Picture Play Magazine (Oct-Nov 1915)

30 A FEW REPETITIONS. We thought that some time ago we went over the matter o£, handling dreams, visions, cut-ins, et cetera, quite fully, but from the correspondence we get from our many writer friends we have drawn the conclusion that apparently we did not. Therefore, we will take up the matter again and try to give a few hints on these points that will prove helpful to those who are working in the dark. First of all, the vision, dream, et cetera, effect is used to show what some character in the play dreams or what he sees when he thinks of the past or the future. All that is needed to get this effect is to state as simply as possible that you wish to have the character think and see a vision or sleep and have a dream. Then when the actual vision or dream begins to fade out into the vision or dream scene, if it is to occupy the whole screen, and fade back to the original when it is over. If it is merely to occupy part of the screen within the scene, then merely state in your sc^ne action that a section of the scene will contain the action you desire in your vision. After writing in what this action is, state that the vision then disappears from the scene and the main action in the scene continues. Double exposures, another thing that bothers beginners, should also be handled the same simple way. For instance, if you wished to have a young man sit at a table and see himself in his old age, you would simply tell the director that the character sits down and thinks. Then explain that by means of double exposure the same players and character in old age comes in while the player holds his pose as a young man. Then state the business of the scene briefly, and take the old-age character off and allow the young man to leave or do whatever is next in line. If you explained the process to a friend, you would make it as simple and concise as possible. Do the same when you write it for the director. Cut-ins, or cut-in leaders as they are commonly called, are the leaders which break into a scene's action and are usually the words supposed to be spoken by one of the characters in the scene. They should be short at all times, so as not to interfere with the scene action to too great an extent. There are countless other matters we PICTURE-PLAY WEEKLY could treat under this head, but we think the above should serve as sort of a general principle to be followed in all similar cases. Keep in mind at all times the fact that simplicity is the chief charm a scenario writer has, next to ideas, and that the more clearly he can state the thoughts he has in mind, the easier it will be for the director to put them on the screen, and the better the results will be all around. With this viewpoint clearly in mind, no writer will hesitate "because he don't understand how to get around a thing." ince's ideas of the industry. The views of Thomas H. Ince. director general of the NYMP forces of the Triangle Film Corporation, on the motion-picture industry should be of no little importance to writers, for they are the views of a man who has climbed to the very top of the motion-picture ladder in a few short years. Beginners and more experienced writers alike will do well to weigh carefully all that Mr. Ince says in the following article, which was taken from a speech he made recently at the national convention of motion-picture exhibitors. Following are some of his remarks : "I have said that the one and tworeel films will never lack for a market, that they will never have to go begging for a theater, and that they will never have to fight for popularity. Why, you ask. Because motion pictures, in a measure, may be compared with the socalled legitimate theatrical productions, as the latter were some years ago. The feature pictures take the same rank, when coupled with the single-reel or two-reel film, as the four or five-act play of the footlight realm does, or did, when coupled with the vaudeville program. "There are those among the amusement-seeking people of the world who can afford but a few spare moments for their entertainment. They must go where there is such entertainment as will have a start and finish. They are not content to pay admission to a theater playing a four or five-act play, when they have but a half hour in which to seek pleasurable diversion. Ergo, the necessity of the variety house, where an act lasts from ten minutes to a half hour. "This identical situation obtains in respect to pictures. Let me give you an illustration : I happened to be on Broadway, in Los Angeles, one day 1 long ago, when two salesgirls from c of the department stores approach Obviously they were intent on spendi their noon recess from their work attending a motion-picture show. 0 house was exhibiting a five-reel featu 1 Another theater, immediately adjoinii I was advertising two single-reel films a I the same number of two-reel prodil tions. The girls started for the fel ture house. They had scarcely observ j the fact that a five-reel subject w the program, when they stopped, turn about, and entered the other theatd 'We only have twenty minutes,' heard one say as she passed me, 'at you know it would be awfully disa pointing to have to get up and lea\< after seeing only one reel. In thj place we will, at least, have time to sa a complete picture.' "That little incident in itself is ad; mantine proof, I think, that the smalii film production will never have to hui for a market. Therefore, because will never have to hunt for a marke it will never have to fight for popularil nor beg for. a theater. "There has been much discussion, pr and con, of late over the prospect c 'two-dollar movies,' and the questio propounded appears to be, 'Will the put lie fall for them?' or words to tha, effect. The fact that the public is eage to spend two dollars a seat to see film production had been demonstratec And I feel that there will be no difri culty in demonstrating that the publi. will continue to spend two dollars seat to witness drama on the screen. "It will require time and expenditure of fortunes. But it can and will bi done. It will take time to make per feet photo productions; and money, as well. And only perfect productions car possibly convince the public, as a whole that the sum of two dollars is wortl: spending for an afternoon or evening's entertainment. "To this end, it is essential that we provide picture plays, such as have never before been provided regularly. In my opinion, there have been perfect photo plays. But they have been comparatively very few. They have lacked the 'two-dollar' aspect. They, on the whole, have been unworthy of presentation to the public as a full afternoon or evening's entertainment. And it is that element of worthiness that we must impart to our future features if we are