New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-04
One of Leading Writers
For the Film Holds Out
Hope for the Beginner

Writing for the screen has not vet
become q recognized field of the crafts
man in the sense that magazine writing
has become; all the more reason, then,
that the few men to-day who are writ
ing direct for the screen should be lis
tened to with attention. They are the
pioneers in a field where hundreds will
be working later. Screen stories just
at present come from one Of three
sourccs-stage plays, novels or short
stories and original stories.
The greatest Of these three, accord
Ing to G. Gardner Sullivan, author Of
"Civilization" and one of the first men
to write direct for the screen, is the
story written expressly for the screen
by one who knows the possibilities and
impossibilities of the screen. 1t re-
suits in a better picture than car be
made by taking a we'll known book or
play, and, after gripping it, bringing
it to the screen in such a form that its
own author would not recognize it.
Mr.. Sullivan, who has been writing
for the screen for six years, came to it
by the road that leads so many to
magazine writing or play writing
newspaper work. An experienced news
work his love of writing and a certain
faith in the possibility of writing d.
rect for the screen. Given that as
capital, he has succeeded SO we'll that
to-day he is not only one of the high
est paid writers for the screen, but
also one of the most successful.
Parenthetically, tho success Of the
screen writer is indicated almost en-
tirely by the success of the star for
whom he writes the vohicles. As yet
the motion picture audiences of the
oN,tv+V,, bora rr% oo,, b. Ioo1. e.. 4l.z:.
favorite authors name ON the screen
play as they lock for it on the maya
zine cover. Instead they look for the
name of their favorite star. If, then,
a certain writer for the screen, by
writing a certain sort of film play, de-
velops the full power Of the screen
star. success has been gained by the
writer. Mr.. Sullivan, for example, ex-
planned that he has been very fortunate
in the plays which he has written for
Louise Glaum; it is due to the intimate
knowledge that he has Of this stars
temperament and characteristics.
The talk swung to g. consideration OF
the possibility Of teaching the craft or
photoplay writing.
"To the man who wants to write be-
cause he has something to say" said
Mr.. Sullivan, "such courses will never
matter much. A certain omouat Of
technical information can be gained
through such courses, of course, but
that is not what is needed on the
screen. Let me illustrate. One day we
received in the usual heap of manu-
scripts a synopsis written in pencil,
with all sorts Of odd mistakes in spell
ing and grammar. 1t looked like a
frightful task for the readers. But in
that manuscript was the germ OF a
corNing idea, and we bought the story.
The writer was a young West Virginia
girl, who knew nothing of the tech
nlque of the screen and little Of the
ordinary rules Of handling the English
language. She had what was more I'M
p%ortant, an instructive idea of the way
to handle dramatic situations. To-day
she is going to night school out at our
Western studio, learning to spell and
to write grammatical English. Outside
of these simple requirements for the
sake Of our readers, she needs no train
ing. She has the ability, and it doesn't
matter whether she can write with con-
tinuity or not"
1t seems to be q case Of ITO him
that hath" etc, in writing for the
screen. 1t is borne out by Sullivan's
own experience, and by the fact that
about one out Of every four thousand
manuscripts that come to Thomas H.
lnce's readers is accepted. So If you
have the gift you needn't worry
about the twenty-lesson correspondence
courses. If you haven't tho gift take the
course by all means. as it will give you
a good cxcuse If you fail.