THE PHOTODRAMA

THE PHILOSOPHY OF ITS PRINCIPLES, THE NATURE OF ITS PLOT, ITS DRAMATIC CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNIQUE ILLUMINED BY COPIOUS EXAMPLES

TOGETHER WITH

A COMPLETE PHOTOPLAY AND A GLOSSARY

MAKING THE WORK

A PRACTICAL TREATISE

BY

HENRY ALBERT PHILLIPS

Author of “The Plot of the Short Story,” “Art in Short Story Narration,” Formerly of Staff of Pathé Frères, Successful Contestant in Vitagraph-Sun Contest

INTRODUCTION BY

J. STUART BLACKTON

Pioneer Manufacturer and Producer and Secretary of The Vitagraph Company of America

(SECOND EDITION)

THE STANHOPE-DODGE PUBLISHING COMPANY

LARCHMONT, NEW YORK, U. S. A.

Copyright, 1914, by

HENRY ALBERT PHILLIPS

(Published September, 1914)

The William G. Hewitt Press Brooklyn, New York

TO ALL LITERARY WORKERS WHO STRIVE TO ELEVATE AND DIGNIFY THE PHOTODRAMA I DEDICATE THIS LITTLE VOLUME

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

INTRODUCTION ix

FOREWORD xv

PART I.—THE PRINCIPLES OF THE PHOTODRAMA.

I. —A NEW MEDIUM OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION The Premise of All Art; the Battle of New Standards; the Drama of the Eye; Not “Moving Pictures”; All the World’s the Stage; a Field Without Limitations. 27

II. —DIFFERENTIATION How Photodrama Differs from Stage Drama in Construction, Technique and Expression; Also from Fiction Construction and Narration in General and the Short Story and Novel in Particular. 32

III. —PARTS OF THE PHOTOPLAY AND THEIR PURPOSES Title; Synopsis; Cast of Characters; Author’s Remarks; Scenario; the Scene; the Setting. 39

IV. —VARIOUS DEVICES—THEIR USE AND MISUSE The Caption; the Insert; the Close-View; the Vision; Dialog; Breaking Up Long Scenes; Preserving the Illusion. 48

V. —VISUALIZATION Its Relation to Action; Importance of Vocabulary; Literature; to Register; Interpretation; in Terms of Emotion; the Part of Imagination. 65

VI. —CHARACTERIZATION Identity and Personality; Characteristics and Idiosyncrasies; Description and Delineation; Establishing Relationship; Motives; Expression; Contrasts. 75

VII. —THEME, TREATMENT AND THE CENSOR Morals and Ethics; Crime; National Board of Censorship; Taste; Inspiration and Influence. 87

VIII. —RULES OF THE GAME Duration and Number of Scenes; Perpetual Motion; the “Now” Element; Effective Form; Natural Laws; Scene Principle. 97

IX. —BROMIDES WORTH REPEATING The Virtue of Economy; Producing Policies; Period and Costumes; Animals; Copyright and Carbon Copies; Relation of Author’s Work to His Audience; to the Manufacturer; to His Manuscript. 107

PART II.—THE PLOT OF THE PHOTODRAMA.

I. —WHAT PLOT MATERIAL IS The Plot Germ; the Premise Advanced; Ancient Theme and Original Treatment. 119

II. —WHERE TO GET PLOT GERMS Observation; Reading; Employment of Facts; the Daily Newspaper; Dangers; Propriety; Originality; the “True Story”; Importance of Notes; Titles; Plot Classification. 124

III. —BEGINNING WITH THE END Seeking the Climax; When to Begin the Photoplay; Ever-Forward Movement; the Live Beginning. 132

IV. —DEVELOPMENT AND CONTINUITY Each Scene Contributes to the Climax; Element of Time and Chronological Sequence; Problems of Continuity; the Central Theme; the Return; Instantaneous Sequence; Time Indicatives. 138

V. —THE CLIMAX AND COMPLETED PLOT Sequence and Consequence; Logical Cause and Complete Solution; Sustained Climax; All Expectations Fulfilled. 146

PART III.—DRAMATIC CONSTRUCTION OF THE PHOTOPLAY.

I. —DRAMA AND PHOTODRAMA Definition; Principles; Structure is Everything; the Dramatic Idea; Emotion is the Secret; Desire the Motive Power; Drama and Melodrama. 150

II. —DRAMATIC EXPRESSION The Laws of Movement and Action; Character and Motive; Relation to Audience and Character; Dramatic versus Dynamic; Realism; Romanticism and Idealism. 155

III. —SEQUENCE AND SUSPENSE Cause and Effect; Effects Due to Arrangement; the Raw Coincidence; Suspense Motors; Battle of Opposing Motives; Motive as Well as Idea. 161

IV. —THE POTENTIAL SITUATION Contrast; Situation’s Relation to Audience; Harvesting Situations; Peril and Death; Climax and Punch. 166

V. —UNITY PLUS HARMONY EQUALS EFFECT Questions in the Mind of the Audience; Reason; Truth; Struggle; Solution; the Title; Harmony Values. 175

PART IV.-FORMS AND TYPES OF THE PHOTOPLAY.

I. — Drama and Melodrama; Tragedy; Comedy; Other Forms; “Split Reel”; Short Play; Long Play; Spectacle; Adaptations; Play Divisions. 185

II. —A SPECIMEN PHOTOPLAY The Effectiveness of Typography; “The Salt of Vengeance,”—a Short Play Drama. 192

GLOSSARY The Most Used Terms Defined, with Many Suggestions for Revision and Alternative Terms. 212