Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Main / SlidingScaleOfVisualsVersusDialogue

Go To

1-> ''"A funny picture can save a poor joke, a good idea can save poor presentation. Getting them both perfect, however, is an exercise in futility."''
2-->-- '''[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes Bill Watterson]]'''
3
4When confronted with the antics of the rest of the cast, does the OnlySaneMan [[DeadpanSnarker crack a wry comment]] or does he [[FacePalm sigh and put on a long suffering look]]?
5
6Does a work of fiction rely on [[SceneryPorn gestures, sweeping shots and visuals]] to get the story moving, or does it have WallsOfText and [[SpeechCentricWork loads of]] [[SeinfeldianConversation conversations]]?
7
8Naturally, this scale is completely independent of the other sliding scales.
9
10It is not completely dependent on the medium, either, though the medium affects how the balance is perceived. Sweeping shots and visuals in TV and film translate to descriptive paragraphs in text and radio.
11
12The examples which focus on the visuals go on the top, and those that depend on dialogue go to the bottom.
13----
14
15!!Examples
16
17[[AC:Visuals]]
18* Rather obvious, almost all silent films.
19* All examples listed under SilenceIsGolden.
20* Next to no dialogue is spoken in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl: The Subspace Emissary''; the characters' actions and facial expressions do all the talking. Since a fair number of them are {{Heroic Mime}}s in their signature franchises ([[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]], [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus]], VideoGame/{{Yoshi|sIsland}}, etc.) this makes sense in context. However, it enters FridgeLogic territory when [[VideoGame/MetalGear Snake]] joins the brawl... and jumps to FridgeBrilliance when VideoGame/{{Sonic|TheHedgehog}} does.
21** Snake ''does'' have one line ("Kept you waiting, huh?") when he first appears, and is also a regular chatterbox in the normal modes if you activate his Codec.
22* Many Creator/CirqueDuSoleil shows are short on dialogue, and much of said dialogue is merely SpeakingSimlish.
23* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' did many dialogue-less episodes, often conveying the story via minimalist animation.
24* ''VideoGame/{{Ico}}''. Most of what little dialog there was wasn't translated in the NTSC version.
25** Also, it's SpiritualSuccessor or prequel, ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus''. The very little dialog that there is, is spoken in simlish. Without subtitles you wouldn't know what the characters are saying, not that it is needed to understand the story.
26* The first half of ''WesternAnimation/WallE'' has little to no dialogue.
27* ''Webcomic/{{minus}}'' probably falls somewhere around here.
28* ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'' featured large stretches wherein characters would react silently to special effects sequences.
29* Many of Creator/StanleyKubrick's films, particularly ''[[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey 2001]]'' and ''Film/BarryLyndon''. Of course, ''Film/FullMetalJacket'' and ''Film/DrStrangelove'' both have their share of memorable lines.
30* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Visual metaphors abound, from the utterly alien design of the Angels to {{Mind Screw}}ing religious symbols everywhere. One notable example is Gendo's ScaryShinyGlasses, which become steadily less scarily shiny as we get to know more about his motivations.
31** Then again, when it comes to personal backstory, motivations, and psychological trauma, the series is rather good when it comes to dialogue. When it comes to the [[MindScrew notoriously difficult to comprehend]] ''plot'', they either don't want to talk about it, or don't know anything anyway. Then again, the plot may just be an excuse to explain [[DysfunctionJunction all the characters' overwhelmingly huge]] {{Freudian Excuse}}s.
32* ''VideoGame/{{Primal}}'' - Twenty minutes of expository cutscenes before the player gets to do more than just walk through the large, empty Nexus.
33** The trend continues with each new world and situation.
34** In between (and during) the cutscenes are mind-blowing SceneryPorn, though. Puts this kind of in the middle.
35* The comic books where [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Huppen Hermann]] does ''both'' story and drawings (like ''ComicBook/{{Jeremiah}}'', for instance) tend to have many pages without words.
36* Works by Creator/MamoruOshii
37* None of ''VideoGame/TheSims'' has any proper dialog, as they all talks simslish. You still can know what they are talking about thanks to the images in the talking bubble and their gestures.
38* ''ComicBook/TheArrival'' by Shaun Tan, is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel. With heavy emphasis on the "graphic" part. As in, there are NO recognizeable letters or words anywhere within the body of the story.
39* The comic version of ''ComicBook/ThreeHundred'' used two or three double-spread panels per page with few word balloons or captions. This allowed for Creator/FrankMiller's gorgeous art, colored by his wife Lynn Varely, to tell the story.
40* Many ''ComicBook/SinCity'' stories tend to have few captions and word balloons spread along "widescreen" panels. ''The Yellow Bastard'' is one such example where you have entire pages with only a few words.
41* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'' was iconic for being one of Disney's most visual heavy pieces, the characters speak less than 900 words of dialogue throughout the entire film, and many shots are focused entirely on scenery and backdrops. It's {{Midquel}}, ''WesternAnimation/BambiII'' has relatively far more extensive conversation scenes, though retains a larger amount of quiet, visual heavy moments than a standard Disney film.
42* The only "character" in ''Film/TheLegendOfLobo'' who speaks is Rex Allen as the narrator, explaining to us what the cast is thinking and what their individual personalities are. While this is understandable due to most of the cast being animals, there are also two human cattlemen who serve as the villains of the move, and they don't make so much as a peep either.
43* The ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "[[Recap/TheXFilesMiniseriesE13Rm9sbG93ZXJz Rm9sbG93ZXJz]]" contains very little dialogue, largely because Mulder and Scully are the only human characters until the denouement and they spend much of the episode apart.
44* ''Animation/{{Lamput}}'' is almost entirely lacking in dialogue save for SpeakingSimlish, so its narratives unfold through the characters' actions.
45
46[[AC:Dialogue]]
47* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', although it does use the occasional mind blowingly gothic drawing to set the mood, 40k relies mostly on quotations and snippets of fluff to set the plot pieces. Good thing it's one of the most quotable pieces of fiction out there.
48* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', being a stick figure webcomic, relies on its characters' banter to set up its jokes and distribute its plot coupons. Sometimes a victim of WallsOfText
49* ''Webcomic/DinosaurComics''[='=] entire gimmick is that [[RemixComic it always has the same crappy clip art images]]. Fortunately, the dialogue is hilarious.
50* The videogame adaptation of ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'' is heavily on the dialogue side. It's not so much that there aren't enough graphical depictions or whatever, it's just that there's just ''so'' much text in this game. Fortunately, it's very good text, and the voice acting on the dialogue is top-notch.
51** Legend Entertainment also did several other book-to-game adaptations in the same style.
52* A lot of the filmmakers who came from the American independent film scene of the early 1990's (such as Creator/StevenSoderbergh, Creator/KevinSmith and Creator/RichardLinklater) focused much more on clever dialogue than impressive visuals. It also helped that it cost significantly less to shoot clever dialogue than clever visuals. Nowadays, independent filmmakers can make gorgeous movies [[TechMarchesOn for the cost of an HD camcorder and a laptop]].
53* Creator/QuentinTarantino films are usually dialogue heavy.
54* ''Manga/DeathNote''. It's got pages of WallOfText, and most of the story is characters monologuing their mind games to themselves or the group.
55* Ever since dialogue was introduced into a ''Mario'' game starting with ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'' is actually the ''only'' game in the series since then to feature full voice acting. By ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', everyone's back to talking with dialogue boxes and VoiceGrunting. And do you know why? Talking Bowser.
56* ''Webcomic/{{Sonichu}}''. The author claims it's to preserve marker ink.
57* RadioDrama in general is at the opposite extreme; some {{Exposition}} of the scene is often included, but it's difficult to work too much in without having people NarratingTheObvious.
58* ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' can be very wordy at times. The series has included multiple roll call sheets in one issue, a full-page excerpt from an essay, and has had a post-issue prose story on more than one occasion.
59* While ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' is known for [[AnimationBump its flash animations]] and at times ([[ArtEvolution mainly later in the story]]) [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt some beautifully]] [[SceneryPorn drawn art]] without dialogue, much of the plot is usually told through through Pesterlogs and Dialoglog [[note]]The in-game names for [[CallARabbitASmeerp dialogue boxes]][[/note]], with even some of the more important moments being retold rather than shown.
60* Often the only difference between TheAbridgedSeries and whatever it's based off of is the dialogue.
61* ''Film/MyDinnerWithAndre'' is just dialogue and little to nothing else.
62* ''Literature/SagradaReset'': Most of the story is carried by exposition and internal monologues instead of visuals. The characters rarely emote and the dialogue just barely avoids being monotone and presents a good opportunity for WorldBuilding.
63* Most Creator/HannaBarbera cartoons rely heavily on dialogue as the backbone of their stories, to the point that Creator/ChuckJones once derisively referred to them as "illustrated radio".
64----
65
66[[AC: Both]]
67* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' has two episodes that are on the two extreme polar opposites. "Fish out of water" is the SilenceIsGolden example, which could easily be a modern-day setting Charles Chaplin film, with the visuals taking all the protagonism and no dialogue. On the SpeechCentricWork antithesis to this is the episode "Free churro" which literally consists of a long monologue Bojack gives [[spoiler: during his mother's funeral]]. And of course with some PlayedForLaughs moments, just like you would expect in a stand-up comedy.
68* Children´s picture books, fit this as well. Probably because are targeted to readers who are learning just... [[CaptainObvious to read]]. So, it is expected from both parents and publishers that illustrations serve as a complement to the words and vice-versa.
69* ''Franchise/StarWars'' is a complete SceneryPorn orgy. The lightsabers, the ships, the planets, and all the universe as a whole screams visuals everywhere. In particular, the shoot of Luke watching the sunset has become an iconic example of the ShowDontTell rule. But also the series is particularly known for having a lot of memorable dialogue as well like the " I am your father" moment [[spoiler: (could really this be considered a spoiler?) ]] and the traditional phrase "I have a bad feeling about this" that has been repeated in every film of the saga. The prequel trilogy is the ultimate example of this mostly because of his obvious Shakespearian dialogue´s inspiration ( or well, [[ShakespeareInFiction what most people think how Shakespeare works are]] ).
70* The classic ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoons could go anywhere on the scale. In general, Creator/ChuckJones favored visuals while Creator/RobertMcKimson favored dialogue; Creator/FrizFreleng was usually in the middle. As for specific examples, WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadrunner cartoons were entirely devoid of dialogue and relied on visual gags. Meanwhile, WesternAnimation/FoghornLeghorn was a loudmouth, and as such his cartoons had heavy dialogue to reflect that. Also, the cartoons began to rely more and more on dialogue in later years, particularly the 60s, due to dwindling budgets (and, by extension, increasingly LimitedAnimation); that being said, exceptions like ''WesternAnimation/NowHearThis'' and ''WesternAnimation/RabbitStewAndRabbitsToo'' (which completely lack dialogue) exist.

Top