The Washington times., 1914-09-24
THE BEST
Photopldy Department in
i. WASHINGTON
Improved Acting Due
To Better Plays
Now Written
For Film.

The great lack of the motion pic
lures. according to the makers tnere-
of, is plays. The day has passed.
according to these experts, when any
old scenario can be produced with
any degree of success. The olu
scheme of getting a lot of actors
and actresses together and writing
a play around an acciden' that
might befall one of them ha, been
left way behind. The result is that
the producing companies are now
hard put to get real plays. They
have seen the folly of producing
the catch penny ideas that were
formerly used for filters in between
big stories and have decided that
hereafter every play must have a
big punch whether it is a split reel
comedy or a siX-reel production OF
the big dramatized novel.
Several of the larger producers
are now at work producing plays
by recognized authors of fiction. 1t
will be noticed that when such work
is commenced in the studios that
the general standard of the whole
product improves. Something OF
this sort was noticeable in the Is
sanay product and when Francis
Bushman was in Washington early
this week l took occasion to ask
him what had happened to bring
about such a decided improvement
in every line of Essanay endeaNor.
He said very promptly that it was
due TO the improved quality of the
plays. Mr.. Bushman is one Of the
he IEhn has dnna
n great deal personally to improve
the quality of acting before the
camera and his influence has had
most decided effect on his fellow
players.
In discussing the matter Mr.. Bush
man said that one of the reasons
better plays have an uplifting ef-
feet on the entire product is that
actors and actresses take more care
in the development of the characters
in the good plays that have some
character to them and the drilling
they get in this is naturally COM
municated to their work in plays of
lesser value. The work of the di
rector is better in quality in the
good play than the bad because ne
is not called upon to invent so much
of the action.
The statements of Mr.. Bushman
are more than confirmed by the eX-
perience of Horace G. Plimpton.
general director of the Edison Com
pany.
1t seems strange" Mr.. Plimpton
states, that it has taken almost five
years for tbSeproducars generally to
realize the NIue Of utilizing promi-
rent current fiction for motion pic
lures.
If the motion picture play holds
its popularity in Its present form. the
development will be in the line of
better plots" he says. We cannot i'm
prove the acting for we have obtain
ed the very best Present-day photog-
raphy cannot be improved upon.
But we can have better stories. OF
course, in the five years ! have been
connected with the motion picture
business I have seen a great many
changes, and I wouldn't dare go on
record as saying the motion picture
play has reached its zenith. Rather.
| prefer to believe that the future
holds a great many changes. 1 am
not certain about the permanency
of the present picture, and perhaps
something may happen to revolution
lze the art-perhaps the talking pic
ture will come next Who knows?
In the next FIVE or ten years it may
be possible to give an evenings en-
tertainment with the talking pic
lures, presenting III 1Ne OF SIX reefs
some well-known play.
The picture director says MI
Plimpton. is supreme in his do
main. With the rapidity necessary
to the production of a certain num-
ber of pictures weekly the motion
picture director must be allowed to
do his work unhampered. and as he
sees fit. allowing, of course, that due
attention has been given the scenario
prior to its being turned over to the
director. / believe the scenario
writer should be taken into CONSUL
tation in a measure by the director
before the picture is produced, and
At the Edison studio try to assim-
iIate the position Of the scenario
writer. 1t is Impossible for us to
have the author of a script on the
grounds. since We buy scenarios from
all over the country"