We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
308 A COURSE OF STUDY is the acting, but you will find that, after all, it was the well written story; so well written, indeed, that you lost sight of the technique in the interest you felt in the character. 18. That is the true, technique; not to show that you are delib- erately planning to throw all the interest on the central character. but to so plan the plot and its development that the mechanism by which you influence is not apparent. The best story does not say "Look at Miss Blank. Isn't she lovely? Isn't she charming? Isn't it pathetic that she must give up Joe and marry the rich old miser to save her father from bankruptcy? See how we make you think that there is no other way, and now look how we have Joe's rich old aunt die and leave him all her money!" That is not technique, it is mechanics. Technique makes this same appeal, but does not let you realize that the appeal has been made. 19. Perhaps it really was the acting. Perhaps tlie personal charm and skill of the players were superior to the labored development of the plot. Here, too, you may learn, for you can see how the clumsy use of incident defeats its ends. It is as important to know what makes a story bad as what makes a story good. 20. If it was the story that interested you more than the acting, see what there was to that story that made it better than the play- ing. Take it detail by detail, incident by incident. Set each apart by itself and see what it is like, then put it together again and see what there was in the construction that caused these separate inci- dents to form a complete and pleasing whole. 21. If it was the production that pleased see how much the author apparently contributed to that production. The production was made by the director, but it was made from an author's script. Try and figure out how much the author brought the producer. 22. And while you are studying plays on the screen study also the stories of the films you do not see. You cannot witness all of the produced plays. Get what you cannot see on the screen from the Moving Picture World. This will not only give you the stories to study, but in a general way you will gain an idea of what each company wants from what it is doing, and later on the knowledge of what has been done will aid you in avoiding the theme already used. 23. Having become familiar with the screened story and with the terms and forms, you are ready for the next step. Select some theatre where two or more performances are given each evening and sit through the bill twice. The first time note the story. The sec- ond time decide which of the plays has made the strongest impression on you and note all the scenes of this play. Just a word or two will enable you to recall the scene. Put down no more than is necessary. 24. Now, at home, try to write that play, partly from memory but with the notes to assist you. ]Make the full plot of the action pre- cisely as though it was an original story you intended to write and submit to some studio. Write in the action precisely as though you