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DEVELOPING THE PLOT 83 The story, too, must have elevation. There must be the same appearance of lightness, the same careful concealment of hard work. It must seem spontaneous and natural. The action must move easily and consistently from scene to scene, each ad- vancing in some degree the plot itself. There should be no undue bustle and confusion, none of the running in and out of scenes that Editors call "going and coming." In comedy there must be greater liveliness of action, but in comedy or drama there should be no flurry of entrances or exits. In drama the movement of the story should be like the flow of a great river. There should be no appearance of hurry, but always the sug- gestion of strength and power in reserve. But like the river approaching the rapids, there must come the quickening move- ment and then the rush of the climax. Keep the action well proportioned. Do not have people ap- pear in houses other than their own without apparent reason. Do not drag the characters around from place to place just to have them handy. The whole value of a photoplay depends upon the closeness with which it simulates real life. Write of real people performing natural actions. Do not put in matter that does not properly belong "to make it seem more interesting." Get the interest out of your plot and you will not have to send your hero into the air in a flying machine or to the bottom of the ocean in a submarine. There are good stories to be written around aeroplanes or submarines, and perhaps you can write those stories, but do not drag them into stories in which they do not belong simply because you cannot get natural interest and feel that you must do something desperate to command atten- tion. Do not bolster up a weak story with an elephant or a railroad wreck. Put more story in. Keep your eyes open for striking situations and effective bits of business. Do not, as a rule, write in the by-play, but if you get something really good, write it out for the director. One of the best of the directors owes his success largely to the fact that no matter how commonplace the story may be, he gives it one or two very human touches that makes the whole produc- tion appear real and vivid. It may not be an important action. It may have no real bearing on the plot, but it is like the little leaven that Icaveneth the whole. It gives reality to the entire story. More than one story has hung on in other studios on the strength of one or two clever bits that has lifted the script above the commonplace. Do not trust to the climax alone to carry your story. Gradu- ate the intensity of the action with succeeding scenes so that