Daily Dialogue — August 17, 2014

LOW ANGLE CELL BLOCK CORRIDOR

As Hi is escorted away from the camera toward his cell.

At the far end of the corridor a huge con is sluggishly mopping the floor.

VOICE OVER: I was in for writing hot checks which, when businessmen do it, is called an overdraft. I’m not complainin’, mind you; just sayin’ there ain’t no pancake so thin it ain’t got two sides. Now prison life is very structured — more than most people care for…

INTERCUTTING

HI’S POV of the MOPPING CON, tracking as he approaches, and the Mopping Con’s POV of Hi as Hi approaches.

VOICE OVER: …But there’s a spirit of camaraderie that exists between the men, like you find only in combat maybe…

The Mopping Con snarls as Hi passes:

CON: Grrrr…

VOICE OVER: …or on a pro ball club in the heat of a pennant drive.

— Raising Arizona (1987), written by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Voice-Over Narration. Today’s suggestion by Jon Raymond.

Trivia: Edgar Wright’s favorite film.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by Jon: “I love the way the Coens handle voice over narration in the first eight pages. It is used extensively through the first act and less so after that. It is cut well with the visuals which reflect what is said in the narration. The script has a few lines of action, followed by a few lines of voice over and then sometimes actual dialog from characters. This is repeated through the first act. I think it’s highly original.”