su- preme Court, on a motion that will come up for a hearing on October 19, wherein the Famous Players ask to have certain allegati ons in the answer of Valentmo to their suit stricken out as "irrelevant, impertinent, and scandalous." The petition made on behalf of the Famous Players corporation by Ralph H. Kohn, one of its officers, denies that his corporation practised any deception on Valentino when thev executed the con- tract with him for his services. Kohn mo\es to have stricken from \'alentino's answer an allegation wherein \'^alentino charges Rudolph Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky and others with "the use of unfair methods of competition in violation of -Section 5 of the Act of Congress,"' thereby implying that the "unfair and oppressive practises" of Famous Players constitute thein to be a Trust. Finally comes'the disclo'^ure that \'al- entino has set up a counterclaim in which he asks $.3.50,000 damages from the Famous Players-Lasky corporation, as a result of the alleged breaching by them of their contract, and of their alleged false representations to him concerning his contract. Ray Takes Rest Charles Ray. whose newest ])icture. ".\ Tailor-Made Man." a United Artists' release, is playing to big audi- ences everywhere, with Mrs. Ray re- cently enjoyed his third vacation in ten years, when he and Mrs. Ray spent two days at Catalina Island Holds Big Meeting Exhibitors of Western Pennsylvania In Interesting Session .Although but a handful of exhibitors were jiresent. the meeting of the Board of Managers of the Motion Picture The- atre Owners of Western Pennsylvania, held at the General Forbes Hotel, Pitts- burgh, Friday noon, October 6, was the longest and most interesting session held in some time by the local organization. Many imi)ortant problems were consid- ered, and another general meeting and luncheon scheduled in the banquet hall of the same hotel on Friday. October 20. Among those present at this meeting were: E. T. Peter of Dallas. Texas, for- mer national treasurer of the organiza- tion ; Dennis A. Harris. Hynian Gold- berg, O. F. Krugh, John Newman, H. E. Kester, Harry ihlandel. Max Fngclberg, Joserb Wagman, Fred Herrington. Harrv ')avis and Jerome Casper.