The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1914-12-22
PHOTOPLAYS AND
s. PHOTOPLAYERS
Pldy1Orie ht Believes
Too Many Thrills
Will Spoil the
Screen Plays
By GARDNER MACK.

where seems to be a growing con-
Viction among the Thoughtful people
interested in motion pictures that the
production Of a picture simply for
the purpose of injecting a thrill into
= scene is very bad business. The
production of plays with thrilling in
Cidents that are vital TO the play is
what the public. wants and not the
turning of thrilling incident itself
into a play. Once or twice attention
has been called TO what were term
cd "director-made' plays, and the
system was condemned. The direC-
tors of the motion picture companies
have been largely responsible Tor the
success that has been attained in the
business. But some of the directors
arc also largely responsible for the
presentation OF very poor plays.
These are the men who insist on
making theF own plays.
Ii is undoubtedly a fact that the
director is in a much better position
To judge the value of a play than
most Of the actors and authors. But
al the same time il is not necessary
for d director 40 accept a story for
production which does not contain an
idea that can be produced We have
been told Of one director who never
thinks Of the story after he has
started his people to acting. a we'll
known actor tod me recently that hc
was engaged as star in a film pro-
duotion, and that he had to supply
his own action as well as his own
story for the part he played that is
The director did not seem to know
anything about it and his instruc-
lions TO the actor were simply to go
on and come off. The actor did not
see the script until after had
started in with the play, and then
he was given copy only when he
insisted upon having one.
Another instance has been told me
Of a very well-known motion picture
star who produces his own pictures
and never tells his company what
they are producing, even while the
picture is in the making. This man
recently was one of the victims Of
an accident which involved a run
away horse AS it happened during
the taking of a picture, and as the
camera man knew his boss thor
oughly, a picture of the accident was
made and the star is now writing
q play around il.
Probably the most accomplished
writer of thrilling melodrama in the
country at present is Owen Davis,
who has given number of the most
sensational productions TO the stage
and has recently turned his atten-
ton to motion pictures, Mr.. Davis
believes the system that is being fol-
lowed by the producers is all wrong.
and that they viii lose a great deal
Of money by il if they are not care
full FIe makes the emphatic decla-
ration that the tendency at present
is similar to that which existed In
stage productions few years ago,
and which practically killed melo-
drama on the stage.
MY objection is that the directors
insist unduly upon striking or sensa-
tional incident, scenic incidentals,
and dramatic effect at the cost Of
clear. interesting story interest
continued the playwright. IF the
feature picture is 10 develop, it seems
TO me il must work out a dramatic
art of its own. This lifting of stories
from the stage will carry it nowhere
IN particular. The need appears to
be a clearly developed story with its
charac ter. relations adequately set
forth That a character performs
some spectac ula- deed does not seem
10 me q speak entirely from my
knowledge of the stage, and not of
the screen. of which am uniform
ed as important as that the spec
tacular deed be of vital purpose in
tho setting forth OF the story.
Years ago we used to know our
popular price audiences to the last
trcmor We fed them thrills and
shudders TO the limit of human en-
duraEoe. They seemed to like il. I
reed scarcely point out how mis-
taken our policy was. That's the
str'csl history.
TO attain the best in the photo
play art { should think the scenario
should be written as a screen unit
~ a scenario artist who knew his
craft and worked from his own in
spiration not by q scenario writer
given a block OF material TO adapt
70 the&.anera's needs. No man has
ever successfully dramatized
novel How. then. should the see
mario writer's, skillful as they IN
doubtedlr are. he more successful
CT. NJ