Photoplay Writing (1922)
by William Lord Wright
Chapter III
How much material you need
I am frequently asked by beginners in scenario writing, "How much material is needed for a five-reel picture — how many incidents should I have and how many characters?"
You might as well ask how many potatoes there are in a bushel. It all depends on the size of the potatoes — and of the incidents.
The amount of action, the number of scenes, must depend on your story. Perhaps it will work out in one place, at one time— that is, without any long jumps in time — and in rather simple fashion, and with just a few characters. "Broken Blossoms" is an example of a story of this type. There are but three principal characters, and few minor ones. Except for the first part of the picture, in which the Yellow Man is introduced, the story takes place in rather a short time, and is laid in just a few places.
On the other hand, such a picture as Cecil De Mille's "Fool's Paradise" uses a great number of characters and locations in the telling. Yet the first of these two is quite as dramatic as the other.
You will have to let everything be determined by the demands of your story. The location, the number and kind of people, and the things they do will all be decided by the telling of your tale. If anything is to be added, for the sake of beauty or effect, that will be done when the story is screened.
If it seems to you that your idea is not big enough for a five-reel picture, and yet is not the kind of idea that would make a two reeler, it may be that you have not fully developed it. Study it carefully, and see whether in it something really happens — whether it is important enough, in itself, to be a screen story, or whether it is really not significant, but would work into a larger story well. Frequently we have a minor story told in a longer one; for instance, in "Hearts of the World," the love story of "The Little Disturber" was a minor one, and yet was very interesting. In "Way Down East," the story of the professor and Kate, the Squire's niece, was a minor one.
Perhaps you have too much material. In this case, it is likely that you don't know when your story begins and when it ends. Don't let it just run on and on, after the real meat of it has been used, and don't begin it in the heroine's childhood, or when the hero went to college, when the story actually becomes interesting long after that. Try beginning your story at different points, just to see what you can eliminate. Don't let it be crowded with unnecessary incidents, just because you think they are interesting.
Sometimes you can eliminate several characters by letting one of them serve two purposes. Don't use any minor characters that you don't have to. Concentrate on a few people.
You need not greatly concern yourself with the number of incidents into which your story divides itself, as these will be determined by the person who puts it into continuity form.
What you should be most concerned with is developing each incident to its natural and forceful length. Sometimes, for instance, a short tense dramatic scene will carry your message better than one that is developed in detail. A hand reaching through a window, a face appearing in the light for a moment, the figures of fleeing men — may put over your idea better than an involved scene.
On the other hand there are times when a scene gains power through being spun out at length. Your judgment will tell you when to use the first method and when the latter.
Ultimately, the continuity writer will determine the value of each scene, but it is your part to show clearly what must be put over in each scene and what you consider the most telling incident for the purpose.
Sometimes a scene that requires but a flash on the screen will occupy an important part in the synopsis, while a scene lengthy in action can be indicated in a few words. For instance, fights which may occupy considerable footage on the screen are rarely described in any detail in a synopsis. Do not allow this to confuse you. Just write your story in the most concise, graphic form you can. That will mean an effective synopsis.