Arizona republican., 1921-10-16

eraily be sold to magazine for more 1 than a movie will give. Once sold to a magazine, it stands much better chance of being sold to the movies The full story shows its dramatic values and a sale to the movies means double pay. Furthermore, a story sent to a magazine is almost certain to be read and considered.
 The only exception to these re- marks is the professional scenario writers employed by the motion pie ture companies. The existence of these highly trained experts within the studios is a natural result of the evolution of the movies. It is their duty to take stories, novels or plays which the companies have purchased and pick out the episodes that can be photographed. write explanatory titles and generally arrange the ma terial for screen production.
 When story writers attempt these arrangements or continuity as it is called, the compete with these specialists. It is not worth doing. And the expert continuity writers in general find that it is a waste of their time to try to invent plots or write stories. For one thing. they are too busy, and their mastery of continuity is no guarantee of their knowing anything at all about ere ative writing.
 Let the story writer by all means stick to his craft. If his work pos sesses motion picture possibilities the movies will find him out. He can give his idea a real run for the money only in story form.
 One scenario editor of a large New York producing company says that the amateurs first effort is usually his best, embodying in all likelihood some personai experience of dramatic value in his own life. If the utter lack of art in dramatic composition l does not completely obscure the dra- matte values of the script" it may be accepted. Forthwith, the writer decides that he must be a genius, and no amount Of future Encouragement can make him doubt it. He reflects | that Ibsen was middle-aged before he achieved fame. that Noltaire was over 50 before he produced his best work. | Perhaps he, too, is destined to win recognition only in his declining years. So he keeps on scenarioizing. According to the scenario editor. dozens of expert mechanics. barbers and tailors have been ruined by the 1 acceptance of chance scenario. | Having been successful once, they | cannot understand why they should not be again, ana hence they devote | their time and energy, which might be profitably applied to their trades. l to dasEing off scenarios hopelessly i lacking iA merit Some, failing to ! get their work accepted by estab lished motion picture companies, but never doubting their own high abil- i ity, have squandered their savings as a r.FT Re. in producing their own stories.
 A Martyr to Art
 There is the case of Tony, for eX- | ample, formerly secon1 violin in a moving picture orchestra, who firmly 1 believed he could write scenarios ] which would surpass most of those he had seen on the screen. Mrs. Tony, who admired Tony very much, | thought so, too. So she let him have | the money her father had left her in ] order that he might found his own | company. hire an expensive cast and produce his own works of art All of tEis required so much more financ- ing han they had estimated that Mrs Tony's money was soon gone, and she was rushing around franti- 1 cally borrowing from friends and rel atives. After the first contributions,
 
 friends al d relatives to contribute more, because they did not wish to see the ship gC down carrying with 1t the money they had already in- vested. Thus Tony was able to com plete his picture. But-he is now hunting for some kind friends and relatives who will buy it!
 Before the bog feature picture came into vogue says our friend. the scenarioo editor, and the unit of motion picture entertainment was the single reel-1,000 feet-there was naturally a greater number of sub jects and the chances of the scenario writer were a little better The compensation in those days, however was ridiculously small. The scenario was the least important considera- ton in the making of a picture ] know of one director who used to gather his players in New York and take the ferry to Fort Lee, N. J.. where the studio was located. He wrote his own scenario on his cuffs after the ferry left the New York side.'
 For a long period the scenario re- Imained an extremely minor feature compared to the importance of the star. The public went to see its ; favorite moving picture actors and actresses regardless of the type of stories they appered in; glaring dis , lcrepancies in the narrative did not , bother them But gradually as tho . humber of stars increased and the delightful novelty of moving pictures
 wore off, they began to turn a mildly critical eye upon the stories. TheI
 the day of the scenario writeI dawned. Companies started hirins Q individuals at large salaries to dc 2 nothing but write scenarios for cer
 tain stars, while scenarios w