This 1915 screenwriting guide might just be the first of its kind...but what does it reveal about how far screenwriters have come in being fairly paid for their work?
I cracked up as soon as I saw the author's name which I recognized mainly from her gossip column role. According to Wikipedia she did start out as a screenwriter and I wonder if this book was a part of her transition from participating in the industry to reporting on the industry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louella_Parsons
It's fascinating to track the evolution of terms. For example, who was the first person who said "screenwriter" and how long before that became commonplace?
I love that book, which I think does talk about this, now that I think about it. It was one of the first books that made me realize how much screenwriters tend to look down on their own profession.
I remember a great anecdote about Mack Sennett’s gag writers rigging the stairs so Sennett would always trip when trying to creep up and spy on them. :D
I fear you've attempted to share a photo, which Substack doesn't permit on article comments. I think you can look at my Notes and one will show this article there...I think. I can't see my own articles show up in Notes.
This is sort of like the opposite of the meme I saw about LITTLE WOMEN where one of the characters gets paid $100 for publishing in a literary journal and the comment says "So literary journals haven't raised their rates since 1868..."
I cracked up as soon as I saw the author's name which I recognized mainly from her gossip column role. According to Wikipedia she did start out as a screenwriter and I wonder if this book was a part of her transition from participating in the industry to reporting on the industry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louella_Parsons
Yes, there is an entire season of the podcast You Must Remember This dedicated to her & another gossip columnist!
Jeez. The good ‘ole days were just as bad as the current day. But I gotta say, “photoplaywright” has an interesting ring to it.
It's fascinating to track the evolution of terms. For example, who was the first person who said "screenwriter" and how long before that became commonplace?
Highly recommend ‘What Happens Next: A History of American Screenwriting’ by Marc Norman (writer of Shakespeare in Love).
I love that book, which I think does talk about this, now that I think about it. It was one of the first books that made me realize how much screenwriters tend to look down on their own profession.
Indeed! ‘Schmucks with Underwoods’ and all that.
I remember a great anecdote about Mack Sennett’s gag writers rigging the stairs so Sennett would always trip when trying to creep up and spy on them. :D
I’ve got this one from 1945…
I fear you've attempted to share a photo, which Substack doesn't permit on article comments. I think you can look at my Notes and one will show this article there...I think. I can't see my own articles show up in Notes.
Ah! No worries…
This is sort of like the opposite of the meme I saw about LITTLE WOMEN where one of the characters gets paid $100 for publishing in a literary journal and the comment says "So literary journals haven't raised their rates since 1868..."
Which is true. If anything, most pay less than they did 25 years.
I would love to purchase one! Any left?