Picture Play Magazine (Oct-Nov 1915)

Hints for Scenario Writers By Clarence J. Caine It is assumed that the majority of those who follow this department have had some experience in preparing scripts for the market, but for the benefit of beginners even the most simple questioning pertaining to photo-play writing will be treated at some time or another in the future. Any scenarioist who is in doubt as to anything which comes under the head of script writing is welcomed to write in and state his trouble. Questions will be promptly answered through this department or personally. Address all correspondence to Scenario Writers' Dept., Picture-Play Weekly, Street & Smith, Publishers, New York City. WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT. ALL of us have heard time and again that the thing to write is "something that will go with the people." This is seldom explained to the amateur, and, when it is, the explanation given is that "what will go with the people is what they can understand." To the experienced this means much — in fact, it appears to give all the information on the subject that can be desired — but to the new writer ii does not mean a great deal. He wonders what the people will understand. Each individual knows a certain amount about human nature. Some realize how much they know, and study to learn more. Others have gained their knowledge unconsciously, and cannot use it to as good an advantage. Therefore, when a writer begins to study "what the people understand," the first thing he must do is to ascertain how much he already knows of the subject. After taking this inventory he must start to watch other things on his regular visits to the motionpicture theaters, besides the technical end of the pictures and the ideas they contain. He must watch the audience. Seated in a dark corner, he must keep his eyes and ears busy, and have his mind alert. He must sense — and sense correctly — the attitude of the audience toward everything that happens on the screen. The first visit an amateur makes to a theater with this end in mind will not yield a great deal. He may feel that it is a thing which cannot be done. The second visit, however, will doubtless disperse this idea and bring him closer to the realization that it is practical. In each succeeding visit, he will advance a little more, until, all of a sudden, he will discover that he almost unconsciously senses how a picture "is going over" with an audience. When he reaches this point, he will find that the matter of taking a certain style of story and making it into a scenario for a photo play which is "what the people want and what they understand" is comparatively easy. WORKING OUT SCENE ACTION. A correspondent in Trenton, New Jersey, has handed us a bit of action which she asks we work out for the benefit of herself and other writers who have not yet learned to break their plots into bits of scene action which tell the story on the screen. Here is the action, written in synopsis form, as she sent it to us : "Two abductors come from the doorway of a mansion and speed down the street in an auto with James as their captive. Vera and a detective follow in another auto. Both cars pass from the city streets into the country. On a. road the chase continues. Shots are fired from both machines. The detective's tire is punctured by a bullet. After making the necessary repairs, Vera and the detective follow the road taken by the abductors, and arrive at the summit of a high hill, just in time to see the abductors carry James into a small house in the distance. They start for the house." As can easily be seen, no attempt is made at a story, and the beginning and ending is, therefore, abrupt. Taking just what has been written and putting it into scenario form, the result should be something like the following: i. Exterior of mansion. — Abductors carry James from within, place him in auto, drive off swiftly. Vera and detective come from within, excited ; drive off hurriedly in another machine, which has been standing to side ; are in pursuit of abductors. 2. Setting which will carry idea of limits of a city — the joining of a city pavement and a dusty road will do. Ab-, ductors' auto drives in, full speed. One of abductors fires pistol back as he passes. Detective's auto dashes through in pursuit. Detective fires toward other car as he pursues it. 3. Country road. — Abductors' car dashes past, closely followed by detective and Vera in his auto. The latter appears to be gaining. Both parties exchange shots as they fly past camera. 4. Country road. — Abductors' car dashes in and past camera. They fire at detective as they pass. Detective's car in ; slows down as it nears camera ; stops. Detective out. Vera anxious. Detective examines tire. 5. Close range of detective examining tire ; show bullet hole in tire plainly. 6. Back to Scene 4. — Detective tells Vera that tire has been punctured by shot from abductors. Starts to put on a new tire. 7. Top of high hill ; a little house is seen in distance down road. — Abductors' car dashes through and downhill. 8. Back to Scene 6. — Detective now has new tire put on. He looks at his pistol grimly. Vera frantic with fear for James' safety. They drive off again. 9. Extension of small house seen in distance in Scene 7. — Abductors drive in; jump from car, and start to drag James from it; he struggles. 10. Top of hill — same as Scene 7. — Detective and Vera enter in auto ; stop and get out ; look through field glasses to try to locate abductors; look downhill toward house and see them.