How to write photoplays

Chapter 13: LESSON XII. Plays That Are Practical for the Camera.

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About This Book

A practical, step-by-step manual for crafting silent-film scenarios, covering technical studio terms, idea development, plot formation, and scenario formatting. It explains scene construction, continuity, close-ups, leaders and subtitles, inserts, and stage settings; advises on cast lists, synopses, manuscript preparation, censorship and copyright, selling plays, and production considerations. Lessons address pacing, reel length, emotional effect, crisis and climax, and camera-friendly storytelling, and offer guidance on presentation, common pitfalls, and business practices for submitting work to producers and editors.

LESSON XII.
Plays That Are Practical for the Camera.

It is not advisable to write scenes that are exceptionally difficult to photograph, such as a battle in the air, or a conflict in which too great a number of people are engaged.

Try and lay your scenes in such a way that they can be enacted in the Studio or the nearby outside surrounding territory of the producer’s plant.

When reading over your play, examine your different scenes and consider if it is possible for the camera man to photograph them without entailing big expense.