The Washington times., 1914-11-03
THE BEST
Photopldy Department in
WASHINGTON
to Aspiring
Scenario Writers
From One of
the Experts

There have been so many INQUIRIES
directed to The Times by aspiring
photoplaywrights and so much infor-
nation requested as to how scena-
rios should be written and where
sent, that It has been embarrassing
and difficult many times to answer
them all. Almost every one who
witnesses a motion picture produc-
tion seems to have the idea that he
or she can write a scenario. One
of the best authorities m the coun-
try on the subject Is Eppes Win
throp Sargent. who, in addition TO
writing book about it, conducts a
department devoted to the photo
playwright in the Moving Picture
World. Mr.. Sargents ideas as to
whether the scenario writing busi-
ness is good one to embark upon,
must be regarded as the opinions of
an expert. Therefore. it seems that
many of our correspondents could
secure some valuable information
from a statement which Mr.. Sargent
has recently published. Here it is:
There Is not now and has never
Yet been a sufficient demand for
photoplay scripts from the general
market to warrant any writer in
seeking to gain a livelihood from
photoplays alone unless he has what
virtually amounts to a contract. Un-
Til the writer has for some time
gained from photoplay writing an
income in excess Of that accruing
from hise daily employment, II is an
error to throw aside the vocation for
the avocation. This has been the
case, and always will be the case,
In photoplay, as Ii is in fiction.
There are comparatively few persons
who derive a satisfactory income
from writing fiction stories alone.
There are fewer who can accomplish
the same result in photoplay, be-
cause the market Is smaller. And
the more experienced the writer the
less apt he is to trust to one me-
dunn alone
Let us consider the photoplay
market moment. 1t Is, first Of all,
useless to reckon with the feature
film companies. Most of their work
is done in the studio or by writer's
who are told precisely what to write.
They are not in the general market.
for their needs are few and peculiar.
This leaves perhaps ninety to 125
subjects a week released on pro-
gram. OF the Licensed releases,
there are four companies largely
served by STAFF writers, though prac-
tically all will purchase from the
outside II good stuff presents itself.
Universal trusts largely to the
scheme OF hiring directors who write
their own product ons. The market
here is very small.
Most of the Mutual companies are
in the market, though some of them
make but few purchases from out
siders. 1t is a liberal estimate to
say that thirty TO forty scripts are
purchased from the outside each
week There are a hundred or moro
writer's who regularly produce pur-
chasable stun. Many of them must
take turns. When writer's work up
to a certain standard they are either
amounts to q staff position. Until
ttat time they cannot command a
steady income.
1T is foolish, then, for any writer.
to abandon q steady income for
precarious one. Just as a matter
OF fact few regular writer's not &C
tually on salary Gn opposition to
star writers, who are paid BY the
script have not some work that
brings them a regular income.
''One brilliant writer gives a couple
Of hours q day to an advertising
agency looking over their material
and giving a final revise. Another
Is in the railway mail service. Will
liam Lord Wright runs a daily paper
and does special work. Roy McCar-
DELL has only lately given UP all but
his 'Jarr' and syndicate stuff with
the New York World. and at that he
still has a dozen irons in the fire.
One man is printer. another a
physician, a third a dentist. All,
IN spite OF their STAFF position, do
other and more certain work. The
same holds good in more general
sense in fiction work. Not more than
2 per cent OF the writer's look to
fiction alone for their incomes. They
know the uncertainties of the work
and they are well assured OF a per-
manent success before they cut loose
from their other work. r. W. Mat
lack probably makes more money
from scripts than he does from train
dispatchinE. but he knows the lat
ter job will last year after year.
An editor may pronounce a script
20 be good and yet not buy IL be-
cause il does not suit him. A second
editor may find another point OF OBJ
lection, and so IL goes until a good
script has been the rounds unpur-
chased II is still a good script, but
net an available one. AT this mo-
ment the market is somewhat con-
tracted because of the foolish war
scare. but at best the author is at the
mercy Of fewer than fifty persons.
He must suit one or more Of them or
make no sale. II is still a precarious
business. Editors are but human and
have their likes and dislikes The
COED script is apt TO land eventually.
but II must be a really good script
and not merely one the author likes
and one editor says is good. The
business is and always will be A sur
vival OF the fittest. and II is mp to
each writer to make himself one Of
the fittest, and not only that one but
one OF the leaders What was good a
year ago is moderately poor now. and
what was considered good four years
ago would be regarded as hopeless
now The business progresses. and
while II is growing bigger and broad
er, IL is also growing more eXacting.
one must keep up with the process
sion.
Until you can be certain Of making
St least 81 600 a wear because that