Long Thread · 6 min read

Who Is Speaking?

Speaker attribution changes the pressure of a line.

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speakercharactervoiceattribution

Voice gives a line weight

The literal words are only one layer. The line becomes heavy when we know who says it, whether that person is visible, and whether the sentence protects, asks, commands, or speaks in someone else's place.

A character is not a fixed answer

Characters in the film often slide into functions: caretaker, witness, performer, watcher, or person being watched. Attribution marks where a voice lands in a particular moment without freezing the role forever.

Characters become another way through the film

A character file gathers lines, sections, and adjacent concepts. The film can then be read backward from a person: what they were made to say, where they stopped speaking, and where someone else spoke for them.