Screenwriting : Possible! by Ivan Alexei Dominguez

Sure, it's a silent film. They went out in the thirties when talkies hit the scene, and made a micro one film come back with "The Artist." Good luck, though the odds are against you - one commercially successful silent movie in 70 years.

I didn't see All Is Lost but I think it only had a few lines. Anything is possible - probable is another story, however.

The idea is a feature film ... We're talking 90-120 pages without dialogue, without being "silent", but no additional text. In the 30's movies had message "text" in the dialogues. I mean only and simply ACCION. And of course the reference to action, not necessarily serious gunfire, explosives and / or bombs.

now trying to remember a film I saw where first twenty minutes are no dialogue. has david thewlis and thandi newton in it. be good to see it to see how that was tackled.

Thanks guys!

I would make a proof of concept video of, say, 10-15 minutes of the story as you envision it and see how it works. You may find it works or maybe not as well as you envision it, but you'll be making that assessment based on what you can observe on the screen and not what everyone else thinks.

I see a lot more downside than upside. In fact I don't see any upside other than it's not done very often - for good reason. It sounds more like a response to a dare. What about this script will draw a top-tier actor? They like juicy rolls with memorable dialogue, and if one falls in love with your lead roll, may make it possible to get the movie funded. You're taking that possibility off the table.

Why wouldn't it be, have you seen Kim Ki Duk's 3-iron? It's a challenge, that's for sure and Mark has a point there too.

Last question ... Could a script written about a couple who are born dumb and they relationship conflict and interaction? There would be no need for dialogue. Rather than talking heads they would act through their actions. No?

Thanks for viewing, where only the imagination can carve their own altar. I commented briefly (personal) ... My mother was a deaf mute, and despite my father not to be, the relationship of the two was based on my mother's difficulty in trying to express and how that communication was permanently established. The story takes place in a house, and through it there: stress, love, anger, laughter, humor, violence, confusion and peace. The first 10 minutes engage the people and based on the rest of the script, upward progress. It is interesting! Some people believe that would be my suicide as a screenwriter, but ... I think we have to constantly experiment.

I appreciate the advice on my screenplay Ivan. I will take the hint wisely.