Christopher Thornton

When Words Matter

Jagiellonian University, Poland

Film is a visual medium. This is not breaking news and not intended to be. So often beginning screenwriters are encouraged to pare down the amount of dialogue in their scripts (“Show, don’t tell,” “Let the pictures tell the story”) and most of the time it is very sound advice. Yet there are many instances when dialogue (and even narration) is crucial to the story. Dialogue can be an important vehicle for characterization, advance the plot, run counter to the visual information, and add another dimension to the story. We also know there are numerous meaningful lines in movies that have become a kind of “signature” for the entire film: “Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown.” Voiceover can reinforce point-of-view, reveal elements of character that the visual elements do not, and supplement the visual progression of the story in ways the visuals could not. Film is a visual medium, so true, but it also incorporates words and sound, and, when used creatively result in a multidimensional storytelling experience. We left the silent era almost 100 years ago and have never returned. And so—the importance of words, where and when they matter.

This presentation will explore the effective use of dialogue and narration that have enhanced numerous films. Examples will include Casino and Goodfellas (voiceover), Annie Hall (dialogue combined with subtitles), American Gangster, Croupier, as well as movies from the cinematic canon (The Lady Eve and The Big Sleep), and time permitting, perhaps a few others. The aim is to demonstrate that cinematic storytelling is not only visual presentation but incorporates other dramatic devices, like dialogue and even monologues—to enrich the cinematic experience and improve the quality of the stories being told.

Christopher Thornton has been attending SRN conferences since 2015. He teaches in the Department of American Literature and Culture Studies at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. Besides teaching he is a practicing writer, author of two screenplays and is currently working on a six-part miniseries for TV. He has also taught at MIT and Emerson College in the Boston area, the American University in Caito, and the European Institute for International communication in Maastricht, the Netherlands.