In general, there are two kinds of home movies: those that tell a definite story and those that report a trip or some other series of events. The difference between these two kinds of movies is the difference that one sees between the main feature at the theater and the newsreel. The main feature is usually some story that has been written carefully in advance with every scene planned in its proper place. The newsreel, on the other hand, shows actual occurrences which have been organized into the proper sequence. Naturally, one goes about producing a story picture in a different way from making a newsreel.

Preparing A Scenario

The first real job in producing the story type of movie is to prepare a scenario. The nature of the scenario depends upon the story to be told. If a detective tale is to be unfolded, it will be one kind of scenario. If it is a historical portrayal of how the home town was settled, it will be quite another. Regardless of the kind of movie, however, there are certain suggestions that are valuable to a person new at the game.

Action on the screen.

One should not be frightened by the mention of a scenario. It is simply a list of the scenes to be taken, in the order in which they are to appear. To the amateur who is new at moviemaking a scenario is essential. As his experience develops, he will be able to imagine scenes as they will finally look without writing them out in detail. But it takes time and practice to develop this skill.

The most important thing in any movie is continuity. Without it, a movie is flat and uninteresting. Continuity refers to the proper sequence of scenes. Attention should not shift from one subject to another in rapid succession without any apparent reason. In telling the story of a hike to the top of a mountain, for example, one would not show the weary hikers coming home as the first shot. Rather, it would be good continuity to show the preparations for the hike, the early start, then the series of experiences leading up to the arrival at the summit, and finally the return home. Thus the theme of the movie has a proper development and does not shift from one period of the hike to another without proper preparation.

Some movie directors have people by their sides, at all times, whose job it is to see that characters come back on the same side of the stage from which they went off, and wear the same clothes in scenes that follow closely one after the other, unless there is some reason for a change. This shows how important they consider continuity.

Another important feature of a scenario is variety in the way in which scenes are shown. This variety can be achieved by using different views or by changing the distance between the camera and the subject. In preparing the scenario, it is well to plan different ways of showing similar scenes to bring in variety.

A Close-Up is used to show details of action, signs to be read, and the like.

A Medium Shot.

Most pictures of people are medium shots.

Movie-makers have adopted certain terms to describe the different ways of taking a scene. A few of these terms need to be understod if one is to follow a scenario.

A close-up is a shot that shows some small detail of a scene, such as the head and shoulders of an individual, the handwriting of a person, or the print in a book. A close-up is generally used to show facial expression that would be missed in a distant shot. A medium shot is one that may show several people from the hips up and may include some scenic background. A long shot is one that portrays people at a distance with some scenic background. With these terms in mind, it is now possible to discuss the actual preparation of the scenario.

A Long Shot. Notice how much the picture is improved by having a grouping in the foreground.

A Dramatic Scenario

As the name indicates, a dramatic scenario is one that tells a dramatic story. The story usually includes definite characters and some plot. Beautiful scenes and educational values are only incidental to such a movie. The important thing is to tell the story and tell it in such a way that the audience will be interested.

The scenario is prepared as a series of scenes, each one described in sufficient detail so that no important part of the action is left out. In the original scenario, these scenes appear in the same order they will have when presented on the screen. In the actual taking of the scenes, however, it is often necessary to shoot them according to location and the people involved. This way of making a picture saves the trouble of traveling about too much and makes it possible to finish with any of the characters quickly instead of requiring them to be around while the whole filming is being done.

The following part of a dramatic scenario is presented here because it will show how the finished scenario should appear. In preparing a scenario, it is well first to write down a general outline of the action, thinking out the continuity and sequences as this is done, and then to elaborate upon this rough draft for the final scenario.

Watchdogs *

* Permission for the use of the following excerpt from How to Write a Movie has been graciously granted by the author, Mr. Arthur L. Gale, and the publisher, Edmond Byrne Hackett, "The Brick Row Book Shop, Inc.," New York City.

It is not difficult, is it, to become interested in a scenario like this? You can imagine how much fun it would be to help produce a movie of this kind.