Stop Making Sense is a 1984 concert film directed by Jonathan Demme, documenting performances by the band Talking Heads filmed over four nights in December 1983 at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The film opens with singer David Byrne alone on stage and progressively adds musicians and equipment as the performance builds, a staging concept devised by the band itself. Independently financed by Talking Heads for 1.2 million dollars, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest concert films ever made and was added to the National Film Registry in 2021.
Facts
Classification
Original Language Release Year FAQs
Why does Stop Making Sense show the audience so rarely?
Lighting the crowd drained its energy, so audience shots wait until the final song.
Director Jonathan Demme found that filming the audience needed extra lighting, and that lighting inhibited the crowd's energy, which in turn made the band feel insecure. As a result the only direct audience shots come at the very end of the film, during the final song, Crosseyed and Painless. This is a departure from most concert films, which cut to crowd reactions throughout.
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Source Wikipedia: Stop Making Sense
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Source Wikipedia: Stop Making Sense
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Source Wikipedia: Stop Making SenseLead sentence 1Quote, Lead sentence 1
Stop Making Sense is a 1984 American concert film featuring a live performance by the American rock band Talking Heads.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Stop Making Sense
Lead paragraph
Stop Making Sense is a 1984 American concert film featuring a live performance by the American rock band Talking Heads.
Infobox, Country field
Country: United States
Lead paragraph, original language
Stop Making Sense is a 1984 American concert film featuring a live performance by the American rock band Talking Heads.
In Medium: Film, Article lead sentence
Stop Making Sense is a 1984 American concert film featuring a live performance by the American rock band Talking Heads.
Created By: Jonathan Demme, Article lead sentence
The film was directed by Jonathan Demme, produced by Gary Goetzman, and executive produced by Gary Kurfirst, the band’s longtime manager.
View the Source2. Library of Congress, National Film Preservation Board: Complete National Film Registry Listing
Library of Congress, National Film Preservation BoardNational Film Registry listing row: film released 1984, inducted 2021Quote, National Film Registry listing row: film released 1984, inducted 2021
Stop Making Sense 1984 2021
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