been properly told by Mr. Palmer that drama is conflict, struggle—the conflict and the struggle of human wills.
All dramatists recognize the law propounded by Ferdinand Brunetiere, a law upon which drama—and therefore its theme—must be based to be successful. Brunetiere has said that "it must reveal the human will in action; and the central figure in a play must know what he wants and must strive for it with incessant determination." See that your theme is such as to afford this opportunity for struggle, striving and conflict.
Brander Matthews, than whom there is no more competent teacher of modern days, says in his book, "A Study of the Drama":
"If we examine a collection of typical plays of every kind, tragedies ad melodramas, comedies and farces, we shall find that the starting point of every one of them is the same. Some one central character wants something; and this exercise of volition is the mainspring of the action."
Now these matters may seem to be more or less apart from a direct study of theme, but if we will remember that the theme is the motif, the melody, the central idea upon which we are to build our story, or characterization, our action, it will be seen that a thorough, painstaking consideration of these subjects must precede the selection of themes and the actual beginning of work on the story, if the story is to hold up after it is finished.
I have seen many a photoplay synopsis written by amateur and professional alike, which in my opinion failed because the author neglected to keep constantly in mind th central idea or theme around which he tried to weave the story. The intelliigent thoughtful selection of a theme, and conscientious adherence to that theme throughout the story, is more likely to produce a photoplay that will find its way to the screen than any other phase of photoplay writing.
