(1) DIALOGUE EXERCISE ‘THE REQUEST’ (5 min)
Work in pairs. One person puts themselves in the shoes of a character who urgently wants the other person to do something (or stop doing something). This becomes the first line of dialogue. The other person replies. Continue the dialogue for a few more lines.
There is no need to create a finished scene. Just explore the conversation and see where it goes.
(2) WRITING EXERCISE ‘ADDING THE VISUAL’ (10 min)
Return to your dialogue. Now add images to the dialogue lines. These may be body language, actions, or other images. They may stand in direct contrast to the dialogue (for example: “I’m fine” while somebody is crying) or seem completely unrelated at first glance (for example: somebody asking their friend to be their maid of honor while they are assembling a tent together).
Take turns adding images to the dialogue. There is no need for everything to be logical or realistic. Experiment and see what new meanings begin to appear when words and images interact.
Afterwards, we will hear 1–2 examples and talk about the meanings they create.
(3) EXPERIMENTING WITH WORDS, IMAGES AND SOUNDS (10 min)
Choose one image. Then try out some of the prepared sentences or invent your own. How does the meaning change if you add one sentence rather than another?
Next, visit a sound website, e.g. https://www.epidemicsound.com/sound-effects/ and try out some sounds for your image-and-sentence combination. How does the meaning change depending on the sound?
Experiment with different combinations and notice what story, emotion, question, interpretation, or meaning begins to appear when words, images, and sounds meet.
Afterwards, we will hear 1–2 examples and share our associations.