Silence in Modern Filmmaking – A Webinar on Storytelling on May 16th

MZed Education

by Mascha DeikovaMay 12^th, 2025

We often dive into specific storytelling tools and explore how they influence the viewer’s perception of films. For instance, a topic we already touched on (and a rather rare one) is silence in modern filmmaking and what powers it holds. Let’s talk a bit more about it, but this time, together. On May 16^th, I’ll host a Zoom webinar for filmmakers, film buffs, and those who simply love cinema. Find out below what we will discuss, and how to attend.

The interesting thing about silence, both in life and in films, is that it can be of a very different quality. Sometimes scary, other times soothing; tense and awkward; creative or driving everyone crazy. Also, silence exists as a literal phenomenon and as a metaphorical one. So, there are a lot of aspects to discuss and film examples to observe.

The webinar on silence in modern filmmaking

The 1.5-hour webinar will be held on Zoom and will explore the theme of silence through a mix of film theory, philosophy, and practical tools. It will include scene analysis from films and series to connect the discussion to real-world examples. What we won’t talk about, however, are silent films. That is a topic of its own, which we will save for another time.

I’ll include some interactive parts in the webinar as well. We’ll chat, share thoughts, and take a mini-quiz. However, if you’d rather just listen, no worries: You’re welcome to keep your camera and mic off. Also, if you’re only partly connected to filmmaking or are just starting out, it’s not a problem. This webinar is directed to all kinds of storytellers, and also to people who just love watching good cinema and learning new things. So, you might come across a new term or two, but I’ll do my best to explain them and answer all questions.

What exactly will we talk about

In this webinar, we’ll touch on the following topics:

• negative space, the contrast of light and dark, and what silence has to do with it;
• different types of silence and how it drives the story;
• the famous “Show, don’t tell!” rule — and how it sometimes transfers into “Don’t show at all!”;
• the power of awkward silence in life and acting (with exercises to try out in your projects);
• diegetic and non-diegetic music in films and what these terms mean;
• and much more.

How to attend the webinar on silence

The webinar “Silence as a Storytelling Tool in Modern Filmmaking” will take place on May 16^th (Friday) and start at 6 PM (CET). It will be held in English and go for 1,5 hours. For more details and to sign up, please head over here.

For those of you who are interested but won’t be able to attend, we will make the recorded session available on our educational platform, MZed.com, afterwards.

Do you generally participate in such webinars and discussions? What do you think about the topic of silence in terms of storytelling? Are there any aspects of it you are particularly interested in? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature image: a film still from “Sound of Metal” by Darius Marder, 2020.

Full disclosure: MZed is owned by CineD.