Editing Silent film (section)

=== Inter-titles ===
[[File:CABINETOFDRCALIGARI-03.jpg|thumb|''[[The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari]]'' (1920) used stylized inter-titles.]]

As motion pictures gradually increased in running time, a replacement was needed for the in-house interpreter who would explain parts of the film to the audience. Because silent films had no synchronized sound for dialogue, onscreen [[intertitle|inter-title]]s were used to narrate story points, present key dialogue and sometimes even comment on the action for the audience. The ''title writer'' became a key professional in silent film and was often separate from the ''scenario writer'' who created the story. Inter-titles (or ''titles'' as they were generally called at the time) "often were graphic elements themselves, featuring illustrations or abstract decorations that commented on the action".<ref>Vlad Strukov, "A Journey through Time: Alexander Sokurov's ''Russian Ark'' and Theories of Memisis" in Lúcia Nagib and Cecília Mello, eds. ''Realism and the Audiovisual Media'' (NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), 129–30. {{ISBN|0230246974}}; and Thomas Elsaesser, ''Early Cinema: Space, Frame, Narrative'' (London: British Film Institute, 1990), 14. {{ISBN|0851702457}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Foster |first=Diana |title=The History of Silent Movies and Subtitles |url=https://www.vicaps.com/blog/history-of-silent-movies-and-subtitles/ |website=Video Caption Corporation |access-date=24 February 2019 |date=November 19, 2014 |archive-date=February 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225050323/https://www.vicaps.com/blog/history-of-silent-movies-and-subtitles/ |url-status=live}}</ref>