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. |
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| 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 | |