BLOG # 6

Authors use visual language to evoke a film in your mind by giving someone clear directions to follow. The more information one put's in their script the more visual a director or someone reading the screenplay will buy into the writer's vision. For instance, if I say that an old man walked up to the protagonist in a scene, it's different than saying that an old man with a huge nose that looked like it was a Halloween prop, and looked bitter and nasty like he's had some rough years and a smile like some demented pedophile, that's totally different. The less a writer put's into the visual aspect of a script, the more room for error there is. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid left little room for error, the film was done completely on paper, there is little room for interpretation. It would be difficult for someone to look at Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and not see a film visually being made by all of the stage directions and descriptions being presented. The interactions between the characters also give a clear visual image of what’s happening. The way that Samuel and Rebecca reacted in Witness gave the reader a clear indication of the values and beliefs of the characters. The actions of the characters aligned with descriptions gave a clear visual of what’s happening and what everything one is reading should look like.

Alexander "Jay" McAllister

1. Would witness be as powerful under a different setting, i.e. a suburban mother and son?

2. Witness was made more than 20 years ago, would this movie be competitive in the marketplace if it were made today?