Frank E. Woods — Scenarios and Scenario Writers (1914) 🇺🇸
An interview with Frank E. Woods, scenario editor for reliance mutual movies.
No department of the motion picture industry is more interesting to the “fan” than the scenario department, and no authority is held in higher regard than Frank E. Woods, editor of the Reliance scenarios for Mutual Movies. Asked to talk on scenarios and scenario writers, Mr. Woods said:
“Something has been said in the papers about the Mutual acquiring from the publishers motion picture rights in a large number of copyrighted stories published in magazines, and that some of the authors who had sold all rights to their stories to publishers felt that they were not being justly treated. It should be understood that there are but a limited number of copyrighted stories suitable for motion picture production, and, that once this supply is exhausted by production in pictures, the producing companies will be obliged to depend upon new stories obtained through publishers or from the authors direct.
“The limited number of available plots and the large number of picture productions should make it apparent that the existing plots will be used up eventually. It follows that the demand for new plots must increase their value and add to the income of fiction writers.
“We feel that by going into the production of stories by writers “of reputation we are establishing their standing in the motion picture field and they, in a very short time, will feel the benefit of the demand which we are creating. Picture stories by recognized writers surely are of more value than stories by unknown writers.
“It seems reasonable to suppose that in the future the fiction writer will have in mind the picture possibilities in arranging his plots, and the influence of motion picture construction will become a powerful factor in literature. The number of well-known writers who are turning their attention to picture requirements is already very extensive. We have received interested inquiries from many of the best-known writers in this country and in Europe and, have established relations with many of them, among whom are Richard Harding Davis, George Ade, George Pattullo, Paul Armstrong, Thomas Dixon, Homer Croy, Margaret Deland, E. Phillips Oppenheim, Earl Derr Biggers, Daniel Carson Goodman, Arnold Bennett, Carolyn Wells, Paul West, Roy McCardell, Robert H. Davis, Thomas Nelson Page, Wallace Irwin, John Luther Long, Gertrude Atherton, Emerson Hough, Mary Wilkins Freeman, Roy Norton, Edward W. Townsend, Cleveland Moffett, Cyrus Townsend Brady, George W. Cable and E. W. Hornung.
“In soliciting material from fiction writers it has been found more satisfactory to ‘buy from them merely the motion picture rights to their stories than to have them prepare working scenarios or, more properly speaking, picture plays. The writer trained in writing fiction or even in writing stage drama does not readily acquire the motion picture technic. One must learn to think in a motion picture way before he can properly prepare a working “script” for the motion picture director. The writer for the stage is confined to a limited number of locations. He must locate his situations in a few scenes. The novel writer can roam over the entire earth in narrating his story, and much of this liberty of space and time applies to the picture story.
“The evolution of the motion picture story has been interesting. Originally, plots submitted to the producers were called suggestions. The price was five dollars. That was prior to 1908. Then the price went up to ten dollars, fifteen dollars, and even twenty-five, and the suggestions took the form of well developed compositions, which were followed with more or less faithfulness by the producing directors.
“It was D. W. Griffith, working for the Biograph Company in 1908, who first gave the motion picture story its upward trend. He was the first man who favored more money for the author and the foremost man of his time in giving the picture play a definite form and standard. Those who wrote picture plays in the early days, and. I was one of them, will not fail to remember the almost prophetic vision with which he foresaw and anticipated virtually every important development of the infant art.
“Motion picture plots and plays now bring their authors fairly remunerative pay, ranging from twenty-five dollars to hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars, depending on the magnitude of the subjects and the prominence of the authors.
“There are as many styles of motion picture story compositions. Many writers go into the most minute detail in setting down the action or ‘business’ of the consecutive scenes. Some producing companies prefer scenarios written in this way, provided proper regard is shown for the possibilities of the camera and of motion picture requirements. Few writers are qualified to meet these conditions, and it is sheer waste of time for the average writer.
“In considering submitted manuscripts, all editors confine themselves to the synopsis of the stories which should invariably accompany each ‘script.’ The synopsis should be short and to the point — a brief outline of the plot.”
The Buzzer
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“The Pursuer Pursued” — American
Collection: Reel Life Magazine, February 1914