Embedded Files
What Are We Doing?
What Are We Doing?
We're going to have a look at a few short films (or scenes from longer films) that use NO dialogue. We'll also have a look at screenplays for a couple of these examples so you can see just how they are formatted and written at a professional level.
Let's start with Christopher Nolan's short film Doodlebug.
Discuss what's happening in terms of:
Cinematography
Mise-en-scene
Editing
Soundtrack
Next up, here's a filmed version of Samuel Beckett's short play Act Without Words 1.
What do you think Beckett might be trying to say about our attachment to material goods?
How does he make his point?
Given that this piece was originally written for the stage, what film elements has the director employed to make it more dynamic as a film?
And some more examples:
And some more examples:
Look at the way camera angles, mise-en-scene, editing and soundtrack are all used in Geri's Game and Strangers to add to the storytelling.
And check out how we are given everything we need to know about Anton Ego's backstory in Ratatouille with one brief, wordless flashback.
These might be useful examples too - if the links work (sometimes there seem to be issues with accessing them):
Take a look at these shorts alongside the screenplay.
Take a look at these shorts alongside the screenplay.
Note:
The way the descriptions work. Are they always exactly what appears on screen?
Are the descriptions always exact, or do they allow room for the film-makers to be flexible and have input?
shaun-the-sheep-screenplay-lat-selection.pdfUp Carl & Ellie's Life.pdfAnd to make things easier, Pixar have even given us the 'script-to-screen' version of this sequence:
The Assignment
The Assignment
It's your turn to write a screenplay with no dialogue.
See the assignment sheet for details. (------------------------------>)
If you have a story in mind you want to tell, then go for it.
If not, there are links to lists of commonly-used proverbs. Use one to build a story around.
800 words maximum.
Screenplay sans dialogue.docxTips for Writing a Screenplay with No Dialogue
Tips for Writing a Screenplay with No Dialogue
Imagine your story as a silent movie and write a series of short paragraphs that describe what an audience would see from beginning to end. Visualise different locations that quickly and dramatically set the stage just as a sunny park and a dark subway establish the different moods and contexts for Geri’s Game and Strangers.
Make your characters vivid and distinct. Strangers uses the characters’ appearance to help communicate the story’s meaning: the two men from different religions look similar to each other but are both visually distinct from the threatening neo-Nazis who, in turn, look very much alike.
Sometimes dialogues become just boring conversations and you have to rework them anyway. Imagine what each character does to further your story. If you feel you need people speaking, rethink the situation until you find a new way to present the information. You can do this by just replaying the story in your head until the right circumstances click into place.
Example
Example
Your character Jack is going to prepare a fancy meal and you want to show that he has purchased top end groceries. You could show him in a fancy store talking with a butcher, but do we need that dialogue?
How about just having him unpacking a fancy shopping bag instead. The action would look like this:
INT. JACK’S KITCHEN – DAY
Jake lifts onto his tiled kitchen counter a bulging shopping bag stamped with an elegant logo that says ‘Jordan’s Gourmet Viands.’
Once you’ve fully outlined your story and exhausted all possible ‘silent’ approaches, you will find that any dialogue you must have in order to communicate the story will now be spare and more purposeful.
Tips for Maximising Action
Tips for Maximising Action
Write the whole story down in a series of short, unintended paragraphs, properly cleaning up your writing.
Current practice is to describe each separate action that you would see on the screen with no more than three lines. Any longer than three lines and you should simplify the description and/or break to a new paragraph.
Ensure that each paragraph/action moment advances the story.
Start each separate location for your action with a three-part heading in CAPS: interior or exterior (INT. or EXT) – a very brief description of the location – (JACK’S KITCHEN) and whether the time is day or night (DAY/NIGHT.)
Visualise locations that quickly and dramatically set the stage for your story.
Conceive and describe your characters distinctively.
Write what your characters do, not what they say.
“No dialogue” does not mean “no sound”: The WHINE of an accelerating subway, a door SLAM, or a SIZZLING steak can be effective action-ingredients.
(From: https://raindance.org/writing-screenplays-without-dialogue/)
Some Past Examples
Some Past Examples
Example 3.docxExample 1.docxExample 2.docxPage updated
Report abuse