The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-05-21

we 90 not read every scenario that
comes into the office. No, indeed.
(Chorus Of "I-told-you-so's" from
great army Of readers. who are also
photoplay writers.)
1t Is best to get the worst OF this
confession of my mind at the very
beginning. Some confessions will
follow which will put my first state
ments in a much better light.
Now that you know the very worst,
settle back and read the tale OF woe
Of a scenario-editor, who has an av-
erage Of thousand photoplay SEQ
narios shunted ON his desk every
week.
First, I do not accept more than
i've Of this weekly thousand. Gener-
ally, / find no more than three out
of the lot that believe worthy of
production.
Second. I accept on an average as
many photoplays that are unsram-
matical and technically incorrect as
I do those which are perfect in tech
nique. tipping. spelling. pronuncia-
ton and SO forth.
II all that was needed was ii per-
feet manuscript, we could have that
done right here in the office by typ
fists. What we are after is TO be
summarized in one word-ldeasi
II you have nerves. If anything out
of the ordinary upsets you. If you
must have your work run smoothly.
never become a scenarlo-editor. All
in the same mail you will be cursed
and blessed, you will be reviled aad
addressed in most endearing terms.
You will get manuscripts in almost
every known language, in every
Imaginable form and some score of
forms no one would imagine possible.
Just as you get your desk cleared SUI
ticiently SO that you can rest u mo-
ment and fill your pipe, the Office
boy will come along and empty bas-
ket on scripts right where you laid
your pipe and tobacco and you will
sigh and dig through them and give
up your smoke for another half-hour.
l can almost hear every person who
has ever written photoplay--and
there are mighty few who haven't
exclaim why doesn't he tell us why
he won't read every scenario sent
him?"
Very well. here's the reason:
Did you ever see a barrel OF ap-
pies In the market In which all the
poorest, meanest, littlest, most spot
ted and wrinkled were piled on top?
No. sir! All the biggest and best and
reddest and shiniest are on the top.
Now the synopsis is to scenario
what the top apples are to full bar
rel. II the synopsis is worthless. i'm
possible to produce, plotless, and
whoop in a deaf-and-dumb asylum.
why should l waste time reading the
whole scenario?
I should not and lido not.
II the synopsis contains new idea,
plausible plot, one that can be pro-
duced and make good drama CIR
comedy. read every word of the
scenario carefully and the chances
are may find sufficient material
therein to warrant purchasing II and
having it produced.
II the synopsis is worthless. stop
at the end-and sometimes midw1y-l
OF 1t in the reading. apply my editor
ial tongue to the gummed flap of the
return envelope and have the whole
thing sent back. My experience has
been that not more than twenty per
cent OF the scenarios written have a
synopsis OF sufficient merit to win
any further reading.
None of the big concerns steal
writer's plot. There is no desire to
do 1t. The wise business man, wheth-
er he is selling shoe strings or bat
tleships. knows he cannot continue
in business II he is dishonest. Fur
thermore. the big producing COM
panies can get goci material much
cheaper by buying 1t than by hiring
high-priced writers TO steal material
and work it over.
Thousands of people have written
scenarios and sold them and never
to their knowledge, seen their brain
child on the screen. The reason is
that the scenario-editor has changed
the title. shifted the plot all around
and made the whole thing over. The
author wouldn't recognize IL. Yet
his good idea was there and his
crude but good plot. and for this he
was paid. Not one scenario in 4
thousand ever gets over as the au-
thor wrote 1t.
One of the biggest spectacular
photoplays of fews years ago. in
which famous woman took part. was
written by a high-priced scenario