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Talking Heads (view source)

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{{trope}}
[[File:talkingheads_twopanel_6101talkingheads twopanel 6101.jpg|frame|[[Calvin and Hobbes]] go meta.]]
 
Footage (specifically, close shots) of people ... talking, with little or no other action. Theoretically easy to write and definitely cheap to film, [['''Talking Heads]]''' can be boring.▼
 
The term was originally coined in the 70s to describe advertisements shot in this style. [['''Talking Heads]]''' has since been used as a criticism for media that relied heavily on dialog.▼
▲Footage (specifically, close shots) of people ... talking, with little or no other action. Theoretically easy to write and definitely cheap to film, [[Talking Heads]] can be boring.
 
▲The term was originally coined in the 70s to describe advertisements shot in this style. [[Talking Heads]] has since been used as a criticism for media that relied heavily on dialog.
 
As American Television and Hollywood became more "cerebral" in the early to mid 90s, the media became noticeably more Talking Heady: Complicated police procedural and legal dramas popular at the time relied on interviews and testimonies, while comedy aped the [[Seinfeld Is Unfunny|Seinfeld]] and [[Pulp Fiction]] style of rambling, slice-of-life dialog.
 
[[Calvin and Hobbes|Bill Watterson]] complained that [[Newspaper Comics]] are moving in this direction, probably due to a combination of [[Cerebus Syndrome]] and [[Lazy Artist|Lazy Artists]]s, though ''he'' blames [[Executive Meddling|restrictions]] placed on them by newspapers.
 
Also notable is UK comedy show ''[[Peep Show]]'', the entire premise is based around talking heads (because each shot is from the perspective of another person in the scene).
 
Of course, the actual [[Alan Bennetts Talking Heads (series)|Talking Heads]] by Alan Bennett conforms to this trope, essentially monologues (with one phantom policeman). The band [[Talking Heads (Musicband)|Talking Heads]] (fronted by David Byrne), however, does not. Even their famous concert film, ''[[Stop Making Sense]]'', is completely free of [['''Talking Heads]]''', a rarity in a genre typically saturated with them.
 
{{examples}}
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== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Reading only exported or scanlated manga can easily make one believe that some unwritten manga code states no work can go without dramatic poses, great drama, and eye candy. Talking Heads seem to be generally discouraged, but they are still around, mainly as one-shots. [[No Export for You|Don't expect to see them in English]].
* [[Death Note (Manga)|Death Note]] (especially the manga) falls into this trap every now and then, and it's ''very'' noticable.
 
 
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== [[Video Games]] ==
* Several main characters (and most Enclave soldiers in [[Powered Armor]]) in ''Fallout'' and ''Fallout 2'' have animated [[Talking Heads]] with lip-synced voice acting for their dialogue window. This is even how the developers referred to them. Other characters simply show their world model and communicate via written text. A few, such as John Cassidy from ''Fallout 2,'' had [[Talking Heads]] animated but no voice-acting recorded (mostly due to looming deadlines), and were thus left out. Most can be restored via game mods, but are still silent.
* Most of ''[[Mega Man (Videovideo Gamegame)|Mega Man]] 10'''s story cutscenes have caught some flack due to being made of still images, scrolling text and little else. It doesn't help that some players think that the game's [[Retraux|presentation]] required [[Lazy Artist|minimal effort]] to make.
 
 
== Webcomics ==
* ''[[8-Bit Theater (Webcomic)|Eight Bit Theater]]'' gets pretty close to this trope at times, especially towards the end.
* ''[[Thinkin' Lincoln]]'' of course. Emphasis on the 'heads' part.
* Often invoked in ''[[Our Little Adventure]]'' when Julie is talking with the [[Spirit Advisor|Palm Tree Ghost]].
 
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