The Washington times., 1915-08-27
THE BEST
Photopldy Department in
WASHINGTON
Thrill Made Dramas
to Give Way to
Drdmd-Mdde
Thrills

The thrill as the chief feature Is
losing caste in the photoplay. ac-
cording to some of the best known
producers and authors. The thrill.
they declare. is like a lurid poster
its effect IA but momentary. What
the. producers are now trying to Sc
cure are film plays that will carry
big emotional appeals and will grad
ually create tension in the audience
by reason of dramatic sequence Of
events.
When J. stuart Blackton. president
Of the Vitagraph Company. was in
Washington a short time ago. he
made some interesting observations
regarding the thrill as business
compeller. He thought the day of
the thrill had passed; that is. the
day Of the thrill simply as a thrill.
He declared that when a photoplay
has a thrill nowadays 1t must Be
because 1t belongs in the play. and
ID reached through a series of Incl
dents that prepares the audience.
that works on the emotions of the
audience.
Il think the day when the photo
play director secured his thrilling
scene by accident and then built a
scenario around 1t has gone" he
declared I'VE have had one or two
plays of that sort In the course OF
our work. We found big wreck
or a thrilling accident which we pho
tographed. and then set our scenario
department to work on it.
We had an interesting experience
with one film of that kinda real
thriller and real properties with
which to work 1t. The film was sue
cess of a certain kind. 1t command
ed attention because it was well act
ed and superbly photographed. But
its story was inherently weak. 1t
photoplay. And ! don't believe we
want to try the experiment again.
Il know it has been a common
experience for directors to do that
sort of thing. Really they were
compelled by the demand for new
plays. to revert to such methods
No one outside of the Aim business
can realize the demand that is made
Tor big melodramatic productions.
We do the best we can with ma
terial on hand. OF course what I
have said relates to the past Of
the film.
I'VE were compelled to create our
own standards. educate our d.
rectors and our actors. There was
hotAiilS Hhe tie pHOlOplaS, ana no.
BODY knew what to do or how to do
It. We have educated them. l don't
believe that there are any better
forms of dramatic entertainment
than the plays that are now being
turned out-not alone by my COM
pany but by others. And I feel
certain that our plays are we'll put
together and Well acted. And that
the plays themselves are complete
and satisfying productions"
In view Of Mr.. Blackton's state
ments it is interesting to learn the
ideas OF the latest recruit in the
ranks Of the photoplaywrights, DR..
Daniel Carson Goodman, who as a
dramatist is we'll known through the
country. Dr. Goodman is the aNthor
of several successful plays on the
stage, and he has recently been
engaged by the Lubin Company to
write them series of photoplays.
To my mind the Towering of the
evolutionary process In motion
pictures has brought about
change. so far as the manura curing
end is concerned. in the usual or
der Of stunt pictures and dramatic
climaxes," DR.. Goodman says. To
day we end the audiences tired Of
the physical stunts, jumping over
cliffs, hair-breadth escapes from
moving trains. etc. | have watched
faces in a moving picture audi
ence, and noted the fact that n face
will depict surprise. rr horror, or
emotional tenseness in direct pro-
portion to the emotional value con-
tanned within the picture. I will
illustrate what | mean by saving,
whereas an auditor is held spell
bound for from three to FIVE sec
onds by plupgins automobile.
which fact only surprises him and
Is not emotional. he is held for an
indefinite period by tho working out
OF dramatic situation which
catches at his heart-strings and his
mind.
This is the new order. The primal
influence upon peorle is through
their understanding and on their
emotions rather than by blatant
sounds against their e"r-drums or by
some terrifying thi~~ which affects
only their vision. There IA con-
viction within me that within one
year not picture over one reel in
length will have stunt of the
physical kind in Il. This me~ns
better stories on the part Of the
manufacturing concerns to meet the
higher and more Intelligent demands
OF the moving Dicture audiences