Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-29
BY HARRY o. HoYT
Head Of the Metro Scenario STAR

yIoU may write a splendid photoplay yet
i. find It is not salable. 1t may lack
logic. ''why" and How" and where"
and when" are the four words that thresh
your scenarios They are the stock In
trade OF the scenario editor. as they right
fully should be. He knows that most
writer's fail to make their stories logical
and by applying the acid test contained in
these words can readily discover the weak.
ness In their plots You cannot be eN.
pected to write photoplays that have every
objection met, but you must write stories
that will pass the inquisition Of the above.
mentioned four words. Your ability to
write for the screen rests upon this exam.
nation.
The word why" is the most important
Stories that have certain things just hap.
pen are very common. John Just happens
to meet Mary on Avenue A, when she would
normally be on Fifth avenue. The rescue
party Just happens at the right time to ar.
rive and save the heroine.
Such stories cannot bear the scrutiny of
"Why?" "Why7" kills all coincidence.
II you are writing a short story or
novel you can use coincidence without at
tracing attention.
The clever writer leaves many things to
the imagination. You read story and are
80 carried along by the story as story
that you do not stop to analyze 1t, The hero
and heroine meet accidentally. and you are
glad to have them meet this way. II is
romance Their adventures are followed
breathlessly and unless the situations be.
come absurd in their impossibility no one
ever questions them.
Many times the author will deliberately
omit explanations, but will 80 cover such
an omission with other action that IL is
not noticed. When this story Is put in
photoplay form, however, we run up against
n stone wall. We are compelled to show
in picture action all that transpires. We
have no wel-turned phrases to help us out
All we, as an audience, know about the
story is what we see. There is a vast diff.
ference between vlsualizing a story, when
reading II, and having the INSTALLATION
done for you.
In the first case the mind unconsciously
and willingly slips past coincidence and
illogical situations for the sake of the story
When the story Is transferred to the screen
the eye becomes a great logician. All the
weak threads of the story fairly Shrek their
weakness. Unconsclously the word "why?"
damns the tale.
II the story does not show why" the
audience seeks the answer. For moment
the thread of the story is lost to them while
they seek n solution of the problem.
This is a complex and psychological
study. Why can we read n story concerning
peculiar stone that reflects hate or anger
when the villain is around and laugh at
the absurdity of the self-same story when
1t is thrown on the screen?
1t is the difference In two mental inn
pressons. Fundamentally there Is no diff
ference. The same faults can be- found in
both the written story and the picturized
version. Probably every one has read a
story that would seem to make an ideal
picture Yet If this story was picturlzed
the weaknesses 1t would disclose, many
times, would be startling
Coincidence can be tolerated only so far.
After a certain point the audience becomes
skeptlcal Its skepticsm turns to laughter
and a good production is spoiled Expert
| enced scenario writer's. in preparing a story
for production, often spend days trying to
avoid coincidence.
+ An example comes to mind in connection
with n forthcoming Metro picture.
How many times have we all seen a man
| pick up n newspaper and discover an item
| just at the moment when he should dis
cover II. 1t is accidental. If the discovery
were made at any other time in the picture
It would not be so effective.
In the Metro picture mentioned above 1t
was necessary for the hero to make such n
discovery. Some boys in Western min
ing camp advertise for wife for one of
their number. At first Lewis as this char
acter is called, is indignant. but. on re-
ceiving a picture of a pretty girl, whom
we have seen to be in difficulties in a
neighboring city, he resolves to accept, and
wires her to come on,
The new twist to this particular incident