Page "Robert Altman" Paragraph 12

To convey a naturalistic effect, he recorded the characters talking over each other, allowing the audience to hear only scraps of dialogue.

He noted on the DVD commentary of McCabe & Mrs. Miller ( 1971 ) that he uses this technique, together with leaving elements of the plot for the audience to infer, because he wants people to pay attention and become engaged in the film.

During the filming, he wore a headset to ensure that important dialogue could be heard, without emphasizing it.

He wanted his films to be rated R ( by the MPAA rating system ) to keep children out of his audiences ; he did not believe they had the patience and attention for his films.

Movie studios wanted the films rated for the largest possible audiences to gain increased revenues.