Dialogue is the diegetic spoken conversation between characters in a film. Any diegetic speech, i.e not narration, is considered dialogue. Dialogue may be scripted or improvised, however, it is most commonly scripted to ensure it is relevant to the film and fulfils its purpose as a piece of dialogue. Improvisation may be used for jokes being told or to create a more natural appeal to the speech. Semi-structured speech is where it is a mix of both scripted and unscripted dialogue - this is effective because it fulfils the planned purposes of dialogue and is, therefore, relevant to the film but also allows room for natural acting or character development as the way it is delivered or the slight alterations to the lines may reflect on what the character is like.
Dialogue has multiple purposes within a film. The main purpose of dialogue is to advance the narrative as things regarding the plot or characters is revealed when people in the film mention it. Most dialogue used in narrative films must be able to advance the narrative - whether it is to aid the exposition or delve into the plotline - in some form and throwaway dialogue (irrelevant or pointless dialogue eg. 'Good morning!') must be kept to a minimum or be eliminated entirely. This is because throwaway dialogue is not engaging or interesting to watch (often because it is too mundane), moreover, it uses valuable time the film could be using to develop the narrative or other important aspects.
Another purpose of dialogue is to engage the audience by using unique, subtle and clever dialogue. Dialogue that is too boring and sounds too much like a mundane reality is ineffective as it cannot engage the audience, this is why it is principle for dialogue to be clever and unique, however, it must still be subtle and realistic as otherwise it will be too unbelievable and can't be taken seriously.
Dialogue can be used to suggest the relationships between characters. For example, what the characters say to each other and the way it is delivered can create chemistry between the characters. Establishing unique relationships between characters helps make the film more convincing for the audience and therefore allow the audience to engage themselves with the film more. Characters that are unintentionally awkward onscreen or unintentionally have no chemistry will make the audience feel uncomfortable watching them.
There are many guidelines to follow in order to create effective dialogue. Firstly, excessive use of dialogue. It's a common rule in film productions to 'show not tell', this applies to dialogue too. Having dialogue that just explains what's going on is pointless, as it can be shown visually. Using a character to tell the audience what's happened or what's happening etc. will be boring because it takes the same form as reading a book - people want to see the action and not hear about it. Tell it in pictures not words and use dialogue minimally as dialogue heavy films will not be interesting and may even be too hard to follow as they're watching someone else's conversation.
Another guideline is to create dialogue that's unique to a specific character. The way they speak eg. the formality, the dialect etc. helps define and shape the characters. Using unique-to-character dialogue will highlight the differences between each character, this will make the film convincing as everyone in real life is obviously different. Moreover, having unique, in-depth characters gives the audience someone to emotionally invest themselves in as they're unlikely to grow fond of an ordinary, undeveloped and samey character - using unique dialogue to that character will help prevent this.
Dialogue shouldn't be too lengthy - one person shouldn't be talking for an excessively long period of time. Even monologues shouldn't be too long, otherwise, the audience will grow bored.
Is Dialogue Necessary in the Opening Sequence of a Film?
Dialogue is definitely not necessary in the opening sequence of a film. Although there are many purposes dialogue can be used for, it doesn't have to be used. Furthermore, the extent of dialogue used will depend heavily on the plot of the film, for example, a more fast-paced action film opening sequence will probably not use dialogue a lot as dialogue is quite uneventful and too calm for an action film. A drama film, however, may involve more dialogue in the opening sequence as relationships is a common theme and the characters and their emotions is a predominant feature in drama films. Dialogue can be useful for conveying a character's emotion and thoughts, however, this can be done in other ways such as narration or the body language of the character etc. so therefore dialogue isn't the only method and therefore doesn't have to be used. However, dialogue in the opening sequence is a good way to help shape the character as an individual as the way they speak and what they speak about will help the audience learn more about them. Not only does this have expositional purpose but it also allows the audience to get to know the characters early on and therefore root for them throughout the film - or even advance to the plot quicker as characters have been introduced. If you incorporate dialogue into the opening two minutes of a film then it tends to give away more plot, this may not be the desired effect if you want to use the opening sequence to create an exposition etc. Personally, I think using minimal to no dialogue is most effective in the opening sequence - this is because it advances the plot too much in a scene I think should be generally used to create an exposition. However, using a little dialogue may also help to create a sense of character subtly as well as prevent the film from being boring etc.
Examples of Film Openings From Specific Genres That DO involve Dialogue and that DON'T Involve Dialogue
Comedy WITH Dialogue - 'Superbad' (2007, Greg Mottola)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
This comedy utilises dialogue effectively because it allows the audience to be introduced to/get to know the characters early on, aiding the exposition. For example, we learn that they're in high school and therefore know their approximate age. The audience also learns their nationality (American) through their accent and dialect, if the dialogue was not incorporated the audience would likely not know these things at this point in the film. Not only does the audience learn basic information about the characters because of the dialogue, they also learn what the characters are like and they're interests. For example, the character driving (Seth) expresses his sexual interests and priorities, showing that he conforms to the stereotype of a teenage boy because of his 'immature' interests. The character played opposite to him (Evan) shows that he is more innocent etc. because of what he says to Seth. Using dialogue in comedy is effective too because it allows for jokes to be told, which is one of the key purposes of a comedy. Using jokes in the opening to a film is great for making the audience laugh and therefore making them enjoy the film more. It also helps set the lighthearted and comedic tone for the rest of the film which helps the audience identify its genre.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
It could be argued that the dialogue is too hard to follow because the audience learns so much information in such a small amount of time. Starting the opening sequence slow using minimal dialogue allows the audience to be eased into the film and not overwhelmed with too much information. However, the effects of the dialogue are overall effective.
Comedy WITHOUT Dialogue - 'There's Something About Mary' (1998, Peter & Bobby Farrelly)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
In this opening, dialogue isn't used because the opening wanted to focus more on the music. The music helps set a mood for the film as well as mentions a particular character and helps the audience guess what the film is about. Dialogue would have distracted the audience away from the lyrics of the song. Furthermore, using no dialogue was an effective way to ease the audience into the film as it isn't hard to follow and they're not thrown straight into the plot.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
Without dialogue, the opening is a little long and repetitive, there's not much happening and therefore it becomes a bit tedious to watch. Furthermore, no information is conveyed to the audience because of the lack of dialogue so no exposition is created which is important in the opening of a film.
Overall, in comedy, dialogue is often used to add jokes etc. and therefore set a tone for the film and make it engaging to watch.
Horror WITH Dialogue - 'Psycho' (1960, Alfred Hitchcock)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
Ignoring the title sequence to begin with, this opening uses dialogue to convey the relationship between two characters - helping give information to the audience. It also allows the audience to learn a little something about the characters, for example, that the woman has a job/nationality etc.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
In terms of the genre as a whole, using dialogue is not effective because it draws the audience away from the scary theme of horror films. Using dialogue creates a slight sense of security because of the sociable nature of the action, moreover, focusing solely on music or even just creating silence can create tension, discomfort or fear in the audience. This scene isn't very fitting to a horror because of the casual use of dialogue, however, this may be intended to create a false atmosphere.
Horror WITHOUT Dialogue - 'The Woman in Black' (2012, James Watkins)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
In this, tension is created through the lack of speech, as casual speech can draw the audience away from the creepy atmosphere intended to be created. Instead, the director focuses on building a scary atmosphere by using creepy music and conventional iconography associated with the horror genre. It helps set the serious and scary tone for the film.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
The audience may find it hard to follow as they have no verbal explanation as to what's going on and have to rely on visual cues, which do not tell the whole story. On the other hand, this may create a sense of ambiguity or mystery and therefore create suspense in the audience.
Overall, using little to no dialogue is most effective in horror films as it doesn't distract the audience from the scary atmosphere of the film.
Action WITH Dialogue - 'Iron Man' - (2008, Jon Favreau)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
This opening allows the audience to get to know the character as the way he speaks suggests what his personality is like, this allows the audience to, therefore, root for them from the beginning as they get to know them early on. Furthermore, basic information is learnt eg. where they're from based on their accent etc.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
Dialogue isn't very fitting with the action genre as dialogue is too casual and slow whereas action films are fast-paced and full of action, it contradicts the conventions of its genre. Action films are normally intense and the conversation is very casual. However, this film opening utilises it quite successfully as the casual atmosphere is abruptly ruined creating shock within the audience - the casual dialogue heightens the contrast and therefore intensifies the drama.
Action WITHOUT Dialogue - 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' (1995, John McTiernan)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
The absence of dialogue is effective because it allows the audience to focus on the setting being established as opposed to the plot being advanced, moreover, popular rock music is playing which is a common convention of action film and using dialogue would draw away from thise. Furthermore, when the explosion takes place, using dialogue would take away the tension and excitement created by such a large action. Dialogue would be too slow.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
During the fraction of the opening in which establishing shots of the setting are used, it's very slow and calming because of the slow panning shots and the romantic lighting of sunset. This may be quite boring as the target audience of an action film would be used to fast paced action, therefore the absence of dialogue used to advance the narrative may be seen as quite boring.
Overall, in action films absence of dialogue is most effective because the audience will need to focus on fast-paced physical action as opposed to casual conversation.
Drama WITH Dialogue - 'Saving Private Ryan' (1998, Steven Spielberg)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
Using dialogue in this opening helps the audience understand the relationships and roles between the characters. For example, the way they address other characters and by what they call each other signifies their position in the military, eg. 'Sir' etc. Moreover, using dialogue and shouting is another way to express the emotion felt by the characters, so it helps the audience empathise with them.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
Given the fast-paced and violent nature of the scene, the dialogue can be considered to slow down the action as the director allowed time for the characters to speak as opposed to speeding up the action and emphasising the chaos of the scene.
Drama WITHOUT Dialogue - 'To Kill A Mockingbird' (1962, Robert Mulligan)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
Using no dialogue allowed the audience to focus on the music, the objects and the titles. This didn't rush them into the narrative and also created a calm and nostalgic atmosphere, helping set the tone for the film. It's not hard to follow.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
As no dialogue is used to advance the narrative forward or create an exposition, the intro gets a little boring and therefore doesn't engage the audience like using a scene involving narrative normally would.
Overall, in drama films, dialogue is often used as realism is often portrayed and speech/conversation is a basic activity engaged in most days. Furthermore, dialogue is a good method to portray a relationship onscreen, which is a common theme in dramas.
Romance WITH Dialogue - 'P.S I Love You' (2007, Richard LaGravenese)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
This dialogue is effective for a romance film because the use of dialogue helps the audience understand the relationship between the characters, as well as helps them understand what they're like as characters based on the way they speak and the things they say. It also gives background information as to what they're talking about.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
It confuses the audience as it throws them straight into two characters' conversation without knowing the context straight away. Moreover, they aren't given a chance to be introduced to characters and to create an exposition before they're thrown straight into the action.
Romance WITHOUT Dialogue - 'Love Actually' (2003, Richard Curtis)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
If dialogue was incorporated it would distract the audience away from the message of the narrator and therefore be chaotic or make them miss a key piece of information. Furthermore, it allows the audience to watch all the characters from a non-intimate perspective as we can't hear their conversations. This is effective because the characters used are not relevant to the plot at all but are just used to demonstrate a theme; love. Watching different characters hug etc. sets a romantic tone to the film without actually hearing what they say.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
The audience will get confused as to why the characters are relevant because they can't hear their conversation. Furthermore, watching irrelevant characters just hug with no dialogue may not be engaging enough.
Generally, romance's incorporate dialogue because portraying relationships is a common convention in romance films.
What Issues Could You Face If You Involved Dialogue In Your Coursework?
Firstly, an issue that would most likely rise if I opted to use dialogue in my coursework would be the quality of the audio/speech. This is because I don't have access to a high-quality microphone/sound recording equipment and would, therefore, have to resort to using the microphone built into my DSLR camera. Relying on this microphone is risky for many reasons, firstly, it doesn't have directed recording like a professional microphone, this means it would record sounds from all directions as opposed to just from the source I intended to pick up i.e the actors. This would, therefore, pick up random sounds in the background that would be equally as loud as the actors, or louder, depending on how close/loud the unwanted noises are. Another reason lacking any good quality audio equipment would hinder me is because the actual quality of the mic in the camera would not be good enough and therefore the sounds of the dialogue would be quiet/bad quality or covered by audio noise (hissing/humming). Furthermore, because the microphone is built into the camera it is, therefore, closer and will likely pick up the noises made by the camera/crew, for example focusing the lens or moving the tripod etc. These noises may be filtered out however, this is hard to do effectively as the post production software does not always remove all sounds or may even affect the quality of the dialogue depending on how much it filters.
In addition to the quality of the sound, another issue I may face when including dialogue is the risk of it not being necessary in the film. From conducting this research into dialogue I have learnt that it's better to show and not tell. Using unnecessary dialogue will use up valuable time which I'll need to use to engage and captivate the audience. Furthermore, pointless dialogue may even bore the audience. Using minimal dialogue is a better choice to avoid using excessive and unnecessary dialogue that will just bore the audience, particularly if I want to invoke emotion in the audience.
Another factor that may affect the quality of my coursework if I opt to use dialogue is my ability to write a screenplay. Prior to joining A Level Media, I had no experience in writing scripts for feature films. The only practice I've gained is from practice tasks I've performed on this course, so my knowledge of scriptwriting is stark. This, therefore, means that I will likely struggle with writing an effective piece of dialogue that's realistic, engaging, unique and, of course, necessary. Furthermore, depending on what genre I choose the script style may vary, so I'll have to familiar myself with multiple styles. For example, comedy would expect a witty script whereas a drama would expect a more dramatic but realistic script. I can overcome this by practising different scriptwriting styles and getting feedback on my scripts in the meantime.
Dialogue may be too confusing to follow as the audience are thrown straight into conversation without context. Furthermore, it may be too chaotic in terms of the genre as there's too much information to take in. On the other hand, it may be too slow, for example, if its an action film and dialogue is used it may not be fitting to the fast-paced theme of action films because the audience are distracted from the action with casual conversation. Dialogue may just not suit the theme the genre creates. However, this can be avoided by using appropriate dialogue for a specific genre.
Another issue I could face is the delivery of the dialogue. Even if I manage to write a successful script, the script relies on the actor's skill and delivery in order for it to be successful. If the delivery is poor i.e it is unnatural, forced or over exaggerated etc then having dialogue in the first place is pointless because the audience cannot take bad acting seriously - it's unconvincing and just straight out difficult to watch. It is far easier for an actor to remain natural if they don't say anything than it is for them to deliver a line naturally. This issue can be avoided by employing an actor based on their skill at performing dialogue. This being said, finding a talented actor that also fits the requirements eg. looks/age etc. will be hard, especially given my circumstances (low budget/amateur).
What Issues Could You Face If You Don't Involve Dialogue In Your Coursework?
Many problems could arise if I choose to not involve dialogue. For example, dialogue can be used to speed up the narrative a bit, so if my opening sequence is extremely slow and dialogue is not used to speed it up than the audience will likely find the opening sequence boring as not much happens.
Another issue is if I need to convey key information eg. relationships between characters, context etc. to the audience, for example, how a character's feeling etc. Although this can be achieved through other methods, eg. Body language of the actor etc., it may not be clear enough for the audience to know, which, therefore, means that dialogue is vital in these situations, otherwise the audience will not understand what is going on.
Dialogue has multiple purposes within a film. The main purpose of dialogue is to advance the narrative as things regarding the plot or characters is revealed when people in the film mention it. Most dialogue used in narrative films must be able to advance the narrative - whether it is to aid the exposition or delve into the plotline - in some form and throwaway dialogue (irrelevant or pointless dialogue eg. 'Good morning!') must be kept to a minimum or be eliminated entirely. This is because throwaway dialogue is not engaging or interesting to watch (often because it is too mundane), moreover, it uses valuable time the film could be using to develop the narrative or other important aspects.
Another purpose of dialogue is to engage the audience by using unique, subtle and clever dialogue. Dialogue that is too boring and sounds too much like a mundane reality is ineffective as it cannot engage the audience, this is why it is principle for dialogue to be clever and unique, however, it must still be subtle and realistic as otherwise it will be too unbelievable and can't be taken seriously.
Dialogue can be used to suggest the relationships between characters. For example, what the characters say to each other and the way it is delivered can create chemistry between the characters. Establishing unique relationships between characters helps make the film more convincing for the audience and therefore allow the audience to engage themselves with the film more. Characters that are unintentionally awkward onscreen or unintentionally have no chemistry will make the audience feel uncomfortable watching them.
There are many guidelines to follow in order to create effective dialogue. Firstly, excessive use of dialogue. It's a common rule in film productions to 'show not tell', this applies to dialogue too. Having dialogue that just explains what's going on is pointless, as it can be shown visually. Using a character to tell the audience what's happened or what's happening etc. will be boring because it takes the same form as reading a book - people want to see the action and not hear about it. Tell it in pictures not words and use dialogue minimally as dialogue heavy films will not be interesting and may even be too hard to follow as they're watching someone else's conversation.
Another guideline is to create dialogue that's unique to a specific character. The way they speak eg. the formality, the dialect etc. helps define and shape the characters. Using unique-to-character dialogue will highlight the differences between each character, this will make the film convincing as everyone in real life is obviously different. Moreover, having unique, in-depth characters gives the audience someone to emotionally invest themselves in as they're unlikely to grow fond of an ordinary, undeveloped and samey character - using unique dialogue to that character will help prevent this.
Dialogue shouldn't be too lengthy - one person shouldn't be talking for an excessively long period of time. Even monologues shouldn't be too long, otherwise, the audience will grow bored.
Is Dialogue Necessary in the Opening Sequence of a Film?
Dialogue is definitely not necessary in the opening sequence of a film. Although there are many purposes dialogue can be used for, it doesn't have to be used. Furthermore, the extent of dialogue used will depend heavily on the plot of the film, for example, a more fast-paced action film opening sequence will probably not use dialogue a lot as dialogue is quite uneventful and too calm for an action film. A drama film, however, may involve more dialogue in the opening sequence as relationships is a common theme and the characters and their emotions is a predominant feature in drama films. Dialogue can be useful for conveying a character's emotion and thoughts, however, this can be done in other ways such as narration or the body language of the character etc. so therefore dialogue isn't the only method and therefore doesn't have to be used. However, dialogue in the opening sequence is a good way to help shape the character as an individual as the way they speak and what they speak about will help the audience learn more about them. Not only does this have expositional purpose but it also allows the audience to get to know the characters early on and therefore root for them throughout the film - or even advance to the plot quicker as characters have been introduced. If you incorporate dialogue into the opening two minutes of a film then it tends to give away more plot, this may not be the desired effect if you want to use the opening sequence to create an exposition etc. Personally, I think using minimal to no dialogue is most effective in the opening sequence - this is because it advances the plot too much in a scene I think should be generally used to create an exposition. However, using a little dialogue may also help to create a sense of character subtly as well as prevent the film from being boring etc.
Examples of Film Openings From Specific Genres That DO involve Dialogue and that DON'T Involve Dialogue
Comedy WITH Dialogue - 'Superbad' (2007, Greg Mottola)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
This comedy utilises dialogue effectively because it allows the audience to be introduced to/get to know the characters early on, aiding the exposition. For example, we learn that they're in high school and therefore know their approximate age. The audience also learns their nationality (American) through their accent and dialect, if the dialogue was not incorporated the audience would likely not know these things at this point in the film. Not only does the audience learn basic information about the characters because of the dialogue, they also learn what the characters are like and they're interests. For example, the character driving (Seth) expresses his sexual interests and priorities, showing that he conforms to the stereotype of a teenage boy because of his 'immature' interests. The character played opposite to him (Evan) shows that he is more innocent etc. because of what he says to Seth. Using dialogue in comedy is effective too because it allows for jokes to be told, which is one of the key purposes of a comedy. Using jokes in the opening to a film is great for making the audience laugh and therefore making them enjoy the film more. It also helps set the lighthearted and comedic tone for the rest of the film which helps the audience identify its genre.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
It could be argued that the dialogue is too hard to follow because the audience learns so much information in such a small amount of time. Starting the opening sequence slow using minimal dialogue allows the audience to be eased into the film and not overwhelmed with too much information. However, the effects of the dialogue are overall effective.
Comedy WITHOUT Dialogue - 'There's Something About Mary' (1998, Peter & Bobby Farrelly)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
In this opening, dialogue isn't used because the opening wanted to focus more on the music. The music helps set a mood for the film as well as mentions a particular character and helps the audience guess what the film is about. Dialogue would have distracted the audience away from the lyrics of the song. Furthermore, using no dialogue was an effective way to ease the audience into the film as it isn't hard to follow and they're not thrown straight into the plot.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
Without dialogue, the opening is a little long and repetitive, there's not much happening and therefore it becomes a bit tedious to watch. Furthermore, no information is conveyed to the audience because of the lack of dialogue so no exposition is created which is important in the opening of a film.
Overall, in comedy, dialogue is often used to add jokes etc. and therefore set a tone for the film and make it engaging to watch.
Horror WITH Dialogue - 'Psycho' (1960, Alfred Hitchcock)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
Ignoring the title sequence to begin with, this opening uses dialogue to convey the relationship between two characters - helping give information to the audience. It also allows the audience to learn a little something about the characters, for example, that the woman has a job/nationality etc.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
In terms of the genre as a whole, using dialogue is not effective because it draws the audience away from the scary theme of horror films. Using dialogue creates a slight sense of security because of the sociable nature of the action, moreover, focusing solely on music or even just creating silence can create tension, discomfort or fear in the audience. This scene isn't very fitting to a horror because of the casual use of dialogue, however, this may be intended to create a false atmosphere.
Horror WITHOUT Dialogue - 'The Woman in Black' (2012, James Watkins)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
In this, tension is created through the lack of speech, as casual speech can draw the audience away from the creepy atmosphere intended to be created. Instead, the director focuses on building a scary atmosphere by using creepy music and conventional iconography associated with the horror genre. It helps set the serious and scary tone for the film.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
The audience may find it hard to follow as they have no verbal explanation as to what's going on and have to rely on visual cues, which do not tell the whole story. On the other hand, this may create a sense of ambiguity or mystery and therefore create suspense in the audience.
Overall, using little to no dialogue is most effective in horror films as it doesn't distract the audience from the scary atmosphere of the film.
Action WITH Dialogue - 'Iron Man' - (2008, Jon Favreau)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
This opening allows the audience to get to know the character as the way he speaks suggests what his personality is like, this allows the audience to, therefore, root for them from the beginning as they get to know them early on. Furthermore, basic information is learnt eg. where they're from based on their accent etc.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
Dialogue isn't very fitting with the action genre as dialogue is too casual and slow whereas action films are fast-paced and full of action, it contradicts the conventions of its genre. Action films are normally intense and the conversation is very casual. However, this film opening utilises it quite successfully as the casual atmosphere is abruptly ruined creating shock within the audience - the casual dialogue heightens the contrast and therefore intensifies the drama.
Action WITHOUT Dialogue - 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' (1995, John McTiernan)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
The absence of dialogue is effective because it allows the audience to focus on the setting being established as opposed to the plot being advanced, moreover, popular rock music is playing which is a common convention of action film and using dialogue would draw away from thise. Furthermore, when the explosion takes place, using dialogue would take away the tension and excitement created by such a large action. Dialogue would be too slow.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
During the fraction of the opening in which establishing shots of the setting are used, it's very slow and calming because of the slow panning shots and the romantic lighting of sunset. This may be quite boring as the target audience of an action film would be used to fast paced action, therefore the absence of dialogue used to advance the narrative may be seen as quite boring.
Overall, in action films absence of dialogue is most effective because the audience will need to focus on fast-paced physical action as opposed to casual conversation.
Drama WITH Dialogue - 'Saving Private Ryan' (1998, Steven Spielberg)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
Using dialogue in this opening helps the audience understand the relationships and roles between the characters. For example, the way they address other characters and by what they call each other signifies their position in the military, eg. 'Sir' etc. Moreover, using dialogue and shouting is another way to express the emotion felt by the characters, so it helps the audience empathise with them.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
Given the fast-paced and violent nature of the scene, the dialogue can be considered to slow down the action as the director allowed time for the characters to speak as opposed to speeding up the action and emphasising the chaos of the scene.
.
Drama WITHOUT Dialogue - 'To Kill A Mockingbird' (1962, Robert Mulligan)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
Using no dialogue allowed the audience to focus on the music, the objects and the titles. This didn't rush them into the narrative and also created a calm and nostalgic atmosphere, helping set the tone for the film. It's not hard to follow.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
As no dialogue is used to advance the narrative forward or create an exposition, the intro gets a little boring and therefore doesn't engage the audience like using a scene involving narrative normally would.
Overall, in drama films, dialogue is often used as realism is often portrayed and speech/conversation is a basic activity engaged in most days. Furthermore, dialogue is a good method to portray a relationship onscreen, which is a common theme in dramas.
Romance WITH Dialogue - 'P.S I Love You' (2007, Richard LaGravenese)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
This dialogue is effective for a romance film because the use of dialogue helps the audience understand the relationship between the characters, as well as helps them understand what they're like as characters based on the way they speak and the things they say. It also gives background information as to what they're talking about.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of Dialogue?
It confuses the audience as it throws them straight into two characters' conversation without knowing the context straight away. Moreover, they aren't given a chance to be introduced to characters and to create an exposition before they're thrown straight into the action.
Romance WITHOUT Dialogue - 'Love Actually' (2003, Richard Curtis)
What are the Positive Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
If dialogue was incorporated it would distract the audience away from the message of the narrator and therefore be chaotic or make them miss a key piece of information. Furthermore, it allows the audience to watch all the characters from a non-intimate perspective as we can't hear their conversations. This is effective because the characters used are not relevant to the plot at all but are just used to demonstrate a theme; love. Watching different characters hug etc. sets a romantic tone to the film without actually hearing what they say.
What are the Negative Effects Created Through the Use of No Dialogue?
The audience will get confused as to why the characters are relevant because they can't hear their conversation. Furthermore, watching irrelevant characters just hug with no dialogue may not be engaging enough.
Generally, romance's incorporate dialogue because portraying relationships is a common convention in romance films.
What Issues Could You Face If You Involved Dialogue In Your Coursework?
Firstly, an issue that would most likely rise if I opted to use dialogue in my coursework would be the quality of the audio/speech. This is because I don't have access to a high-quality microphone/sound recording equipment and would, therefore, have to resort to using the microphone built into my DSLR camera. Relying on this microphone is risky for many reasons, firstly, it doesn't have directed recording like a professional microphone, this means it would record sounds from all directions as opposed to just from the source I intended to pick up i.e the actors. This would, therefore, pick up random sounds in the background that would be equally as loud as the actors, or louder, depending on how close/loud the unwanted noises are. Another reason lacking any good quality audio equipment would hinder me is because the actual quality of the mic in the camera would not be good enough and therefore the sounds of the dialogue would be quiet/bad quality or covered by audio noise (hissing/humming). Furthermore, because the microphone is built into the camera it is, therefore, closer and will likely pick up the noises made by the camera/crew, for example focusing the lens or moving the tripod etc. These noises may be filtered out however, this is hard to do effectively as the post production software does not always remove all sounds or may even affect the quality of the dialogue depending on how much it filters.
In addition to the quality of the sound, another issue I may face when including dialogue is the risk of it not being necessary in the film. From conducting this research into dialogue I have learnt that it's better to show and not tell. Using unnecessary dialogue will use up valuable time which I'll need to use to engage and captivate the audience. Furthermore, pointless dialogue may even bore the audience. Using minimal dialogue is a better choice to avoid using excessive and unnecessary dialogue that will just bore the audience, particularly if I want to invoke emotion in the audience.
Another factor that may affect the quality of my coursework if I opt to use dialogue is my ability to write a screenplay. Prior to joining A Level Media, I had no experience in writing scripts for feature films. The only practice I've gained is from practice tasks I've performed on this course, so my knowledge of scriptwriting is stark. This, therefore, means that I will likely struggle with writing an effective piece of dialogue that's realistic, engaging, unique and, of course, necessary. Furthermore, depending on what genre I choose the script style may vary, so I'll have to familiar myself with multiple styles. For example, comedy would expect a witty script whereas a drama would expect a more dramatic but realistic script. I can overcome this by practising different scriptwriting styles and getting feedback on my scripts in the meantime.
Dialogue may be too confusing to follow as the audience are thrown straight into conversation without context. Furthermore, it may be too chaotic in terms of the genre as there's too much information to take in. On the other hand, it may be too slow, for example, if its an action film and dialogue is used it may not be fitting to the fast-paced theme of action films because the audience are distracted from the action with casual conversation. Dialogue may just not suit the theme the genre creates. However, this can be avoided by using appropriate dialogue for a specific genre.
Another issue I could face is the delivery of the dialogue. Even if I manage to write a successful script, the script relies on the actor's skill and delivery in order for it to be successful. If the delivery is poor i.e it is unnatural, forced or over exaggerated etc then having dialogue in the first place is pointless because the audience cannot take bad acting seriously - it's unconvincing and just straight out difficult to watch. It is far easier for an actor to remain natural if they don't say anything than it is for them to deliver a line naturally. This issue can be avoided by employing an actor based on their skill at performing dialogue. This being said, finding a talented actor that also fits the requirements eg. looks/age etc. will be hard, especially given my circumstances (low budget/amateur).
What Issues Could You Face If You Don't Involve Dialogue In Your Coursework?
Many problems could arise if I choose to not involve dialogue. For example, dialogue can be used to speed up the narrative a bit, so if my opening sequence is extremely slow and dialogue is not used to speed it up than the audience will likely find the opening sequence boring as not much happens.
Another issue is if I need to convey key information eg. relationships between characters, context etc. to the audience, for example, how a character's feeling etc. Although this can be achieved through other methods, eg. Body language of the actor etc., it may not be clear enough for the audience to know, which, therefore, means that dialogue is vital in these situations, otherwise the audience will not understand what is going on.
No comments:
Post a Comment