Bricks in Motion
We are a friendly filmmaking community devoted to the art of stop-motion animation using LEGO® and similar construction toys. Here, you can share your work, join our community of other brickfilmers, and participate in periodic animation contests!
A place to discuss, share, and create stop motion films.
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Given the limited range of articulation and facial expressions, it can be hard to convey anything complex without dialogue. With Bowling For Sandercoe, I ended up having to use speech bubbles with pictures in, which is kind of cheating.
It depends, some vids, like Metalzora's have no voices, and use sound effects, actions, and music to portray the moods and whats happening. But voices mean it's easier to get what's happening, and can move the plot faster. I prefer voices, and I also am working on my voice acting, I am actually getting good at it.
As long as they are done well, then either will work.
I have recently been disliking using dialog in my films. I cringed to use dialog in Archimedes. Neither Plant nor Breathing Space used dialog. LEGO minifigures just don't quite fit dialog (for me) for some reason. It has, however, been done well before, so maybe I'm just a spineless coward who isn't up to the challenge of writing good dialog.
- Leo
Then I guess you mean coherent dialogue versus no dialogue.
I feel like going with no dialogue makes short more accessible and gives them a nice, charming feel to them. However, if your short has a complex story or conversation to portray, dialogue is not really preferable, it's necessary.
I plan on making an episodic series of films with no voices to help with storytelling.
Good luck, man! Should be an enjoyable challenge. I'm excited to see that!
I think each way, both silent and with voices, has its advantages and disadvantages. Trying to tell a story without talking, just by letting the pictures speak for themselves is definitely a challenge. I think neither of them is a "better" resolution than the other. It depends on the films- some just need dialogue because of a complex story-line you wouldn't be able to understand without. In some films on the other hand, that isn't necessary. I've planned to use as little dialogue as possible in the project I'll work on after my current film.
- JD
I actually meant "silent" in the sense of stuff like the Magic Portal, where the characters are just speaking gobbldygook.
There was actually some dialog in that film. The first line was: "Hey L, wait."
brickme wrote:I actually meant "silent" in the sense of stuff like the Magic Portal, where the characters are just speaking gobbldygook.
There was actually some dialog in that film. The first line was: "Hey L, wait."
But that was because you translated from gobbldygook. 
mcoov wrote:brickme wrote:I actually meant "silent" in the sense of stuff like the Magic Portal, where the characters are just speaking gobbldygook.
There was actually some dialog in that film. The first line was: "Hey L, wait."
Yeah there is a line where I think the plastercine goes "can you see anything?", but most of the film is talking on nonsense.
It's like Star Trek, only most of their brainwaves are different, so all we here is gibberish, and the occasional phrase in English. What was the device called again?
Pros of Dialogue in Movies:
CECIL!
I don't often use dialogue because then I can just start animating in the spur of the moment without lengthy pre-production. But longer films require it, unless the director is very clever. Or if it's a music video. (Strictly speaking, lyrics aren't dialogue.)
I don't really think that it's the audience's fault if they don't understand what is happening without dialogue. It's more of the director's (or perhaps camera-person's) fault for not making it clearly visible.
Some of the more difficult conflicts do require some clarification. In the early days of film, when no sound was available, this was solved with a title card with words on it, à la "Battleship Potemkin" or "Metropolis" - two of (in my opinion) the best silent films.
Also in films without dialogue, music aids the audience to emotional cues. For example, the belicose music in the Death Star attack in "Star Wars" gives the audience a sense of urgency and danger. Or a lighter melody might give an emotional hint of security or peace.
It's a interesting prospect in any case.
I was actually planning on doing something silent if I ever get around to doing anything at all.
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