How to Write Dialogue

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What is the function of dialogue? How do you write dialogue well? Does dialogue always have to be stylistic? In this video, I explain how to practically write dialogue and how to best approach it as a new writer.
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#Screenwriting #Dialogue #HowToWriteDialogue

[@TylerMowery]

Get Practical Tools to Write Your Great Screenplay: www.practicalscreenwriting.com

[@MosesTY]

I love it man! Really helpful for understanding the reason behind the craft.

[@purenuggets]

Summary : While writing a scene, ask yourself 1. Who wants what from who? 2. What happens if they don't get it? 3. Why now?

[@mjolninja9358]

Why now?

[@exaggeratedswaggerofablackteen]

Why now ?

[@marcusgingell3585]

And not later

[@dragonoverlord_2379]

Wait, who?

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

Goal, Stakes and Urgency.

[@dukefrancefield1521]

Finally! A video that doesn't make my screenplay sound like The Room.

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

Oh hi Mark.

[@VarnasL]

Haha, this guy knows the way i feel! 😄

[@piatinofamily1908]

it honestly feels like that.

[@elliec0r3]

Reading your comment is tearing me apart, lisa!

[@mars.marroquin]

Haha this dude is the goat

[@galamaboane]

This man’s timing sometimes...XD

[@xxlonesomewolf8284]

Tell me abt it lmao

[@djmx9237]

Deadass bro 😭😭😭

[@AnnoyingMoose]

Your thoughts on dialogue remind me of what I have often heard said about sound in movies: If it's bad everyone notices but if it's good no one notices.

[@forfunely1240]

How does it feel to carry the script teaching KZbin world on your back?

[@burpie3258]

HONESTLY

[@pufelmulticolorido]

Skipping the BS as always. Gotta love this man.

[@TylerMowery]

I try!

[@nzrmmd]

Thank you Tyler. For years I struggled with dialogues. Since I started following your channel, dialogue-writing is no more a problem!

[@TylerMowery]

Fantastic!

[@bensneb360]

You know what I like about Tyler’s videos, they’re very realistic and honest, but encouraging at the same time.

[@cjkalandek996]

So, the 3 questions to ask when writing dialogue, could it go both ways between the 2 characters? Like, in _Revenge of the Sith,_ the opera house scene does evolve the story and has context that makes the dialogue in the scene work. *_Who wants what from who?_* -Anakin wants a way to save Padme. -Palpatine wants Anakin on his side. *_What happens if they don't get it?_* -Anakin believes Padme will die if he can't find a way to prevent her death. -Palpatine's plan for galactic conquest will go up in flames if he can't get Anakin on his side. *_Why now?_* -Anakin has been having dreams of Padme dying in childbirth and he's haunted by the his failure to save his mother when he was having dreams of her fate. -Palpatine had just given Anakin the info on where General Grievous is hiding and his plan goes into motion once Grievous is killed.

[@dragonoverlord_2379]

Hold up. Grievous dies?!

[@dragonoverlord_2379]

@@theawesomebat1244 duuuude. spoilers! come on

[@obenbenisti1507]

@@theawesomebat1244 1. It was a joke 2. Your math

[@guicaldo7164]

While I'm still a huge fan of flashy dialogue, that should be the _last_ thing you work on when crafting a scene. Don't disregard it, but never let it get in the way of your story. Great video, loved it!

[@DragonsFrogs]

Flashy dialogue often ages terribly, too. At least stylistic dialogue. For every Pulp Fiction there’s 1000 Junos lol.

[@SONICADVENTURES11]

Thanks for this. Due to school, I’ve been struggling with finishing/starting my dialogue for one of my movies. You’re Awesome!

[@TylerMowery]

Glad I could help!

[@Fred_l_l_]

Great choice of movies for the examples!! And how are you so good at this?? Also in Prisoners, Dover is trying to hide what he's doing at that moment, which gives an interesting agenda (what he wants/what he wants to hide by using emotions, side stories and manipulation to get Loki off his back).

[@elsad5810]

Not to disagree at all, but I think those tips about avoiding exposition, focusing on subtext, etc. are more for the editing process after you've written most of the dialogue to flow. However, it makes me happy to see someone actually pointing out the fact that it's hard to write naturally with a checklist in your head! I end up overthinking every little line, except for editing when I can just evaluate and tweak what's already there far faster than creating something backwards from where I need to be.

[@rodampitrani904]

Omg thank you sooo much! Dialogue has always been my main weakness/ struggle. I watched this video and changed my perspective on the task completely. I studied Screenwriting and watched thousands of KZbin videos, and never have read or heard anyone deconstruct it like this, while also lifting the weigh of the notion that dialogue has to be perfect. That's petrifying. Again Thanks a lot, wish you the best, and keep it going! From Buenos Aires, Argentina (:

[@Thisiscinemalist]

How do you read my mind bro? This is exactly what I am struggling with lately. Thanks for the video bud.. 🙂👌🏼

[@TylerMowery]

Happy to help!

[@SugarRushTimes2030-gs3qp]

Great movies are a great teacher for dialogue. I’m learning to write as little dialogue as possible to move the plot to the next scene but it’s tough to do. Good writing and dialogue is no joke. Props to those who can do it well.

[@Meg.1122]

I need to rewatch this, and this time I'm gonna take notes 😅. You're so talented! All the things I am learning about screenwritng is because of this channel! Thanks!

[@briansimerl4014]

I like the way he pushes back on constant subtext. It does interrupt the flow of writing as not every scene is subversive or chalked with surface innuendo or undercutting expectations. Maybe when the Act turns but it's easier to think in terms of motivations than subtext and often you get the same results.

[@nictheartist]

I've found it very helpful to read the dialogue out loud, because if something doesn't work, you're more likely to notice when actually hearing it spoken out loud.

[@The0neWomanShow]

Can I just say this series is something I never even knew I needed. I have attended several workshops, and while extremely helpful in teaching me what to think about when writing a scene I often find myself juggling too many balls and ultimately loosing any sense of focus and direction. Ultimately, I'd lose any motivation to write anything. With this though, I find myself answering the questions and thinking about the techniques you mention and employing them in my own story and it feels so much clearer. I can't wait to get back to it, and I can't thank you enough!! Amazing channel!!

[@rthur.]

Man! your video just made realize the car scene in spiderman homecoming, when vulture discovers that Peter is Spiderman. The conversation is simple and uses basic words but you could tell how each character's statements moved the story forward. Andrian confronts Peter. Peter tries to defend himself, but Liz unaware of both Peter and his father's secret identities reveals Peter's association with Tony Stark to impress his father. This grows Andrian's suspicion and gets Andrian the answer he was looking. Great video

[@ajmusiq6742]

Out of all the film dialogue video essays on youtube. This has got to be my favorite. Very concise and straight to the point. I love the clear and efficient simplicity

[@jboushka]

As I went to the "grocery store" this morning, I was thinking about an opening conversation between "Randall" and "Brutus". Randall will say something that shows he covets Brutus and would sacrifice something to "get it". Now I have to say that in about 8-10 words. (This is on a "space station", script treatment finished Sunday.)

[@silverstarlightproductions1292]

This makes me feel so much better about my screenplay. I always overthink my dialogue way too much because I'm so afraid of it sounding terrible. But this video has reassured me that I am at least on the right track. Thank you so much!

[@scriptencoded]

My man Tyler coming thru. My dialogue has greatly improved the past 2 yrs. But I still find myself watching every new video you upload, cause it's informative and intriguing and I always catch something new to learn from you.

[@coreyloucks4865]

Anyone see the Deadpool and Wolverine trailer when they clicked on this video? That was some epic dialogue. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh jackman are such an epic duo.

[@mr.firegod-san1637]

freaking love the visuals of these videos. Makes it very easy to digest all the information. Thank you for your hardwork.

[@ViDhiHDEntertainment]

It's always better to stick to the basics because it guides the scene towards the story's direction. Realistic, conversational, ambiguous and stylistic dialogues are just a part of one's own taste and nature. I feel like I am gifted to be able to write realistic and subtle dialogues but I lack the ability to come up with plot points so play it to your strength and work on your weaknesses. As always great video Tyler !

[@filmstonereviews4018]

As much I disagree with some of your philosophies on how stories should be told I always enjoy watching your videos.

[@kenzi-music]

Incredibly helpful while writing a fictional podcast. Thanks!

[@mattsmith6217]

totally needed to hear this... I wrote something yesterday and got hung up on making exposition less obvious and dialogue flashier and more entertaining. I totally felt as if I was stunting myself work and eradicating flow. I wish I watched this video beforehand , because I've submitted the writing now, and maybe it was better being a bit more simple. Great video, man. Thanks. Definitely going to check out more.

[@syedarizvi7290]

This was THE most useful guide ever! Yes I agree, everybody keeps on talking about subtext and saying a piece of media like books or movies are simply bad without it. They ignore the whole story, the characters... literally the whole thing and say; "There was no subtext so this was bad". I strongly disagree! Thank you so much for giving a voice to saying that great dialogue is only the kind that moves the story forward and tells about the characters.

[@amandanield5380]

thank you these vids have been so helpful! and I'm so glad you brought up how ppl make writing more complicated and confusing by demanding you think too much about subtext, themes etc.

[@withinwalkingdistance]

Tyler, great stuff man- You really have inspired me, especially during this hard time. I was feeling really stuck and unmotivated and after I watched your video on writing a screenplay in 48 hours I was inspired to write my first play in the same amount of time. It's been a month since then and I've just finished my second screenplay! I really want to thank you because if it wasn't for that video I wouldn't have pushed myself to put the words to paper. I'm really looking forward to what the future has in store for you! Thank you, Tyler!

[@TylerMowery]

That's awesome, Jon! Glad I could help you!

[@stevebeat]

I don't think you get the recognition you deserve. Your content is soooooo good man! Keep it up!

[@brandonmcdowell1876]

bro, the amount of value you put into these videos is incredible. I love what you're doing. Great job

[@user-en7rj4gd9p]

What a great video of the writers talking!

[@ghourmi]

Thanks man! Great info!

[@vitthaltiwari1348]

I've got some serious problems in writing screenplays, 1. they say that take one idea and put it on the paper, I can't write before thinking hours about it 2. the ideas which i have prepared i am not able to put them on paper because of the complex action scenes i think of and visualize in my brain or the silent comedies with less dialogues and more focus on the surroundings.

[@djmx9237]

Hope im not missing the point of your comment. But action lines should be able to help from what I understand. Maybe also personalise your screenplays for yourself like ur directing or just forget screenplay rules that may be limiting your expression. A lot of them are in place because others are going to be reading your script. Maybe writing it as if it’s only you that’s going to read it and needs to understand might help

[@Ruylopez778]

Try this advice on writing from Kurosawa (with subtitles) kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnW2dZmAlMqEmMU

[@RenegadeShepard69]

Read scripts and screenplays from movies in that style you are referring to. I understand what you mean, as often when I think of stories, I think of camera movements, facial expressions, cut between scenes, etc. Not that much about words per se. But there are ways to learn to Express those ideas out there keep studying and good luck!

[@LucidPigFilms]

I was literally just telling myself I need to improve my dialogue

[@kulturamoto3302]

"hmm" - Geralt of Rivia Still resonates with me.

[@honeybhingful]

Wow, great timing. This will be litmus test for writing plays and dialogues in general

[@RitikButWriting]

This video is very well explained and concise. Super helpful, thanks!

[@mitchabbott8486]

I think a lot of what you said it true. Sometimes simplicity and brevity are best. But if you can write simple dialogue that sounds like it came from Tarrantino or Sorkin (using great metaphors)-- That is the best dialogue IMO

[@thekhan4503]

I love that you are sharing your knowledge with us and definitely your timing men!!🔥🔥

[@TylerMowery]

My pleasure!!

[@marvin6844]

love it man.

[@mboniledawson229]

You're heaven sent, thank you very much. I can see it now very clearly. Thank you.

[@angelsacredcamp5497]

You’ve helped me so much, thank you🥰🥰

[@davidmeneses712]

Great, I got a better understanding about how to write a better dialogue. It was so difficult when I read Story.

[@828So15th]

I found your graphic illustrations clever and be very helpful

[@lujainkadd7745]

Too good to be true. Amazing thank you for .

[@monts6389]

Thankyou so much for this

[@mhz6687]

god bless you for writing the last part. these videos really decrease anxiety

[@nathanhansen1846]

I absolutely love your videos dude. They are very helpful

[@TylerMowery]

Glad you like them!

[@user-oc7se4ff8j]

Thank you for your diction!

[@TheCoward383]

Thanks for making it so nice and simple

[@prernanegi6051]

Bro!!! Thanks you are doing an amazing job 😊😊

[@testimony_jesutofunmi]

I always see your videos. Well detailed. Good job sire

[@EvilMonkey553]

Thank you...Tyler

[@Solveiga555]

Tyler, you're simply the best, full stop. :)x

[@awesomejumpropevideos]

Great Video! You've got a new subscriber.

[@anilgajbhare9674]

Thank you so much for the video. Very insightful.

[@TylerMowery]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@anilgajbhare9674]

@@TylerMowery I literally take notes as I watch the videos on your channel.

[@viewbrains8337]

You're genius bro!

[@TylerMowery]

I appreciate that!

[@masanahlungwani3516]

Thank You. ❤️😌

[@alanm.r3508]

Brilliant

[@HitechProductions]

Interesting, an editor I follow posed those same three questions as what you should consider when editing a scene. I guess it really is the last rewrite!

[@hihiepshihi2964]

Great!

[@Shub224]

You Are My Film School.. Thanks for these videos.. Love frm 🇮🇳India

[@jaymiddleton1782]

Good stuff

[@erikarodriguez4510]

Thank You.

[@bobharris5093]

Nice.

[@user-go2yu4hq5p]

Great essay 👍

[@alexjcorona2605]

As much as this provides a sense of backbone with regards to characterisation, and setting your intent for the scene, the choice of films here really highlights a certain type of exchange between characters that I think misses a lot of what good dialogue actually entails. There is far more nuance to explore in scenes that don't have a clear motive, within stories that have a more subtle balance, and it is those scenes which really blur the line between conversation and dialogue. Take films like Jim Jarmusch - Night On Earth, Greta Gerwig - Frances Ha, Mike Leigh - Naked, Alfonso Cuarón - Y Tu Mamá Tambien. Elements of these ideas apply, but what makes the dialogue powerful for me, is how much understanding of the human condition is presented in the exchange. I'd be interested to see you explore scenes which are less direct in their intent.

[@Ryann10SA]

Nice video Tyler bro. Do one on Theme soon 🤞I love learning about Theme 🤟

[@dullboy475]

I love your videos

[@TylerMowery]

glad you like them!

[@kentjensen4504]

This is the first time in my entire lfie I have been moved to compliment a dude's hair. That is AMAZING hair LOL

[@thegoodgeneral]

*FROM WHOMMMMMMM* Anyway, fantastic video. Great work.

[@pyramidetrader]

thx

[@Skywalker.Movies]

I have an internal conflict. I don't know if I want to study law or film making, I like law and I think I could be good at it, but filmaking is my passion, but I want a stable job. Do you think film school is necessary and helpful or it actually doesn't make a difference. And how do you make a movie by yourself. What do you think?

[@blacktee31]

I know you've touched on this before, but could you make a video one how writer's put themselves in a corner trying to increase conflict and how to avoid it?

[@purenuggets]

MAKE ONE ON "HOW TO WRITE A KICKASS VILLAIN"

[@Ryann10SA]

Watch some Sergio Leone westerns, his created some badass villains

[@purenuggets]

@@Ryann10SA The Ugly!

[@racewiththefalcons1]

I disagree wholeheartedly about dialogue not being a conversation. Anyone can write a one-liner. Literally anyone. But to write a whole _scene_ that reveals and informs about the story as well as multiple characters and addresses the theme(s) is to be a good writer, and few can do that, let alone do it exceptionally well. The single best example of this is Burt Lancaster's introduction from Sweet Smell of Success: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWjPfYZtlsyEopY Remember: dialogue is between more than one character. It's an _exchange._ One character speaking is a monologue, not dialogue.

[@testimony_jesutofunmi]

When adding a poem to a script, will I write the whole poem or the excerpt?

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

How much of the whole poem is relevant to the story of the script?

[@mjolninja9358]

Character 1: Now I have become death, the destroyer of worlds.. Character 2: fuck off

[@muthamalarajesh3757]

The way of explaining is very good but.. Can u explain it little bit slow thank you

[@georgeofhamilton]

There’s no perfect explanation that works for everyone, but yours works for me!

[@clairmoon06]

One question tho, is it the same way with writing a novel?

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

yes.

[@DrJefflang]

You should do a video about breaking bad pilot. One of the best script I ever read.

[@TylerMowery]

Lessons from the screenplay has done a video on it! Might be worth taking a look.

[@DrJefflang]

@@TylerMowery will do. 👍

[@sheikalawdeenm51]

SHEIK (Pleased) About screenwriting softwares........ TYLER .............

[@evandropba90]

Dude... Hugh Jackman on Prisoners... maaaaannn

[@daveshusband2606]

But like. What If your dialogue doesn't start with a question? What If it's just two friends talking about their day? Is that not allowed or does it simply follow a different structure?

[@pnr2736]

✌✌

[@jonathankey1533]

A rare exception of a great dialogue which doesn’t increase tension is in No Way Home when all the Spider-Men are talking about how Toby shoots webs out his penis

[@pinakichakraborty8759]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Paarths]

George Lucas should see this video ( just kidding I have utmost respect and gratitude for him)

[@gabrielmcmillan]

9:58-10:53 What film is that from?

[@tushartambe5939]

How do we write a line in a screenplay which is not said but can be heard by the audience and the person who is supposed to say it is not off screen?

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

It's called off screen narration

[@writerinn4251]

Hey, this video has helped me really start my own business. it might not be huge, but I really hope I make the best out of it. Hiba Khan - content specialist at WriterInn

[@shivamnanchahal988]

Your video's make me nod