In the computer game The Sims, the characters display little thought-bubbles above their heads to display their internal states, their relationship to the world around them etc., in the same way that a voiceover is used in Film Noir to narrate the lead character's internal state. So a Sims character talking to another character whom they like will have a 'Heart' icon displayed.
My idea is to use the same system in a feature film, which would have traditional spoken narrative but also computer-generated thought bubbles added to the picture. This would give the director an extra dimension of storytelling, e.g. when the emotions expressed by a character in their speech and their thought-bubbles are contradictory.
-- hippo, Jan 11 2002

Sounds to me like a necessity for Hollywood producers to allow them to produce something vaguely intelligent that Americans can still understand.

-- goff, Jan 11 2002


I've seen this done in TV programs with subtitles to show what people are actually thinking while they speak. If the bubbles are just displaying emotions, then that's different but more restricted.

Anyway, aren't actors supposed to show what they're really thinking, and scriptwriters and directors to subtly reveal this sort of thing?
-- pottedstu, Jan 11 2002


Can I turn off this feature on the DVD?
-- waugsqueke, Jan 11 2002


Sound like a film version of pop art. Does this mean that the lead male has to be called 'Brad'?
-- st3f, Jan 11 2002


[waugsqueke] Yes. [st3f] Yes but he will show, through cleverly chosen thought-bubbles, that he'd be happier with the name "Stef".
-- hippo, Jan 11 2002


Only on films "starring" Cher and others of her ilk who seem to have difficulty grasping the concept of appearing to be thinking - e.g. moving facial muscles - instead of keeping mannequin-like appearance in order to preserve the skin, whatever it may be made of.
-- thumbwax, Jan 11 2002


Can we have this in real life please?

pros: understanding women gets a lot easier
cons: wars break out all over the globe when people find out what others *really* think of them
-- tobythepig, Jan 11 2002


I think this is a great idea, as long as the thought bubbles aren't too simplistic, cartoon-like - To be true to the film noir, they should be a black and white photo, or anything that the viewer couldn't necessarily connect to the dialogue - all our minds work along strange paths... who's to say I have the same mental imagery as anyone else? Just as the computer game does little generated hearts or tears (I assume - I have no idea what this game is) so the Film Noir should generate abstract art or a haze of colour. For example, a black and white photograph of a beautiful woman, sitting on the piano, could reflect the pianist's inner state while playing a piece in no way connected to the woman, but perhaps connected to the tonal poetry he is trying to express. It could look like a continuity error if it suddenly appeared for ten seconds of a scene (a phrase of the piece) but once the viewer became used to that sort of thing happening it would become part of the cinematography.
-- Viennoise, Jan 12 2002


Ah! Very good - explicit use of appropriate props to reflect characters' internal states. As you say, this would be a cinematographic style but I think would be no more 'artificial' than many other styles.
...The condition of the hero's car (or maybe even the make of the hero's car?) could change depending on his mood...
-- hippo, Jan 14 2002


This sounds very David Lynch. In fact, more Lynch then Lynch himself. This could be over-used. Especially by film art students like friends of mine, not me, I promise. I only do tone pictures with bell towers.
-- sappho, Jan 14 2002


Does David Lynch even do any movies anymore? What was his last one.. His Twin Peaks stuff was interesting..
-- Real Estate, Jan 07 2003



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