Comparison: "Words Words Words" and "Alien"

In “Words Words Words” by Michaela Pavlatova, the use of sound is one of the main points of interest. Pavlatova implements sound effects and incoherent sounds made by the human voice to describe what is being said. For instance, when the couple is first shown in the film, their voices sing in harmony without using words, implying that they are getting along and agreeing. Another example is when the two men are yelling at each other, the sound of harsh drums and thumps is heard. These noises, paired with the visual of the two men angrily arguing, makes it clear what kinds of things are being said, without explicitly using dialogue. I find it incredibly clever and creative to have a film about words where not a single actual word is uttered throughout the entire short.

Similarly, Martin Máj replaces the use of language with sound in his short film called “Alien”. The short film is about being in a foreign land and the loneliness that accompanies not knowing the language. “Alien”, like “Words Words Words”, is all about conversation and language, yet no true words are exchanged; rather, the tone of voice and mood of the sound conveys the meaning. When the main character is trying to communicate, his inquiring tone is met with the sound of static coming from the foreigners around him. This piece is very successful in replicating the feeling of frustration at speaking and not being understood by those around you.

The two animations share themes of communication and sound, however they contrast in the way they were visually animated. Pavlatova’s film changes angles and perspectives many times, while Maj’s film is more linear in it’s storyline. In addition, Pavlatova animated in a more three dimensional and hand drawn style than Maj, who chose to make the animation quite two dimensional and almost collage-like.