Screenwriting Advice From The Past: The Final Close-Up [Part 1]

If you are a screenwriter, you should know about Anita Loos. Loos was one of the most influential writers in the early stages of American cinema, associated with 136 film projects per IMDB.

Married to writer John Emerson, the pair wrote one of the first books on screenwriting in 1920: “How to Write Photoplays”. I have been running a weekly series based on the book. You can access those posts here. Today: The Final Close-Up [P.103]:

Knowing when and how to stop is as important to a photoplay writer as to an after dinner speaker, but amateur scenarists, like amateur orators, seldom seem to know when or how to bring their stories to a conclusion.

Beginners, therefore, will do well in writing the last few scenes of their stories to follow these two simple rules:

First — Stop as soon as you have straightened out the complications of your situation, accomplished the purpose of your plot and proved your theme, if you have one.

Second — Stop as soon after the big scene as possible. Many comparatively poor stories have brought their authors large financial returns simply because of a well-constructed, original and timely ending.

Any salesman will tell you that his last arguments are the ones which buyers remember and act upon; and, through this same psychological law, the close of your story is what will be the uppermost in the scenario editor’s mind when he considers it for purchase — it is your last argument as to why he should buy it. So follow the two rules mentioned above and avoid anti-climaxes.

I’m reminded of Billy Wilder’s 10 screenwriting tips, the last two of which are:

9. The 3rd act must build, build, build in tempo until the last event, and then…
10. …that’s it. Don’t hang around.

But a great ending needs more than brevity, it should provide a satisfying resolution on all fronts: Plotline, Themeline, Psychological. [For more on that subject, you can check out my series on Michael Arndt’s presentation “ENDINGS: The Good, the Bad, the Insanely Great”.]

Next week: More on from Anita Loos and John Emerson’s book from 1920.

If you live in the U.S., you can read “How to Write Photoplays” via Google books online here.

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