The spinning top totem at the end of Inception. Neo stopping the bullets in The Matrix. The first shot of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. The Nazis’ faces melting in Raiders.

Dialogue can be wonderful. But visual storytelling that treats the audience with respect is what cinema is all about.

Check out the (now defunct) YouTube channel Every Frame a Painting. The video on Drive in particular opened my eyes to how Refn composes shots to incredible effect.

And it is NOT about capturing “pretty” scenes, but about manipulating the viewer’s emotions in ways they do not even perceive.

[–] Faydaikin 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I guess it depends on the piece. Is the movie trying to be entertainment or art?

In the end It's a visual medium as well audiotory. And therefor you have a several ways to achieve your message and vision.

From the picturesque to basic exposition throu dialog. Music is another factor that can elevate a movie to new hights.

Both 'Dune' and 'We Need To Talk About Kevin' rely mainly of visual storytelling. But do so in vastly different ways.

But take the typical Steven Spielberg movies from the hight of his career and you can see how much he leans on the music score to achieve his vision.

But it all comes down what type of movie the director wants to make.

Addendum: I will admit that well written characters and dialog isn't as easy to come by in Hollywood media. But movies that mainly focus on the writing and are great do exist.

[–] DrinkMonkey@lemmy.ca 1 points 8 months ago

I guess it depends on the piece. Is the movie trying to be entertainment or art?

Certain kinds of art are definitely "not for me", yet are entertaining to some. And I still consider the films I find entertaining to be "art". I wonder if this is a false dichotomy?

Addendum: I will admit that well written characters and dialog isn’t as easy to come by in Hollywood media. But movies that mainly focus on the writing and are great do exist.

I find it helpful to not conflate good writing, good characters, and good dialogue. A story does not require dialogue to have its plot be propelled forward, to make us feel what is at stake is important, to make us care deeply about what happens to the characters (e.g. A Quiet Place, Wall-E, for example). Similarly, excellent dialogue simply isn't possible if the audience doesn't care about the characters nor the stakes - the words will simply fall flat. It's all connected, and there is considerably more to writing than dialogue.

[–] Vodulas 6 points 8 months ago

That is not the only way, no, but just having admittedly gorgeous shots is also not it. Dialogue doesn't have to be the main focus, but if you completely disregard it, it detracts from the whole film