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

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.

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 NewStandards; the Drama of the Eye; Not “MovingPictures”; All the World’s the Stage; aField Without Limitations.	27
[II.]	—DIFFERENTIATION How Photodrama Differs from Stage Dramain Construction, Technique and Expression;Also from Fiction Construction and Narrationin General and the Short Story and Novelin Particular.	32
[III.]	—PARTS OF THE PHOTOPLAY AND THEIR PURPOSES Title; Synopsis; Cast of Characters; Author’sRemarks; Scenario; the Scene; the Setting.	39
[IV.]	—VARIOUS DEVICES—THEIR USE AND MISUSE The Caption; the Insert; the Close-View; theVision; 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 andIdiosyncrasies; Description and Delineation;Establishing Relationship; Motives; Expression;Contrasts.	75
[VII.]	—THEME, TREATMENT AND THE CENSOR Morals and Ethics; Crime; National Board ofCensorship; Taste; Inspiration and Influence.	87
[VIII.]	—RULES OF THE GAME Duration and Number of Scenes; PerpetualMotion; 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 andCarbon Copies; Relation of Author’s Work toHis Audience; to the Manufacturer; to HisManuscript.	107

PART II.—THE PLOT OF THE PHOTODRAMA.
[I.]	—WHAT PLOT MATERIAL IS The Plot Germ; the Premise Advanced; AncientTheme 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 ofNotes; 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; Elementof Time and Chronological Sequence; Problemsof Continuity; the Central Theme; the Return;Instantaneous Sequence; Time Indicatives.	138
[V.]	—THE CLIMAX AND COMPLETED PLOT Sequence and Consequence; Logical Cause andComplete Solution; Sustained Climax; AllExpectations 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; Characterand 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; Battleof Opposing Motives; Motive as Well as Idea.	161
[IV.]	—THE POTENTIAL SITUATION Contrast; Situation’s Relation to Audience;Harvesting Situations; Peril and Death; Climaxand 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; LongPlay; Spectacle; Adaptations; Play Divisions.	185
[II.]	—A SPECIMEN PHOTOPLAY The Effectiveness of Typography; “The Salt ofVengeance,”—a Short Play Drama.	192
	GLOSSARY The Most Used Terms Defined, with ManySuggestions for Revision and Alternative Terms.	[212]