Then
when the fatal attack comes, the audience is prepared for it, yet
they have not been actually looking forward to it through several
scenes. While speaking of heart disease, we would call the attention
of the writer to an observation lately made by the photoplay critic of
_The Dramatic Mirror_: "Scenario writers notwithstanding, it is
exceptional for people to die because an unexpected piece of news
shocks them, even when they suffer from weak hearts. Robust men do not
part from life so readily, and film tragedies of this kind generally
fail to carry conviction because the facts presented are divorced from
the customary laws of nature."
Do not introduce a new character in one of the late scenes, especially
if he or she is importantly connected with the plot, even though you
use that character in the picture for only a brief interval. If the
appearance of a certain man in one of the late scenes will help in
saving the life of a condemned man, try to plan the entrance of this
character into the story in an earlier scene, even though only for a
period long enough to establish who and what he is. In this way you
may avoid a long and otherwise unnecessary leader just when you are
approaching your climax and thus halt the interest.
_6. Action May Be Too Rapid_
If you are writing the scenario of a dramatic plot, it is evident
that, within reasonable limits, the more dramatic situations--the more
"punches," in the vernacular--you can put into it, the more likely it
is to find favor in the eyes of the editor and the producer.
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