You know, GL95, you're one of the very few I've come across anywhere in life (not just GL) who sees the value of the long pause with moments allowed to breathe. I'm a huge fan of this thinking. It allows the viewer/listener to settle in, get absorbed, anticipate what may be coming, and at times, to wig out.
If you have a few minutes, go back and watch the confrontation scene with Lillian and Maureen in the Bauer kitchen. A great scene...not just because is there, but because of what isn't there. There's a decent stretch of time in the mid-section (prior to the explosive part of the scene) where the dialog is slowed down, there's no music, nothing to fill the gaps. There's lots of space in that scene for viewers to feel whatever they're going to feel. It's all very played down (not up) for effect. That "another time might be worse" line from Maureen. Holy crap! What?! Worse than the silent, unacknowledged division in the air at that very moment, just before the explosion? That had me climbing the walls....fantastic!
Allowing time to breathe was one of my favorite things about Guiding Light. During the periods when the show was good, it happened fairly often. Across various types of scenes and settings. Production and execution do matter. Both are very much undiscussed.
I've stated before that as a viewer, I very much enjoy being manipulated. Providing the needed space/context for matters to percolate is a winning strategy.
By
Speed Racer ·
