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116 TECHNIQUE OF THE PHOTOPLAY the idea. This is true of the studio-made story as well as the outside product, but the studio story is known to be old. You are paid because it is supposed that you have offered something new. It is essential that comedy be quick moving. The slow, de- liberate action of the dramatic story is not possible. There should be no scene longer than thirty feet. If you cannot avoid having a longer scene, break it into two or more parts with cut-backs. The story that drags; that moves slowly either in narrative or action, will not score a success. Where twenty to forty scenes constitute the average full reel drama, the same number may be used for a half reel comedy because the action plays so much faster and there is need of active movement to the scenes as well as players. Polite comedy is played more slowly than the farce comedy or farce. It is well to keep in mind that comedy does not make the im- pression on an audience that drama does, therefore, to spend large sums of money in obtaining some special effects would be impolitic. The comedy is supposed to be able to "carry itself" through its entertaining qualities and not need the aid of strong "effects." Plan your comedies for a simple and inexpensive pro- duction. A manufacturer may spend several thousand dollars for special production of a drama, but a comedy should cost but little more than the salary list of those regularly employed, because added money seldom makes return in added effect. As a general thing the comedy script runs fuller than that of a dramatic story, because in comedy the action is almost as im- portant as the story it tells, but at the same time care should be taken not to overwrite and a study of condensation will enable the author to write as briefly as for drama without slighting the laughs. Avoid the topical comedy dealing with the affairs of the mo- ment. Long before you can get your script into a studio the Editor will have had one written if he.wants one, but as a rule such stories are avoided unless the appeal is international. The new slang phrase, the heat of a political battle, the passing fad of fashion or occupation may all suggest a capital story to you, but such stories are not of widespread interest, they may not even appeal to the entire United States, to say nothing of Europe, and so baseball, for instance, is seldom used as a theme since the English prefer cricket and France and Germany care for neither. Stick to the idea that will be as good a year from now and it is today and that will appeal equally to the audiences in Bombay and Boston and you have a story that is likely to sell.