When an important character dies, one way to ramp up the emotion is to cut all dialogue and sound effects, adding complete silence to the scene for perhaps ten seconds. Sad music, often with [[OneWomanWail female vocalization]], will usually be played to highlight the effect, but all other sound is cut out. Some extreme cases will eliminate even the music, leaving nothing but the video. Expect the visuals to consist mainly of other characters' reactions to the death, especially lots of screaming the dead character's name (silently), and general crying. Also expect the visuals to be in SlowMotion much of the time.

And, of course, there's also the literal moment of silence shown out of respect for the dead, but that's more about plot than cinematics.

See also: SilentCredits, DramaticSpaceDrifting, and SuddenSoundtrackStop.

For in-universe moments of silence observed in memory of a deceased character, see DueToTheDead. For real-life ones, see InMemoriam. For an in-universe version that isn't specific to death, see SilenceOfSadness.

'''Beware of spoilers. Spoiler tags are used in some but not all cases.'''
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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' has the fatal wounding of Asuma (with OneWomanWail), the [[DisneyDeath apparent]] death of Hinata, the arrival and explosion of the [[FantasticNuke Juubi's bomb]] at the Shinobi HQ, and the [[KilledOffForReal actual]] death (well, the moment of the [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice fatal]] [[TakingTheBullet blow]]) of [[spoiler:Neji]] with complete silence.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Igaram.
* [[spoiler:Kittan]] gets a short one in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''.
** [[spoiler: Kamina]] gets this as well. At the end of the episode, the only animation and sound effects added to the still frames is the rain falling.
* ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion End of Evangelion]]'' has this at the end of part 1, when Shinji finally decides to enter the battle... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU6P2tAkntc only to find that he's too late.]]
* A variant is found in the final episode of the ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays'' anime. Makoto reads a text message that consists only of lots of blank lines and he scrolls down to the end where it just says ''"Goodbye"'', and all sound stops for a three-second close up of the single word. ''Then'' the tragic music picks up and [[spoiler:he is stabbed to death from behind]].
* Played with at the end of ''Anime/CodeGeass''. The climax [[spoiler:alternates between the reactions of different characters to Lelouch's imminent death and a flashback of Lelouch and Suzaku explaining the entire thing]].
* ''Anime/KillLaKill'' does this with [[spoiler:Senketsu's]] death, immediately before a case of SayMyName.
* In ''Anime/{{Betterman}}'', the explosion that kills [[spoiler:Shou and Kaede]] is completely silent.
* ''Anime/YuriKumaArashi'': After a certain character [[TakingTheBullet Takes the Bullet]] for another, they manage to hold onto life for a while longer. The moment they die, the BackgroundMusic suddenly stops.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'': Nick Fury and Betty Ross cross silently the area where the victims of the Hulk's rampage are being treated. Betty only managed to talk once they are in the elevator.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
** Agent Coulson's death in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''.
** Frigga's death in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld''.
** Quicksilver's death in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''.
** T'Chaka's death In ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''.
** Half the universe in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''.
* Gandalf's death in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing''.
* Sirius's death in ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix''. WordOfGod says that this is because Creator/DanielRadcliffe made such a heart-wrenching scream that they couldn't keep it in.
* Godzilla [[spoiler:and Daisuke Serizawa]]'s deaths in ''[[Film/Godzilla1954 Gojira]]''.
* A minor subversion in ''Film/IAmSam'', where [[spoiler: Sam admits that he is not good enough to raise Lucy alone after the Prosecution berates him into this position. The trope is put into play when Sam is forced to let Lucy go and the only sound is sad music in the background.]]
* ''Film/RoadToPerdition'''s BattleInTheRain, with muted sound effects and no dialogue until the final confrontation. Then an understated FacingTheBulletsOneLiner, and a [[BangBangBang jarringly loud]] burst of gunfire.
%%* Angie's death in ''Film/{{Mirrors|2008}}''.
* In ''Film/TheQuickAndTheDead'', though it's not immediately after the death of [[spoiler:the Kid]], a full minute goes by without BackgroundMusic, dialogue, or cheering, before the duel between Cort and the Lady.
* In ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'':
** In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'':
*** After the bombs go off and the Joker escapes at the end of the second act.
*** And then again when Harvey finds his coin and figures out what happened.
*** Meta example: The sequel's strategic silence on the defeated Joker as if he never existed - so as to not diminish Creator/HeathLedger's [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim memory]].
** In ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', when the cops are heading down into the tunnels and are about to be trapped when Bane sets off the explosives. The vocalization is provided by a boy singing the National Anthem at the football stadium.
* When the chase scene in London in ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' nears its end.
* ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'' has one when [[spoiler: [[DisneyDeath Anna is frozen solid after saving her sister.]]]]
* ''Film/LandOfMine'': When [[spoiler:Ernst Lessner]] suicidally walks into the mine field, the protests from Sebastian and the others fade to silence as the background music grows louder. When he triggers a mine and it explodes, the only sound is the music, which then ends, the last note fading to silence. After a lull, the music starts up again, quiet and slow. Several seconds pass before any other sound is heard -- Sebastian's quiet, ragged breathing as he stares at the scene.
* [[spoiler:Sunshine's death]] in ''Film/LittleBigMan''.
* [[spoiler:After Frank beats up Monty]] in ''Film/TwentyFifthHour''.
* [[spoiler: Captain Nicholls' death]] in the movie adaption of ''Literature/WarHorse'', combined with subtly PlayingTheHeartStrings and {{Taps}}.
* In ''[[Film/{{Leclisse}} L'eclisse]]'' the minute of silence lasts exactly one minute.
* Used in ''Film/AprilShowers'' when Sean learns [[spoiler:of April's death]].
* In ''Film/TheLastJedi'', after [[spoiler:Admiral Holdo makes a hyperdrive-powered suicide run into the ''massive'' enemy ship]] there is a smash cut to complete silence for nearly 10 seconds. Some theaters reported moviegoers complaining about the "broken" sound during the scene due to the abrupt and utter silence.[[note]]This is possibly a ShoutOut to the unbelievable six seconds' silence cued by Creator/OrsonWelles in the 1938 ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' broadcast at the moment reporter Carl Phillips and nearly everyone else at the landing site is killed. Audiences were unnerved by that, too, even if they knew it was a play.[[/note]]
* This happens with just quiet music as John (Gregory Barr) is put in the police car in ''Film/TheLennonReport''; Yoko (Karen Tsen Lee) rushes to the window crying "John, John,"; Officer Frank (Tracey Asai) gently pulls her back, says "Are you all right?" and as Yoko nods, "Okay. Come on."
* In ''Film/WilliamShakespearesRomeoAndJuliet'', the titular characters' deaths are followed by a completely silent HappierTimesMontage, and Capt. Prince's ending monologue is devoid of background music as well.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/TheBelgariad'': Exaggerated when the MadGod Torak is {{kill|TheGod}}ed by TheChosenOne -- all of existence falls dark and silent for a moment as the universe [[EvenEvilCanBeLoved mourns the loss of her wayward son]].
* ''Literature/LoveYouForever'': When the son arrives home after his mother dies (or possibly when she's very close to death), he stands at the top of the stairway in silence for a long time. This is one reason readers interpret that the mother passed away.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* The death of [[spoiler:Buffy's mom, Joyce]] in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': the entire episode had very little dialogue and was the only episode in the entire series to contain no music, and so probably qualifies.
** A similar example in the episode Passion; when the main characters receive a phone call informing them of [[spoiler:Jenny Calendar's death]], they're being filmed from outside the house. Their reactions are inaudible but unmistakable.
* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': At one point in the pilot, as Aemma is dying from a TraumaticCSection, we can still see her screaming but the audio goes silent and only the music can be heard.
* ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'': When Misora appears to the cast on top of Pandora Tower, everything but the sound of blowing wind is muted as the cast show how devastated they have become as a result of [[spoiler:Kazumi]]'s death.
* The death of Henry Blake in season three of ''[[Series/{{MASH}} M*A*S*H]]''. There's a slow panning shot of everyone looking horrified and saddened after TheReveal.
* In ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'', we get one of these following [[spoiler: Dom's]] death.
* The death of Adric at the end of the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Earthshock". Not only was there no sound, but instead of the usual closing credits, there was just a closeup of Adric's broken badge.
** Done in the new series to great effect at the end of "The Pandorica Opens", when [[spoiler:the Doctor is put inside the Pandorica, followed by the ''entirety of reality'' being subjected to RetGone by the explosion of the [=TARDIS=]]].
*** And for the last few seconds of the episode, [[spoiler:silence falls.]]
* When major characters die on ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]]'' sometimes they go to commercial without the second-indicating beeps. [[spoiler:Edgar Styles]] and [[spoiler:George Mason]] are the only two who come to mind.
* At the end of the last episode of ''Series/{{Blackadder}} Goes Forth'', when they finally go over the top in no man's land there are no closing titles and the usual theme tune is replaced by a slow piano version and gunshot sound effects, finishing with three strong bass-drum notes as the scene fades to a poppy field.
** The ''Blackadder'' ending came about almost by accident. They'd originally intended to show everybody falling, but it looked fake. Then they came up with the idea of slowing down the action and dissolving to a poppy field... and suddenly [[TearJerker there wasn't a dry eye in the country]].
* When recurring character [[spoiler:Mrs Fyvie]] dies in ''Series/GettingOn''.
* When Auggie sees the terrorist [[spoiler: plant a bomb near his comrades]] in ''Series/{{Covert Affairs}}''
* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': Immediately after [[spoiler: Sherlock's faked suicide]], the sound turns completely off, returning in a slow and fragmented manner to indicate [[spoiler: John's]] extreme shock.
* Not a recurring character, but the ''Series/LawAndOrderSVU'' episode "Shattered" uses this trope after a young boy and his kidnapper go into the river after a car chase. Somber music plays as soundless scenes show the parents' horrified reactions to the news, and the detectives' stricken faces as the car is hauled from the water.
* Played with in ''Series/BreakingBad.'' After [[spoiler: Hank]] gets [[CharacterDeath killed off]], the audio of the episode goes completely muted, but zooms in on Walter White's horrified reaction.
* Several ''Access Hollywood'' episodes end with a silent version of the NBC Universal logo, usually when they announce the death of a celebrity. Examples include Creator/RobinWilliams, Creator/LeonardNimoy, Omar Sharif, Abe Vigoda, and Creator/MuhammadAli. In the case of Music/CelineDion's husband, it features a LonelyPianoPiece. An episode which involved Billy Bush's retirement from the show also ended in silence.
* Similar to the above, the May 16, 1990 episode of ''Entertainment Tonight'' had the Paramount Television logo silent out of respect for Creator/SammyDavisJr and Creator/JimHenson. The January 23, 2017 episode also ended with the CBS logo in silent out of respect for Bonnie Tiegel, the senior producer of the show who passed away recently.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* The iconic "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" by Music/GordonLightfoot incorporates a moment of silence at the end in honor of the many who died building the transcontinental railroad.
* Music/{{Radiohead}}'s [[Music/KidA "Motion Picture Sountrack"]] features a minute of silence between the main song and the HiddenTrack, with another minute of silence following that, both times tying into the song's suicide allusions.
* The final stage of [[Music/TheCaretaker The Caretaker]]'s six-part series ''Everywhere at the End of Time'' ends with a minute of silence, symbolizing both the death of the Caretaker as a character, and as a musical project.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* After the death of Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, Wrestling/{{CZW}}'s staff requested such a moment. One fan protested, leading to the rest to request his removal from the building. Then there was silence.
* During Wrestling/SgtSlaughter's Iraqi sympathizer heel gimmick, in November 1990 at Madison Square Garden, Slaughter demanded that ring announcer Howard Finkel call for a "moment of silence" "in memory of the Iraqi troops who died at the hands of Americans during Operation: Desert Shield." Not surprisingly, the fans booed as Slaughter and his henchman, Gen. Adnan, saluted an Iraqi flag in the center of the ring, and debris littered the ring before Hacksaw Jim Duggan came to the ring. At least one other match saw Slaughter intimidate the ring announcer into calling for a moment of silence, and Adnan and Slaughter repeated their act before Duggan interrupted the "moment of silence" by running into the ring and sneak attacking Slaughter while they were (too) focused on saluting the Iraqi flag ... to of course the loud cheers of the audience.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/{{Allegro}}'' has a silent scene (music but no dialogue or singing) following the death of Joe's mother as Joe, his friend and his father react to the sad news.
* In the opera ''Theatre/{{Wo|yzeck}}zzeck'', the orchestra immediately fades to pianissimo when Wozzeck drowns, and for the remainder of the scene produces no sound louder than [[ChirpingCrickets imitation frog croaks]] as the Captain and Doctor quietly react to the sound of a man drowning in the lake in dialogue (not even Sprechstimme).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In the end of the British campaign in ''VideoGame/CompanyOfHeroes'', there are close shots of the aftermath of the battle of Caen, accompanied by celtic singing with strings and bagpipes.
* At the end of the penultimate chapter of ''Videogame/Journey2012'', it slowly turns very silent as [[spoiler:your own life fades away]].
* In the [[spoiler: sacrifice Chloe]] ending of ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'', right after [[spoiler: Nathan shoots Chloe]], the ending music starts and all sound effects are silenced. Even the photo effects are silent.
* At the end of Day 296 of ''VideoGame/NotForBroadcast'', if [[spoiler:Jeremy dies by suicide or gets killed by security]], the end results screen goes silent without any of its music, acting like a moment of silence for [[spoiler:him]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In ''Podcast/BlackJackJustice'', the protagonists' {{Private Eye Monologue}}s always have a noir style theme playing in the background, with the most prominent instrument changing based on who is speaking and serving as a {{Leitmotif}}. One exception to this occurs in the episode "Justice and the Happy Ending". In the climax of the episode, Jack's recently returned former partner, Tom Fellows, tries to recruit Jack into his game of getting the local gangs organized under his bosses' syndicate, and prepares to kill Trixie to get rid of dead weight. Jack steps in, with every implication being he's decided to side with Tom and intends to kill Trixie himself. The BackgroundMusic is completely absent when Trixie describes Jack's firing the gun and killing Tom, and picks up when Trixie starts describing the aftermath of the events.
* ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'' chastises ''Anime/LittleNemoAdventuresInSlumberland'' for its silent moment after the destruction of [[BigBad The Nightmare King]]:
--> '''Critic:''' Uh, no. You have not warranted a silent moment, movie. Nothing you’ve done is big enough that you need to be quiet for a second to let it sink in!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'', after Kevin's BadBadActing led to hundreds of cult worshippers dropping themselves off a cliff, Gary proposes a brief silence for them just about a second before moving on with the mission.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "Hereafter," this is the reaction to Superman's apparent death. He's not actually dead, but none of the onlookers know that.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', the majority of the Final Agni Kai has the actual fight lowered to barely audible levels while calm music plays.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Many religious services utilize moments of silence. This is also common at funerals.
* In the Commonwealth nations it is traditional to observe two minutes of silence on the eleventh of November to commemorate the two world wars.
[[/folder]]

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