Experience alone—­combined with the study of the pictures seen on the screen—­can teach you just what scenes are really necessary and which may be avoided; the point to remember is that you should not waste footage on even the shortest scene that can be eliminated without detracting from the interest or breaking the logical sequence of the events in your story.  In other words, make it your hard and fast rule to write nothing into your scenario that does not aid materially in telling your story and making your meaning clear to the spectator.  On the other hand, see that you omit nothing that will tend to produce the same result.

Going back to the example just given, we would point out that we purposely introduced into it an example of what not to do.  Scene 3 is described as the “exterior of bank on street corner.”  That is something that it is best to leave entirely to the director.  Let him do the locating of all the buildings used in a story, unless there is an exceptionally good reason why you should specify just where a certain building ought to be.  The chances are that there is no special reason why the bank in your story should be located on the corner of the street, and the director might be able to locate a bank suitable for the purpose of the scene in question within a block or two of the studio.  If there is a really important reason for having the bank on the corner, he may have to go a mile or more away from the studio to find one; and, inasmuch as it is frequently the case that the director will take his cameraman and the necessary actor or actors out with him, and do such a scene as this one outside the bank while another set is being built up inside the studio for him to work in, it will easily be seen that the more you can help him out by making things convenient for him the more likely he is to express a desire to examine other stories written by you.

This point will bear repeating:  A scene is so much of the entire action as is taken in one place without stopping the camera; in its photoplay sense, scene never refers to the action between certain players, nor does a new scene commence when another character enters upon a scene already in course of action.

It is a mistake, in working out the scenario, to keep the action in the same setting too long at a time.  Frequent changes of scene are advisable.  In his article in The Photoplay Author for March, 1913, Mr. C.B.  Hoadley tells of a script written by a well-known actress who is also the author of several successful “legitimate” dramas.  Having appeared in a notable picture drama, she determined to take up photoplay writing herself.  Her first effort—­a comedy drama—­was returned.  The lady was highly indignant; yet the reason for the rejection of her script becomes apparent when it is known that the entire action of her story occurred in a hotel corridor and in a room in the same hostelry.  Only nineteen scenes were used, and of these, eighteen were to be played in the one room without a break in the settings.  Imagine the monotony of such a production, even on the regular stage!