Screenland (Sept 1922–Feb 1923)

Mbr™* SCREENLAKD Crfifl™* ™ 53 The SCENARIO WRITER'S CORNER By Frederick Palmer BEWARE OF COINCIDENCE. Perlaps tne most common fallacy m dra11 * <e structure to bo found in the work of the amateur photoplay wrignt is tne unwarranted use cf coincidence. Except in rare absolutely unavoidable cases, niot,vat on which is based on coincidence weakens the entire plot. All the action or vour story snould spring naturally ana logically lrom the characters themselves; their aims, desires and ambitions and no: from the agency of any external force, such as chance or coincidence, over whicn they have no control. "he amateur screen writer should keep his characters active. He should make them "work cut their own salvation A great dramatic critic has wisely said that the degree to which a story is dramatic depends upon the degree to which the hero .s the architect of his own fortunes. And this applies to the other characters | as well. REMEMBER that what may be possible or even probable, in real life, will be considered -dramatic lmplaus.toility" bv the audience if it is not definitely based on the laws of cause and effect Never resort to chance, or bate, or Providence to bring about a certain situation, but let the initiative and the purpose of one or more of your characters or ng it about. This will make your story compact, logical, convincing. The vhotoplaywright must continually seek truth in characterization. He must endeavor to place real people in real situations and then have them act as they would act in those situations in real l.te. Given a situation, it must grow naturally out of the characters in it, or the people in the mind of the audience must be remodeled until they tit naturally intc .the situation. This adjustment of character and situation, cause and effect, should be the continual concern of the photoplay ^t^s*' always well to. test the situations of a story by determining whether they might naturally occur in the life of Uw average spectator. If they are lifelike and pfaus ble, they will probably lead to human and poignant drama. If the> in any way depend upon chance, or are sensational and implausible, the result will usually be improbable melodrama ot a thrilling but unreal kind. Dramatic effects can usually be better achieved by placing real and likeable characters in conflict than by showing, a conflict between a hero and a dyed-in-the-wool villain. But there must be a marked dramatic contrast between the characters. THE trained screen writer always remembers to center the interest on his principal characters, and carefully develops and motivates those characters so that they1 are human. He makes them individual and distinctive Once they are clearly established and ho has laid the basis of his story by forming the dramatic triad, the characters and the fact that they are working toward a common objective, and at cross purposes should lead to strong situat.ons. providing the author does not develop the situations in a mechanical fashion, but permits them to develop naturally from the motives and desires of his characters. In developing a story, the would-be nhotodramatist should remember the proper "movement." That does not mean 1 the motion of the characters, but rather the constant growth of the plot through a seouence of situations and critical happenings toward the big climax.. To slow up vour movement is fatal. Begin by presenting your characters in action that establishes clearly their individual natures and relation to each other, then gradually develop obstacles which one faction places before another, and increase the dramatic tone and tempo as you progress. Missing Heirs You may be one of them. Will you help in this nation-wide search by sending for the free Van Loan Questionnaire offered below? _ . development it is now possible for you to know THE Palmer Photoplay Corporation is in almost' at once whether you have any gift of cre the pr.sition of a lawyer who has been ative imagination, and whether it will pay you to commissioned to find the missing heirs to a T^ inv(.ntion ;s a Questionnaire such as was „„., r^ate used by the . United States Army in establishing great cs.aie. ^ aIjfica(;ons 0f officers and men in the war. The motion picture industry must have This Questionnaire has been created with special inc mono i reference to the needs of the motion picture mdus ncw scenarios. It must nave men. » H H , ,'an Loan, the celebrated 1 botoplaycontinuc to hold its vast audiences. It must wright, and IWessor Malcolm MacLean, formerly have them if its great studios and investments °f ^t^^wnhorobligation, to send for -ire not to become worthless. It is willing to of this questionnaire. We ask you to art am. j^fc*". \t U renrfv to co operate with the new forces in the motion picpay fortunes for these stones, it is ready to J^r™*^. by matii.g this free test of your crecrown the successful scenario writers with uive taient ;„ y0Ur own home, fame and maintain them in luxury. Who are Wg sha), be frank w|th you these people who can tell a Story? Where ^ Palmer Photoplay Corporation is the largest »k->,-? seller of motion picture scenarios in the United are tney . _ States It is in business to secure scenarios for To find an answer to these vital questions which produccrs will pay large sums. ;nrl..«trv has commissioned the Palmer The Educational Department of the Corporation the industry nas coiiuiii.mo organized to train men and women of talent to Photoplay Corporation to conduct one ot the ts "rgan.zei^ thev caJ, produee such scenarios most excitine searches ever undertaken. Therefore the Kducational Department must and ii.om B , , . frankly with those who fill in the We use the words "exciting search ad lf your taien, is not sufficient to visedly Can vou imagine anything more justify you in going on, you will be promptly exciting than to find the talent "°« *t the other hand, you should be one of the $10,000 prize in a nation-wide scenario con th»*'^ds' now „nknown who are to be important tes^ To discover in a Montana housewife faftors in this second era of the motion picture t;„m,.f, to tell a story and to hand her the industry, the facilities of the Educational Depart $££5 'check as thi reward of a talent ^ * ^ ^tr^jfffSa St At .east y^f-th, test «. free r^eT a pri vatePsecretarv in Pennsy, vain. Surely ^thjs simp, test^ won, trying K^dure a Chicago Red Cross worker, when lifted Slid invested a stamp and a pleasant denlv to an earning power beyond their wild hour of mcntai discipline. On the other hand Ll^ml? Or of the inmate of a pentten success with the quest.onna.re may open the way csE dreams? Or ot tne mi naic u £ to fame and immense reward. tiarv whose scenarios are eagerly nougnt. ^ ^ ^s ^ Hght,v the chance to share in These are actual incidents in this combing ot {his second era 0f the motion picture industry, the country for men and women with story Send today for the Van Lo*^2"t^-™~ telling power. m-»mw».mmm.mmm.m».^mm And still the search goes on. Hundreds of p^LMER PHOTOPLAY Corporation thousands of copies of Jan Loan ; Que*" ^ 124 W. 4th St., hot An«ele», Cal. tionnaire must be distributed this year, will """^^ p, uAS1J scnd me, without cost or obyou send for your copy? \ ou may be one or -^p^kv ligation on my part, your questioning thousands (out of the hundreds of thou tWff^m, naire I will answer the questions in Sndt) for whim the rewards of this new era flTfi| it fArft** 2TAS?!K wait. ^ilZTEgr thcr information about your Course The Van Loan Questionnaire and Service, a big new invention Not every man and woman can writeSloriBfor Name . .. -~ MCUrs.', Vr Wisi 1 " the screen. In the past many who had no real talent or chance for success have wasted time in fruhh-s trying. Such waste of time and money ... is no ionger necessary. By an interesting new Address SD.g "* Copyright. 192.', Palmer Photoplay Corporation.