Dialogue
What is Dialogue? - Dialogue is a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play or film. For some dialogue is seen as a focused and intentional conversation, a space of civility and equality in which those who differ may listen and speak together. Dialogue creates the pathway for the movie and sets the characters emotions and way of thought.
Is dialogue necessary in the opening two minutes of a film? - For me dialogue is not needed within the opening two minutes of the film. One of the best and most successful movies of all time (Forest Gump) has no dialogue in the opening two minutes of the film. The start of the movie follows a white feather falling through the sky which represents the life of Forest Gump (the main character). After watching the movie it comes apparent that the feather shows the ups and downs he has during his life. The feather is also white and his iconic clothing is always a white suite. The opening clearly represents this without any dialogue being present within the opening scene. For me I do not believe you need dialogue to have a successful opening scene.
Comedy, horror, action, drama and romance
Movie opening without dialogue for the above genres
Horror - For this movie with no dialogue i will be using 'Black Whole'. This is a short film made by a YouTube channel called 'Future Films'. The video has gone viral and has surpassed twenty-million views since being uploaded in 2008. It uses techniques not really seen before in the time it was made and the idea behind the movie was completely original. During the short film no dialogue is used whatsoever which adds to the dramatic affect of the movie where the next step isn't obvious. In the movie an office worker is using a photocopier when a piece of paper is printed out with a black hole in it. The office worker finds he can put his hand through the hole a reach anywhere he likes. He goes across to the vending machine and reaches through the hole and pulls out a mars bar. The sound affects of the vending machine and photocopier add to the affect of the movie. He then has an idea to reach into the safe and pull out the money. He pulls out loads of money from the safe but then greed got to him and he claimed through the hole into the safe and became stuck with no way of getting out. Here the movie shows a clear message of not to be greedy because bad things will happen. Here a clear message is made without using any dialogue whatsoever.
Action - For the action opening scene i have decided to use Inception. This is a movie i have never watched but was recommended to use by one of my fellow group members. The movie begins with a man who looks to be beaten up being washed up onto the sea. There are visuals and sound affects of the waves crashing against the cliffs as he is washed up. As he wakes up he can see two kids playing on the beach building sand castles and having loads of fun. At this point there are close ups of his face which show that he is fading in and out. As he looks at the kids you can see he is thinking about his own kids or his child hood. As someone who hasn't watched the movie this shows that the audience can get an understanding of what the opening is about and the thoughts the character is having. Sometimes no dialogue can add to the dramatic affect.
Comedy - One of the most iconic movies of all time 'Forest Gump' has no dialogue whatsoever in the opening scene of the movie. This is one of the most known scenes in the film industry. The scene follows a white feather down from the sky until it lands at Forest Gumps feet. The feather twists and turns through the sky and takes some knocks on the way with all of this being picked up on camera. The feather clearly represents the life of Forest and this becomes apparent as you watch the movie. The feather is the same colour as his suite which is another reason to realise the feather represents him. This opening tells the story without using any dialogue and is more affective and one of the best openings i have seen to a movie.
Drama - For the drama opening scene i will be using an opening from Django Unchained. One of my mates recommended this for me as i didn't know what to use. The film opening has no dialogue in the opening scene and using music over the top as black slaves walk from day to night through rough terrain. The opening scene clearly shows that the movie is going to be about slavery as the people walking have scares from where they have been tortured and whipped. This is a good opening as for someone who has never seen the film i can tell that it is going to be based around or involve slavery.
Romantic - For romance i decided to use the opening from The Notebook. The first two minutes show a man rowing down a river during sunrise. The notebook is a movie i hasn't watched before either. The camera then shows an old woman watching out of her window, looking at the birds fly down the river. Then the man rows towards the house. At this point you don't know about the audience doesn't know who the man is or anything about him. Out of all the openings i have watched for me this is the worst one as i didn't really get much of an idea top what was happening.
Movie opening with dialogue for the same set of genres
Comedy - For the first of the movie openings that include dialogue i decided to use Hangover One as the movie for the comedy section. The opening in this film sets a dilemma straight from the get go. It opens up with Phil (Who i guess from the immediate camera time is the main character) telling his fiancé that they have lost one of his friends just hours before there wedding. In the tone of his voice you can tell he is destressed and has most likely been out the night before on his stag do. By the tone of his wives voice you can tell she is angry and annoyed by the fact they have lost one of his friends. The dialogue section of the opening scene ends by Phil telling his fiancé he is not going to be able to make it to the wedding. The camera then pans away from him into the sky where a sequence of shots play through whilst the credits are displayed. At this point in time you have no idea that this movie will be a comedy, instead it lays out a dilemma that you guess will be resolved throughout the rest of the movie.
Horror - For the horror movie section i will be talking about the movie, Scary Movie. This opening scene is filled with little dialogue but the sound effects and the way in which the woman acts sets the scene extremely well. As the black figured character chases her round the house and garden she lets out screams which helps to set the scene for the audience. It also allows them to know that she is afraid. As she continues to run away from the character the atmosphere intensifies with the loudening of the music and the screams becoming more and more intense. This creates more tension as the opening scene continues. As she sees her dad coming home she screams for her dad. All of this dialogue and music sets the scene and clarifies the genre in which the movie is.
Action - For the action movie i am using the Avengers opening scene. Within the opening theres a woman in an old building who is tied to a chair and looks to have been taken by a group of three men. They are all speaking German but one man is on the one to someone and seems to be the leader of the group as he talks the most within the opening scene. As they are speaking in German we don't have a clue on what they're saying which makes the audience question what is going on at this point in time. As the woman is passed the phone she starts talking in English. We then start to understand more about what is going on. She thens goes on to beat up the men and go back to the caller that she was talking to.
Romance - For the romantic movie i decided to use Romeo and Juliet. The opening is a shot zooming in on a TV where a news presenter talks through the opening of the original Romeo and Juliet play. It explains the story which will later on be developed in the later stages of the film.
Drama - For the opening scene in the drama i decided to use the opening of Hacksaw Ridge. Hacksaw Ridge starts of with a scene in which the middle of a war battle is being filmed. The clips are shot in slow mo which allows the audience to see the gruesome detail and realise the realness of war. Voices are also in slow mo which adds to the affect of the movie. This creates an upset feeling in the movie and emotional breaks the audience.
Jordan Rolf
Is dialogue necessary in the opening two minutes of a film? - For me dialogue is not needed within the opening two minutes of the film. One of the best and most successful movies of all time (Forest Gump) has no dialogue in the opening two minutes of the film. The start of the movie follows a white feather falling through the sky which represents the life of Forest Gump (the main character). After watching the movie it comes apparent that the feather shows the ups and downs he has during his life. The feather is also white and his iconic clothing is always a white suite. The opening clearly represents this without any dialogue being present within the opening scene. For me I do not believe you need dialogue to have a successful opening scene.
Comedy, horror, action, drama and romance
Movie opening without dialogue for the above genres
Horror - For this movie with no dialogue i will be using 'Black Whole'. This is a short film made by a YouTube channel called 'Future Films'. The video has gone viral and has surpassed twenty-million views since being uploaded in 2008. It uses techniques not really seen before in the time it was made and the idea behind the movie was completely original. During the short film no dialogue is used whatsoever which adds to the dramatic affect of the movie where the next step isn't obvious. In the movie an office worker is using a photocopier when a piece of paper is printed out with a black hole in it. The office worker finds he can put his hand through the hole a reach anywhere he likes. He goes across to the vending machine and reaches through the hole and pulls out a mars bar. The sound affects of the vending machine and photocopier add to the affect of the movie. He then has an idea to reach into the safe and pull out the money. He pulls out loads of money from the safe but then greed got to him and he claimed through the hole into the safe and became stuck with no way of getting out. Here the movie shows a clear message of not to be greedy because bad things will happen. Here a clear message is made without using any dialogue whatsoever.
Action - For the action opening scene i have decided to use Inception. This is a movie i have never watched but was recommended to use by one of my fellow group members. The movie begins with a man who looks to be beaten up being washed up onto the sea. There are visuals and sound affects of the waves crashing against the cliffs as he is washed up. As he wakes up he can see two kids playing on the beach building sand castles and having loads of fun. At this point there are close ups of his face which show that he is fading in and out. As he looks at the kids you can see he is thinking about his own kids or his child hood. As someone who hasn't watched the movie this shows that the audience can get an understanding of what the opening is about and the thoughts the character is having. Sometimes no dialogue can add to the dramatic affect.
Comedy - One of the most iconic movies of all time 'Forest Gump' has no dialogue whatsoever in the opening scene of the movie. This is one of the most known scenes in the film industry. The scene follows a white feather down from the sky until it lands at Forest Gumps feet. The feather twists and turns through the sky and takes some knocks on the way with all of this being picked up on camera. The feather clearly represents the life of Forest and this becomes apparent as you watch the movie. The feather is the same colour as his suite which is another reason to realise the feather represents him. This opening tells the story without using any dialogue and is more affective and one of the best openings i have seen to a movie.
Drama - For the drama opening scene i will be using an opening from Django Unchained. One of my mates recommended this for me as i didn't know what to use. The film opening has no dialogue in the opening scene and using music over the top as black slaves walk from day to night through rough terrain. The opening scene clearly shows that the movie is going to be about slavery as the people walking have scares from where they have been tortured and whipped. This is a good opening as for someone who has never seen the film i can tell that it is going to be based around or involve slavery.
Romantic - For romance i decided to use the opening from The Notebook. The first two minutes show a man rowing down a river during sunrise. The notebook is a movie i hasn't watched before either. The camera then shows an old woman watching out of her window, looking at the birds fly down the river. Then the man rows towards the house. At this point you don't know about the audience doesn't know who the man is or anything about him. Out of all the openings i have watched for me this is the worst one as i didn't really get much of an idea top what was happening.
Movie opening with dialogue for the same set of genres
Comedy - For the first of the movie openings that include dialogue i decided to use Hangover One as the movie for the comedy section. The opening in this film sets a dilemma straight from the get go. It opens up with Phil (Who i guess from the immediate camera time is the main character) telling his fiancé that they have lost one of his friends just hours before there wedding. In the tone of his voice you can tell he is destressed and has most likely been out the night before on his stag do. By the tone of his wives voice you can tell she is angry and annoyed by the fact they have lost one of his friends. The dialogue section of the opening scene ends by Phil telling his fiancé he is not going to be able to make it to the wedding. The camera then pans away from him into the sky where a sequence of shots play through whilst the credits are displayed. At this point in time you have no idea that this movie will be a comedy, instead it lays out a dilemma that you guess will be resolved throughout the rest of the movie.
Horror - For the horror movie section i will be talking about the movie, Scary Movie. This opening scene is filled with little dialogue but the sound effects and the way in which the woman acts sets the scene extremely well. As the black figured character chases her round the house and garden she lets out screams which helps to set the scene for the audience. It also allows them to know that she is afraid. As she continues to run away from the character the atmosphere intensifies with the loudening of the music and the screams becoming more and more intense. This creates more tension as the opening scene continues. As she sees her dad coming home she screams for her dad. All of this dialogue and music sets the scene and clarifies the genre in which the movie is.
Action - For the action movie i am using the Avengers opening scene. Within the opening theres a woman in an old building who is tied to a chair and looks to have been taken by a group of three men. They are all speaking German but one man is on the one to someone and seems to be the leader of the group as he talks the most within the opening scene. As they are speaking in German we don't have a clue on what they're saying which makes the audience question what is going on at this point in time. As the woman is passed the phone she starts talking in English. We then start to understand more about what is going on. She thens goes on to beat up the men and go back to the caller that she was talking to.
Romance - For the romantic movie i decided to use Romeo and Juliet. The opening is a shot zooming in on a TV where a news presenter talks through the opening of the original Romeo and Juliet play. It explains the story which will later on be developed in the later stages of the film.
Drama - For the opening scene in the drama i decided to use the opening of Hacksaw Ridge. Hacksaw Ridge starts of with a scene in which the middle of a war battle is being filmed. The clips are shot in slow mo which allows the audience to see the gruesome detail and realise the realness of war. Voices are also in slow mo which adds to the affect of the movie. This creates an upset feeling in the movie and emotional breaks the audience.
Jordan Rolf
Comments
Post a Comment