Moving Images, Understanding Media

252 Moving Images: Making Movies, Understanding Media

From this experience, Guy Blaché created a motion picture in which the

mattress maker starts to refi ll an old mattress, then leaves to go to a café. A

drunken man walks by, sees the cozy stuffi ng, and climbs into it. Th e woman

returns, sews the mattress shut to fi nish her work, and then is astonished

to see the mattress begin to move, followed by a series of comic turns and

dramatic resolution.

At this time, scripts either existed in the head of the fi lmmaker or consisted

of a few sketched notes, which refl ected the length, visual simplicity, and

lack of sync sound in motion pictures. Since motion pictures did not involve

dialogue and were typically shot with a minimal crew, there was little need to

create detailed continuity for production. However, it was also at this time that

fi lmmakers began to recognize that they needed to develop interesting stories

to attract audiences and generate notoriety for their production fi rms.

Th ere are two basic ways to generate story concepts for a motion picture:

an adaptation of an existing work of fi ction or an original screenplay. Th at

is why there are two screenwriting categories for the Academy Awards and

at similar international ceremonies and festivals. Although the tasks and

challenges of each type of script exhibit diff erences, the basic elements of

screenwriting remain quite similar whether the author is adapting an existing

story or creating an original narrative.

The Business of Writing

By the early 1910s, movies began to lengthen and increase in complexity,

and it was clear to directors and production chiefs throughout the world that

the most engaging and publicity-generating movies were those that grabbed

viewers by showing exciting and funny stories. As a result, moviemaking studios

began to hire writers specifi cally for the development of movie material.

In 1910, director Alice Guy Blaché was living in America where she

oversaw the creation of Solax production studio in New Jersey, and she

arranged a system of project development using a team of writers. Out west,

Hollywood began to establish itself as a hub of fi lmmaking activity. Th e New

York Motion Picture Corporation sent director Th omas Ince to California in

1912 to become west coast production head, and he acquired many acres of

land to take advantage of local landscapes for more authentic westerns and

war fi lms. Like Guy Blaché, Ince recognized the importance of generating

plenty of story material for new projects.

Studio Organization

Ince organized the entire production process along highly industrialized lines

and endeavored to reduce the personal investment of writers in a particular

narrative project. He focused on organizing the writing process into a

collaborative endeavor overseen by the production unit, but this cooperative

venture was credited to one person: Ince was notorious for taking credit for

all the work in his name. Th roughout the history of motion pictures, many

executives have striven to reduce the personal commitment of screenwriters

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