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114 TECHNIQUE OF THE PHOTOPLAY that "John lifts his hat—strikes his elbow against gate post—hat flies out of hand—he stoops to recover it—stumbles—fall on hat." Now the director will know what that "funny manner" is. The director is not hired to do your thinking for you. He is paid to produce what you have thought out. But all comedy action must be 'backed up by the idea. If John is particularly anxious to make a. good impression on the girl he is bidding good-bye to; if he is particularly anxious to be elegant, his failure to gain the effect makes the merely mechanical business really funny. Some few persons will laugh at the crushed hat. More will discover the humor in the failure of the attempt, in the reduction of his pompus vanity. If we see that George, visiting his sweetheart in the suburbs, has lost his pocket book and must walk all the way home, we are inclined to be sorry for George. But, if after the visit, he drops into a saloon and gets into a game of poker, being cleaned out and then refused car-fare, we are not sorry for him because it is en- tirely his own fault. The best comedy is good natured. Aim to have your audience laugh with your characters, rather than at them. Avoid ridiculing physical afflictions. A woman with a hair lip may be amusing to you, but it will not entertain the man or woman with a similar infirmity, or whose relative or dear friend is so afflicted. This is equally true of lameness, blindness or any other bodily affliction and true in a greater degree of any story burlesquing religion, or some particular religious belief, and race, party sect or faith. Not alone because of various censorships, but because of de- cency and good taste, do not base your comedies on violations of the moral or civil laws. The story of a mild flirtation is amusing if the flirtation is not carried too far and the flirt receives his just deserts, but you cannot base a real comedy on adultery or nnchastity and a story in which the humor is derived from the success of a swindling scheme will not pass the Editors, let alone the censorships, unless the moral is rightly applied. Death is not comedy material in any circumstance. Such few comedies as have been produced with death or the suggestion of death as a foundation have failed to win success. Of course there are exceptions to this rule but they are few. We will suppose that it is known through the neighborhood that Pat Murphy is very ill. His death is momentarily looked for. But Pat is getting better, so much better that he gets out of bed and beats his wife. The neighbors hear her lamentations and word is spread through the neighborhood that Pat is dead. The neighbors come with flowers and condolences, only to be driven from the door by Pat himself.