Monday, February 22, 2010

Message Board Topic: Silent Films vs. "Speakies"

Prior to the addition to matched soundtracks and dialogue with imagery, films had much in common with photography and other forms of permanent, stationary art.

Think about how sound and dialogue affects the experience of a movie. How is a silent film or photograph more open to interpretation? How does it engage the viewer in a more mentally or metaphorically, as opposed to more literally?

How are the silent films more closely related to photographs? How are they different from “speakies?”


8 comments:

  1. a silent film is more open to interpretation because you dont actually know how every character is thinking or what they're saying. This is eminent because you're unable to hear the tone of their voices, which would usually let you be able to tell what kind of mood they're in. But since it's a silent film, everyone can have their own interpretation of what each person is thinking throughout the movie. It deffinatly makes the viewer more mentally engaged. Silent films are much like photographs becuase they're basically one in the same. Both are widely open to interpretation because you dont know exactly what they mean all the time, nor what everyone is thinking.

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  2. well, i think silent films are closer to photography because the entire composition on every frame has more meaning than in a speaking movie, i think the fact that the movie is silent makes it more artistic because it looks more like a play...
    silent films rock!!!!!!!

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  3. sound and dialogue affects the expierince of a movie by making it easier to get the idea across. instead of trying to act out what your saying or trying to portray feelings with out words or music is difficult and isn't always interpreted correctly. A silent film makes people think deeply upon what is going on in a film or make their own dialogue that completely destroys the meaning of the movie, but creates some fun. silent films are more closely related to photos because both involve the veiwer to interpret it and create there own opinion of the movie. instead of with "speakies" where the artist just tells you the mood by what the characters say.

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  4. Silent films are more open to intepretation because you don't know exactly whats going on in the movie. Because there is no sound, there is no real emotion, so you kinda gotta figure it out for yourself. It engages the viewer more mentally. Its something they have to pay attention to the whole time. If they look away, they cant hear whats going on so they would be lost. Silent films are more related to photographs because photographs have a thousand words, as do silent films.

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  5. Silent films allow the imagination to explore more. sound and dialogue help creat suspense and excitement and the feeling of horror or happiness. dialogue helps the viewer to better understand what is actually going on, so it could be a bad thing without it. silent films are more realted to photographs because they are so much more open to interpretation.

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  6. A silent film assumes that the viewer is intelligent enough to "get it" without it being spoonfed to them. Like a photograph, it has an implied meaning. Since the artist is not usually present to explain the meaning, the viewer has to determine on his/her own what it means.

    Speakies are basically art for retarded people. :)

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  7. When it comes to having audio in a film this effects the emotion of the movie which is very important to the viewer in which which what they are going to anticipate. A silent film and or photograph can be intrepid by being able to see and predict or guess what is going on within the film. It also can be more dramatic than any other move that has sound to it, for the fact that the actors have to act more and show more emotion through other objects in order to have us follow. It effects us more metaphorically because we have to think and assume what is going on throughout the movie because as literally we would need to be able to here and know what is going to fall in place. Silent films are more connected with photographs because they are a more of a still frame that has no audio which makes it more comparable to a fil.

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  8. I think silent films are more open to interpretation because they are meant to think about and decide what they're about without the dialogue. It makes the viewer think much more than a modern movie with dialogue in it.

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