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CHAPTER XLIV 221 rapids, deep pools and shallow backwaters, but always the flow is toward the confluence. Stories may be retarded by falling action, or accelerated by approaching crises, but always the trend of the story should be forward and not backward. And just as the river is con- stantly augmented in volume through contributory streams, so should the story be augmented by tlie addition of plot factors and gain in volume through the new developments. This is the first and most im- portant continuity and upon its smoothness will depend in large de- gree the appeal of the story. It is for this reason that constant vision- ing back is regarded with disfavor, since visioning back is no more untrue to reality than a river flowing toward its source or a cataract that runs up hill. 4. The retarding action of a vision may not always be apparent, even when you strive to note the effect. Even the close observer may be unaware that it is recourse to visioning that makes one story seem to be less pleasing than another, but it is a rule never traversed that an interrupted continuity cannot be as pleasing to the mind as a story of equal plot value that without interruption or seeming effort moves directly to its ordained end. 5. Each person, according to his mental capacity, is capable of a certain effort of thought, just as a steam engine is capable of devel- oping no more than a certain horse power with a given head of steam. Most persons will recall the river steamer that had to stop when it whistled, and there are many persons whose mental equipment is such that they cannot devote their thought both to the story and its inter- ruptions just as those who do possess greater mental capacity cannot give their full capacity to the enjoyment of the story in action if they must divert some of this mental energy to the reception and classifi- cation of plot interruptions. JSIost persons in a photoplay audience are so constituted mentally that they can assimilate both a story and its interruptions, but their capacity for pleasure is lessened in precisely the same degree that their attention is diverted from the plot. Each time a fact or time leader or fact vision is used, the attention must be given this and again brought back to the main issue before interest in the main issue can continue, and the story with the most perfect con- tinuity is more apt to please than a plot more interesting in itself but told in a series of interrupted actions and not in one continuous move- ment. 6. The proper story moves forward in chronological order. Each scene advances the story one point toward the climax, each has a di- rect and logical bearing on the story and each is in its proper place in the film. As has already been said, in the ideal continuity there is no interruption whatever from leader or any form of insert. It moves ab- solutely without a break. This is so seldom possible that it is suffi- cient to endeavor to avoid as much interruption as possible. 7. It would be manifestly absurd to show a man boarding a train after he has arrived at his journey's end, but this is precisely what visioning is. For some reason you may wish to hold back the inci-