Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-03-05
act OF the editorial

mostly the product OF the editorial
room.
The reason for this apparent. No
young man with brains to be n news
paperman would be one II he did
not have an itch for news. Once he
learns to write news. his ambition
drives him to write news in its more
entertaining and enduring forms
which is in the form Of story or
drama.
We do not mean to set forth that
all newspaper men are potential
photodramatists any more than they
are destined TO become dramatists
by the mere process of wishing 10
become SO. \ great number of pco-
pie try to write plays. The offices
of stage producers are flooded with
their efforts, yet in one generation
of a nation of 110000.0OO people
there are not more than twenty-five
cmincntly successful tirst-rate play
wrights.
have the word OF successful
playwrights who have tried both
mediums of expression that 1t is just
as hard to write IA good photodrama
as To write good drama. What
wonder. then, that the thoughtful
motion picture producer Will tell
YOU he does not believe there are
more than twenty-five first-rate
workmen in the field OF picture play
"writing?" Some would put the fig
urc much lower. by stating these
things. l do not mean to discourage
anyone with talent Men and women
with talent and perseverance are
not discouraged by obstacles: their
ambition is rather whetted by them.
These observations on the contrary
are set down with the view of en-
enlargement They prove. If any
thing. that there is room for those
with talent in this profession.
Frank T.. Woods, who was the first
70 do motion picture criticism ser
iouSly. and who Is now dean OF
American photoplaywrights-in fact
at one time or another he has had
almost all the writer's" of pictures
under personal observation says
that it takes at least five years 10
develop Il reasonably efficient seen
ario writer. He means five years In
Il studio. And those five years are
presumed to follow n broad and
varied experience out in the world
with n pair of eyes that have been
trained to observe and n mind
habitually tuckinE the obscrvances
away for future reference.
The newspaper man usually wan
dcrs from one city to another over
period of years before he settles
down to one place. Thus. the news
paper trained mind comes to the
studio ripe for the task.
The same experience might be
said to occur TO the Observant thea
trical person. For instance. Walter
Woods. Ono relation of Frank FL
who was the production editor or
1.-The Covered Wagon" and to whom
a great deal of credit for the success
of that picture should go. was an
actor manager for years with stock
companies. lie Travelled much, OBJ
serving. storing away knowledge
often writing and rewriting plays
between two suns 10 tit the needs OF
his stock company. He did not
know II, but the experience was fit
ting him TO write some of the best
examples of the photoplaywrigbt
art that has entertained the pubic
in the past few years.
Now. laying aside the newspaper
man and the one with theatrical en-
pericnce for the moment let us say
that there are undoubtedly thons-
ands of potential screen playwrights
scattered throughout the world
and. i'm our next. we will discuss
their plight.