f a war story,
they greatly enhance the effect of those scenes which are entirely the
creation of the author's brain.

On one occasion, a certain Edison director was putting on a feature
which showed--as originally written--the sinking in mid-ocean of a
great liner. While rehearsing the scene on deck which showed the
passengers taking to the life-boats, he made repeated experiments with
certain lightning effects, none of which quite satisfied him. He also
had some trouble with one of the made-to-order life-boats. Finally,
rather disgusted with the way things were going, he decided to cut out
the lowering-of-the-boats scene and to have a fire at sea instead of a
mere foundering. In a very few minutes, with the aid of "smoke-pots"
and "blow-torches" a thrilling burning-ship scene was made, with the
people scrambling toward the life-boats. Later, several long-distance
views of the burning of a real ocean vessel, made by the company
several years before, were introduced with most convincing effect,
while the action of the story was in no way interfered with on account
of the change. The scene described, of course, was made in the studio,
with a specially built deck scene. Had there been other scenes aboard
ship needed in the story's working out, the director would undoubtedly
have secured permission to take all the scenes needed aboard one of
the ocean liners always to be found in the port of New York.

So it is that hundreds of pictures released every year contain
thrilling, unusual, and beautiful effects which the author has never
dreamed of writing into his scenario, but which have been supplied by
a careful director with a memory for what the company has made in the
past. And the thing to be remembered, of course, is that while it is
very easy for a director to use something which is already made and in
the company's possession--or readily procurable from another
company--it is not so easy, at times, _to make_ the big scene or
effect that the novice introduces into his story.

Leaving aside the staff-writers, in almost every company[24] there are
one or two photoplaywrights; in many cases the leading man is also the
director of the company, writing and producing a great many of the
plays they turn out. Where this is so, that company is in a position
to take advantage of any unforeseen happening or accident. Being in
the vicinity of a railroad wreck, they hurry to the place and take the
scenes they need. Then, probabl