Uh oh, I goofed

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  • Uh oh, I goofed

    I've got to apologize for posting a hastily-written thread-starter on movies that use visuals to advance a story.

    I probably should have explained it better and said "It's not part of most current filmmaking ..."

    I'm a big fan of old-school films such as the ones you all mentioned -- especially Hitchcock. But I'm of the opinion none of those scripts would get greenlit today with all that dialogue.

    What I'm really looking for are scenes from recent movies (say, past 10 years) where you thought a scene worked really well and there was little if any dialogue.

    Thanks, smooches to all!

    "Until the Lion writes his own story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter." -African Proverb

  • #2
    Re: Uh oh, I goofed

    There was a lot I thought worked really well in the last half of Titanic that used little dialogue. Some of it would have worked better with less (that whole "Jack!" "Rose!" "Jack!" "Rose!" "Jack!" "Rose!" bit).

    Most of what I really liked were stand alone shots though, like the elderly couple holding on to each other as their stateroom filled with ocean.

    Not sure if that's the kind of thing you mean.
    "Forget it, Jake. It's Hollywood."

    My YouTube channel.

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    • #3
      Re: Uh oh, I goofed

      Try 'Brokeback Mountain', 'Million Dollar Baby', 'Ray', and 'Memoirs of a Geisha' to name just a few. And not because of the use of historical scenery to set the tone, but of the characters exposing their inner thoughts through action rather than words.

      'TransAmerica' has several great scenes that speak without words.

      Also, 'The Horse Whisperer' took a big chance by having a very long scene where the protag waits quietly by the wild horse to gain his trust-- the scene is unusually long and utterly still. However, it does wonders-- in a way talking about it could not-- to show the lengths the protag goes to for his style of 'breaking' horses. It proves he doesn't 'break' them at all, but rather trains them in the most gentle and humane way. It has been said that witnesses to the spectacle often cry with emotion, such is the bond created by trainer and horse.

      There are plenty more examples, you just have to look.

      'Jacob's Ladder' is more than 10 years old, but has a more modern feel than, say, a Hitchcock film. That film is loaded with images that advance the story without the use of talky scenes.

      And I'll repeat what I said in your other thread-- it's not talky scenes that are bad, but LONG talky scenes. Mamet is often guilty of this, great as he is. Even so, he is one to study as a writer. Woody Allen, too. They both have long, talky scenes but usually get away with it because they can. Watch them closely and try to figure out why, lol.
      Last edited by suzeaa; 12-06-2007, 08:55 AM.

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      • #4
        Re: Uh oh, I goofed

        No Country for Old Men. While has some of the best dialog in a movie this year, it's also packed with solid "quiet" scenes.

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        • #5
          Re: Uh oh, I goofed

          Great examples of movies with "quiet" scenes.

          These scenes with little or no dialogue may not always advance the story; however, when they don't advance the story they do reveal character.
          So rather than rely on on-the-nose dialogue to reveal character, many of these scenes illustrate how actions reveal character.

          Almost any high energy action movie uses action to advance story. Of course those scenes are usually not silent, with all the sound effects added. Although I wonder if car chases and gun battles really advance the story or reveal character.
          Last edited by jonpiper; 12-06-2007, 08:08 PM. Reason: change do they to they do.

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          • #6
            Re: Uh oh, I goofed

            Yep, this is what I'm looking for. Thanks! this gives me a great jumping-off point.

            "Until the Lion writes his own story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter." -African Proverb

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            • #7
              Re: Uh oh, I goofed

              Hey Yvonne,

              It might be worth taking one of your dialogue-filled scenes and replacing all the dialogue with action lines (bad example: instead of her saying "I hate you", write "she walks over to him. Meets his eyes. Rips the picture of his wife (pre-established, of course) from his hand and crumples it.")

              Not only is it wicked fun, but it gives you time to work only with body-language-type visuals, which is a delicious companion to dialogue anyway.

              Now I'm gonna go proposition Qaz in the other thread.
              Last edited by amandag; 12-18-2018, 09:58 AM. Reason: loopy
              https://actbreakdown.com

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              • #8
                Re: Uh oh, I goofed

                I always thought the opening to the Big Lebowski would have been an awesome scene without the voiceover.

                The Dude strolls round a grocery store in a bathrobe, opens the milk, sniffs it and then writes a check for 0.69 cents at the register.

                Right there we know absolutely everything we need to know about this guy and no one has said a word.
                Frosties are just Cornflakes for people who can't face reality.

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                • #9
                  Re: Uh oh, I goofed

                  I'd go with the final scene in A History of Violence. It said so much without anything actually said.

                  EDIT: Rereading OP, I guess this scene didn't really advance the story anywhere except to the end credits, but still...
                  "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars... The rest I just squandered."
                  George Best

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                  • #10
                    Re: Uh oh, I goofed

                    David Lean was the best I've ever seen at doing this.

                    Letters From Iwo Jima is a fine example. A couple of good Horror films that do this really well are: 28 Days Later & 28 Weeks Later.

                    Munich.

                    Apocalypto.

                    Probably the best example of this is the film The Godfather. The film Duel utilizes this method perfectly too.

                    I've always felt that The Bourne Identity did a great job with this as well.

                    The Proposition might be my favorite modern example.

                    Samurai movies are great examples too.
                    sigpic

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                    • #11
                      No Subtitles Needed: Visual Storytelling

                      ATANARJUAT
                      JEKYLL & CANADA (free .mp4 download @ Vimeo.com)

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                      • #12
                        Re: Uh oh, I goofed

                        Yes, yes, yes! Thanks!

                        "Until the Lion writes his own story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter." -African Proverb

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