San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-20

| lures because he looks out upon life
with its heroics and travesties from
fixed standpoint. For confirmation
recall the peculiar SAVIOR of ''The Old
Homestead" "One Glorious Day."
The Covered Wagon" "Ruggles of
Red GAP" ITO the ladies'" Holly
wood" and "The Fighting Coward"
Cruze traversed repertoire and
vaudeville on his way to pictures, be-
coming leading man in melodramas at
Bunny were the big names in movies.
and receiving then fabulous salary of
J 5000 per week.
An injury laid him up for a year.
while the industry passed him by. He
began again in Hollywood as an extra
at s. day. That indicates the quail
ity of his courage.
Blessed is the person who doesn't
account himself a potential movie au-
thor, for he shall escape the bitterness
of rejection slip.
An amateur scenario has about as
much chance of sale in Hollywood as
the proverbial camel with the eye of
a needle.
Daily this writer. because of his
close association with picture produc-
ers, is solicited by mail for advice on
preparing and marketing motion pic
ture scripts. These inquiries far ex-
coed those of any other nature.
Taking this means of broadcasting
a reply, my advice is: Devote your
time and energy 10 something with a
better gambling chance.
Anyone who can write an acceptable
scenario can write salable magazine
story. The latter is surer and more
lucrative. And once the story has
been published it has some chance of
being converted into a photoplay.
A well-known scenario school re-
Gently produced its first-so far as /
know-movie frem the scripts of its
thousands of pupils, The Goldwyn
Studios state that of 1000 manuscripts
lately submitted not one proved avail
able. Lasky's report is just as dis
ccuraging to the novice. The blunt
fact is that there is practically no
market for these screeds.
Contrary popular lieflstarts from
those departed days when the scenario
contest and the beauty contest, pri-
marily publicity stunts, were in their
heyday. Both proved unsatisfactory
to. the participants. with rare excep-
tons. save for the exploitation value
to pictnre companies.
To the masses who yearn to break !
into print and renown, the scenario |
seems an easy, painless method. de- |
nending little upon writing craft |
Somewhere, the opinion has been |
cleaned that movie scripts require only |
the bald statement of an idea. labeled |
a plot. And no matter how inarticu- |
late or illiterate (not necessarily ig- !
norant l--folk share the common delu- |
sions that they possess novel, original |
dramatic ideas.
So-they write the great American \
movie plot, by tens of thousands. on !
grocery wrappers, fruitcan labels or
scented note paper.
II is one of those distressing incon-
gruities besetting the would-be movie
author that producers who wo=ld be
most apt to buy originals are the very |
one who stress characterization. treat !
melt. viewpoint in their pictures. with |
so-ealled plot almost ncgligible-the /
elements that are so rare as to be vir- 4
tually non-existent in amateur prod
uct.
Studios which stress plot and melo-
drama, on the other hand. have their
stories prepared by writing staffs al
most exclusively. q