Showing introspection visually

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FJ and G

Film primarily is a visual medium. Novels are for introspection and explaining thoughts.

Having said that, there are some ways to bring out inner thoughts in film.

In my current screenplay (on 4th draft), a teen plays a starring role, along with his dog. It occurred to me the other day that I can get the teen to reveal what he's thinking to the dog. Those who have dogs know what I mean. You can talk to them and its nonjudgmental, and they return the conversation with sympathetic body language.

Anway, i know enough not to overdo the trick but may find one or two places to try this out.

There undoubtedly are other ways to reveal thoughts beside dog-human conversations, oops, I mean human-dog conversations.

Talking to yourself would probably come off as cheesy in most situations, as would be V.O.

Can you think of any other tricks?
 

Writing Again

Introspection is difficult and often impossible to show visually. But introspection causes emotions. Emotions are relatively easy to show. From the emotions we get clues as to the introspection.

What the emotion is directed at is what shows the details of the introspection.

If a persons introspection is directed toward a person, say a spouse or parent, and there is a picture of the spouse or parent on the mantle, then whether the person kisses the picture, breaks it, or hugs it and cries, shows tremendous details of what the person is thinking.

I realize these are simplistic examples, but I think they are the key to solving your dilemma quickly and eloquently rather than in prolonged monologues and doggy dialogs. (And yes I have talked to dogs. I use pigeon English.)
 

maestrowork

Any tricks, if overdone, would become a gimick. You must think about what your story is really about -- is it about the conversation between boy and dog (ala "talking dog" flicks) or is it more about a boy and his dog and the introspection is mostly from the boy's POV, etc. etc. etc.

Tricks you can use of course include V.O. (for the dog), the kid talking to himself ("Oh, Lucky, now you mentioned it.") or fantasy sequence (where the dog actually "talks" but in "real life" the dog just barks)... that's has been done by movies like "Dr. Doolittle" etc. to good effect. But those are the kind of movies where talking animals are expected.
 

dchapma123

Do we need to know that the character is introspective, or do we need to know what he's actually thinking? Obviously the latter is more challenging than the former.

I find I really enjoy when I know what a character is thinking just by an expression they make or something they do. But that, unfortunately, can only be accomplished through great acting. You can't really write that specifically into your script; you just have to trust the actors and director to be on the same wavelength as you.
 

A Pathetic Writer

In general, you have to show the inner conflict through external actions -- interaction with a dog is an excellent example, although the SPCA may balk at your actor kicking Poochy down the street.
 

Rozemeijer

There is a nice term for this: 'Sprechhund'. It's a way to express the emotion and feelings of a character by talking to an animal. But you must use it, as little as possible. Why don't you try to build in a thirdparty. Like the infamous 'therapist'.
 

Writing Again

Rozemeijer,

I thought you were pulling our leg when I first saw that, so had to go google. Found this on a site ...Below is the babel fish interpretation.

Sprechhund
Literally "stupid with which to speak", it is a character making it possible another to make us "confidences".
Examples: it is his/her girl friend, her dog, its neighbor of stage, her psychoanalyst who, by the means of a discussion, allows the character to make pass from information on him or on the action.
 

dpaterso

"stupid with which to speak"?? Babel fish indeed! Literally it means "speak-dog" i.e. talk to your dog. Which strikes me as a hell of a boring way to deliver exposition or introspection, as well as being a big cheat. Not something I'd like to see, or would recommend to anyone. But each to their own.

-Derek
-----------------------​
My Web Page - naked women, bestial sex, and whopping big lies.
 

NikeeGoddess

study the script, Castaway - most of the flick was just Tom Hanks' character showing, not telling....cept for those bits with the volleyball ;)
 

scripter1

"Do we need to know that the character is introspective, or do we need to know what he's actually thinking? Obviously the latter is more challenging than the former."

THIS is your key question to answer and that answer will shape how you write the scene.

I tend to go with the "talking to the dog is cliche, overdone, cheat" camp.

Even though the SPCA will have kittens I'd rather see the ACTION of kicking the dog.

If we really need to hear his thoughts then maybe talking to the dog would work if you jazz it up somehow. I don't know, the dog seems to be listening and then yawns or starts licking himself or has some kind of personality or something.

Stretch your self here. Really work on this and push yourself to write something strong.

Write everything first though to get the crap out of your head, then throw it away or revise it until it really sizzles.
 

Rozemeijer

I don't say you must use the 'sprechhund' method. But if you can't show the feelings of your character visually, you must change the idea. Or made a story out of it and not a screenplay. I had an idea for a screenplay earlier this year. But it didn't worked, I got stuck. It was too boring. 'cause I couldn't express the feelings of the characters the right way. But it works as a story I found out last week. I'm writing now three other idea's in to screenplay's (short movies). Decide and move on.
 

SimonSays

This thread hits on part of the essence of screenwriting.

Show don't tell. Using the dog is cheating, using a diary is cheating, using a VO to tell us what a character is thinking is cheating.
 

joecalabre

Actions speak louder than words.

A guy walks into a bar. He slams money down onto the bar, roughly loosens his tie and sighs. "Give me a beer. Anything, just make it cold and quick." The bartender hands him a bottle and the guy swigs it down with the bitter ferocity of an underpaid longshoreman.

We know he had a bad day, I don't need a voice over telling me so.
 
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