I spent much of yesterday editing and redrafting sections of The Slugs of Doom after deciding that I simply didn't have the time or the brain power to write 28 more pages of Shocalot, my latest project! So, I took note of the many helpful comments I had from #BaftaRocliffe about my previous competition entry and think it has more oomph and sparkle now.
Just like a very simple line drawing can be more effective than an elaborate oil painting, it's clear a few well chosen words portray an idea, character or scene better than a florid paragraph - much of the time. But I think there has to be room for a variety of approaches. Otherwise every film would be cast in the same die and it could be so boring.
The tendency does seem to be to cut dialogue to a minimum in many films, especially action films. When I first watched a Jason Bourne film I had to rewind just to check he did actually speak during it. Few words work very well for Matt Damon in that role, but I find I need to construct a scene with plenty of dialogue first and then start cutting it out.
