9/24/2023 0 Comments Text context and subtextOverall subtext decisions work throughout the entire film to support these story elements, or subtext ideas can be used early in the story to pre-frame the audience to remember certain themes and ideas. One way to think about subtext is in relation to time:Įntire story – overall themes, super-objectives, internal and external goals, primary motivations… these are story elements that work within the context of the entire story. So how do we express subtext in our filmmaking? When you don’t NEED dialogue, you are free to truly create transcendent spoken elements simple conversations that illuminate deep emotion, wordplay between characters and when you need it… silence. If subtext is expressed well by a filmmaker through every department from props to sound the result is that rare thing a story that can be perfectly understood and engaging without dialog.Īnd why, you ask, as a writer would I advocate such a thing? Our characters gladly take out the garbage when we want to talk about devoted love. We describe color, light and textures to imply a soft welcoming atmosphere or a hard, cold tone. We describe patterns and shapes that speak of a historical design period to inspire nostalgia. We use shorter sentences and tighter dialog to suggest faster edits and raise the heart-rate of the reader. Context elements can be found in the text.įrom a writer’s perspective, subtext, or more specifically how we communicate subtext, is one of the most gratifying screenwriting processes, but very few people ever really perceive or comprehend what we’ve done when we do it well. Elements of context can be used to express subtext, but never overtly.Ĭontext is the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘how’ parameters of a story. Subtext can be implied in the text through the suggestion of technical and artistic choices, but it is never overtly expressed. Subtext is the underlying core themes of a story, the emotional foundations of the story. Text implies subtext and delivers context. Text is the script, what is written on the page. Subtext is the life under that surface – thoughts and feelings both known and unknown, hidden by behavior.” From Robert McKee’s Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting. In film, it’s the images onscreen and the soundtrack of dialogue, music, and sound effects. “Text means the sensory surface of a work of art.
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