Simply put, the ideas executed at his studio revolutionized filmmaking. It was also in 1912 that Ince founded Inceville studios on 18,000 acres in California. Writing for film was a field that had gained prominence in 1909, and by 1912 the compensation for stories was considerable. Spencer, as many scenario writers were, was a former journalist and would go on to write or co-write many of Ince’s biggest films including The Battle of Gettysburg and Custer’s Last Fight. Thus began Ince’s collaboration with scenario writer Richard Spencer. Thomas Ince was already well established as a filmmaker, but by 1912 it was clear that standard filmmaking processes were wasteful. So it was when one of the most important figures in the advancement of the filmmaking process emerged. ![]() Often crews were kept waiting while the director planned what to film next. Soon, directors became central to the process, but most movies were filmed with only a vague idea of what the director wanted to shoot. Referred to as the “cameraman system” this was the most primitive of filmmaking. The earliest films were often solo projects, from conception to completion. When contemplating the history of screenwriting, one cannot divorce the theories of screenwriting from the evolution of film production. From the first theater opening in Pittsburgh in 1905, the number of theaters would swell to 10,000 by the year 1910. The larger the audiences, the more sophisticated their taste, the more that was expected from films. The widespread appearance of movie theaters also reinforced the need for an organizational aspect to filmmaking. As narratives matured and film length increased, the production process became more complex and the need for scripting continued to expand. Early on, the need for a script was pragmatic-scripts were helpful in understanding the amount of footage needed for a film. Known for its use of the Master Scene Format, its script provided a structure for scenes verses descriptors for a series of cuts. While “loading the gun,” and “splashing into the open sea” were descriptors that provided simple information about each scene, the thirty lines also described the action and provided locations, making it the closest example of a modern screenplay.Īt twelve minutes, Edwin Porter’s 1903 film The Great Train Robbery was evidence of a trend that was sure to continue. The silent film, groundbreaking for its originality and special effects was also important for its transformative use of story. What is widely considered the earliest example of the modern script was written for George Melies’ 1902 film, A Trip to the Moon. Unfortunately, much of the progression that occurred in these early years is still unknown, and most historians acknowledge there is much research still to be done in order to understand the true evolution of screenwriting in this period. As early as the 1890’s, when films were about a minute or two long, scenarios not only provided a brief summary, but they also assisted with marketing and became helpful explanations for an audience not used to viewing pictures on film. As film became a more viable form of entertainment, we see ‘scenarios’ come into existence. Scripting had long been used for the stage and later writers most certainly borrowed techniques and ideology from those who wrote for the theater. Eventually what emerged is what we now know today as the screenplay. In time and after much transformation, came continuity scripts. In its earliest years, the writing for a film was called a scenario. ![]() ![]() The dictionary defines the screenplay as “the written form of a movie that also includes instructions on how it is to be acted and filmed: the script for a movie.” The term “screenplay” or for that matter “screenwriter,” though, has not always been so. The concept of the screenplay, its use and its function has constantly evolved since the beginning of film. Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, was the first to theorize that ‘the only thing constant is change.’ Never more has this adage been true than for the writing known as the screenplay.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |