Screenwriting: Dialogue

[@aresaurelian]

Lines of a dialogue are like magical spells trying to influence the world and the characters spoken to. It is spells of intent, emotion, and action.

[@writingforscreens]

True indeed!!

[@Ruylopez778]

I rewatched 'Groundhog Day' this year, as has become a habit on Feb 2, and while I know it's not necessarily a groundbreaking movie to most people, I was particularly struck by the conversation Phil and Rita have in the diner where Phil is consuming an entire table of food. It's really the first scene where they have a prolonged conversation that's not about work. Rita quotes poetry accusing Phil of being egocentric, he laughs, and she says, 'You don't like poetry?', and he replies, 'I love poetry.' And this seems like a fairly harmless back and forth because we the audience are more interested in the mechanics of this curse. And then he asks her what her ideal partner is like (which he will later become). But this year, I realised how important 'poetry' is in the story, firstly (and overtly) part of his tactic to seduce her, and later poetry becomes a source of deep connection between the two, which shows how his selfishness and cynicism has been replaced by compassion and joy - which echoes the diner conversation. While there are many other acts of kindness that Phil demonstrates to show his impact on others, poetry seems to me to be most personal to Phil and central to the story (perhaps because it is important to him before the curse where he learns to play the piano, ice sculpt etc) and is introduced with such subtlety. And there is something quite ironic and revealing when he admits he loves poetry to Rita, because it shows us a sensitivity to his inner self that we hadn't seen in his behaviour up to that point, foreshadowing who he is capable of becoming, and adding dimension to an otherwise straightforward character. Considering Rita majored in poetry, it makes perfect sense she quotes poetry to Phil, appalled by his nature. And during his attempts to seduce her, the movie even mocks the idea of studying poetry, Then reading poetry becomes the climax of their most emotionally intimate night, where Phil is honest and not deceptive (a change in tactic) and confess his love for her, that motivates him to truly be the best person he can be for the rest of the movie. While seduction and deception repeatedly failed, just being his real self worked (but didn't break the curse).

[@writingforscreens]

Fascinating! Good example.

[@ellenlewitt]

I love how you give your listener, and learner ( such as myself) the confidence to work on something even though we may not be experienced at it, or naturally talented at it, and how you always carve out different paths to getting where we need to go. 😃

[@writingforscreens]

This is exactly the stuff I hoped to convey, so thank you Ellen, for telling me it's there!!

[@SaraX2024]

After studying method acting at Stella Adler's, I have completely turned into a method (screen)writer and inhabit the characters. I act out the scenes and dialogue at home while writing them or record the words I'm saying on my phone while doing so. I basically transcribe what I went through or observe into my script. Being in the moment has led to unexpected outcomes, surprising lines of dialogue so on point and deep I would have never come up with had I just stared at the blank page and thought about it. The characters sound real. The script was written within less than a month that way including the outline of it. Before that method, I had been suffering from severe writer's block for years. I managed to write four feature scripts pantsing my way through them and keeping all the guidelines from the books in mind, which eventually made me feel stuck and limited. Stella Adler freed up my imagination to a level I would have never thought possible.

[@writingforscreens]

That's great!

[@tomlewis4748]

I'll think this video belongs in the group of your most important videos. It's a lot of really great info. It is a bit intimidating to embrace these concepts, especially the hacks, but expressing any art well, is complex and not easy, so being intimidated by the process is somewhat par for the course. It's possible for those of us to think of ourselves as students of yours to think 'how in the world can I possibly do these things?' I think I may have found a very important way of doing this, and what that entails is inhabiting the character. In other words, in the moment you are trying to decide what a character's line should be or are trying to evaluate or revise a line you have written, step outside of yourself. Put your own ego, your personality, thoughts and feelings on the shelf for just a moment, and become that character. Feel what they feel. Imagine yourself faced with their obstacles, wants, and needs. Imagine that you are that character, instead of being you. Speak in their voice, as if you were an actor trying to impersonate that character. Leaving your own personality behind is actually a little scary at first, but you will get over that fairly quickly, and you'll also discover doing this is actually a whole lot of fun. The beauty is that what the character will or should say then sort of comes to you automatically, and it feels and sounds genuine, mostly because it comes from the character and not directly from you as the writer. If something doesn't fit them, that will become immediately self-evident. I know this all sounds a little 'split personality', but I guarantee you it works. I'm living proof of that.

[@writingforscreens]

I absolutely agree! That is very much the process most writers go through when writing dialogue - I probably should have described that part of it.

[@tomlewis4748]

@@writingforscreens You sort of did say this, Glenn. (I'm happy you welcome comments that can help amplify things, tho). When you said to 'read the lines aloud to yourself', that is a similar exercise. it may or may not get a writer to inhabit the character all that completely, but it's a great start in that direction. It was obvious to me that this is the direction you were speaking of. Aaron Sorkin once told us that he does this, in fact, he tries to act out the action part of the scene, and once injured himself doing that!

[@writingforscreens]

@@tomlewis4748 Haha - thanks! Let's try not to injure ourselves, though :)

[@ozdigg9254]

"The emotional and narrative power of people talking to each other cannot be overstated." What a Great opening line! Thank you Glenn, I love writing dialogue, so your whole teaching video is very helpful. There's always something new to learn :))))

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you so much!! Sometimes we forget the central, simple stuff.

[@AMadViolinist]

I love how direct and straightforward your videos are, they have been helping me tremendously with my writing. Thanks for sharing your expertise!

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you so much for the supportive message!

[@Donna07]

Thanks Glenn! Awesome and useful information - as always 😊

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you for watching!!

[@markusps3248]

When i was younger i was allways afraid of writing dialog for I thought i lack a specific talent or knowlegde to be skillfull and poetic with words. But the more movies i watched and the more i wrote the more chill i became about it. If i'm honest most of the time i just think... If i was a person with that background in this specific circumstance, what would i say. I don't know if that is a good approach but at least it is fun getting in someone elses shoes. Anyway, great video and greate pieces of adivce Glenn. I haven't actually considered the topic of word order, at least not purposefully...thanks for that!

[@writingforscreens]

Sounds like a very good approach! And thank you!

[@filmmakeranto]

wow that opening question made me question my sanity, another gem of a video good sir, TYSM

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you so much! Making people question their sanity is my hobby.

[@filmmakeranto]

@@writingforscreens you definitely did it to a lot of people with 'Fracture'. I genuinely hope and pray you get another one on the big screen soon.

[@writingforscreens]

@@filmmakeranto Working on a novel now...but maybe it will get picked up for the movies!

[@nellosnook4454]

Thank you for this excellent information! 👍

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you for watching so quickly and commenting!!

[@deviseptiani1281]

Thank you. It means alot to me❤

[@writingforscreens]

I'm so glad to hear this - thank you for commenting!

[@OutwardFilmNetwork]

Great intro!

[@writingforscreens]

Thanks!

[@LesandaMooreAuthor]

Another great video Glen. Love the Outtakes.

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you, Lesanda!

[@BlancheChiang]

This is precious.👍 Thanks, Glenn.

[@writingforscreens]

Any time :)

[@f.earless.]

Wow, that’s really helpful, thank you! I’m really glad I discovered you channel, now I have to catch up on previous videos :)

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you so much, I really love to know my work here is useful! The short "lesson" videos are probably the most directly useful...the livestreams are only if you have a lot of time!

[@mistywebs]

so glad to find someone else that uses the word nifty 👏 very helpful video too. thank you!

[@writingforscreens]

Yes - because some things simply ARE nifty, so what other word could we use?! Thank YOU for watching and commenting, I'm so glad you're finding the videos helpful!

[@DrGonzo96]

Thanks man! Helpful and insightful as always. Would you ever consider a video on your favorite screenplays and what you learned from them?

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you! I may, though I don't want to become too much of an "analysis" channel...there's plenty of those. These aren't really a favorites list but I did talk about movies that influenced me in this livestream: LIVE - SCREENWRITING AMA: “What If My Character Doesn’t ‘WANT’ Anything?” - kzbin.info/www/bejne/bp-mgqmtpM2lf8U

[@DrGonzo96]

@@writingforscreens That's awesome, thank you. I agree, so many analysis channels that are eventually just talk and not much to learn from. Always learning here, thanks again!

[@Ruylopez778]

@@DrGonzo96 You might like the channel 'Script Sleuth' if you haven't seen it already. He focuses on one movie and breaks down some aspects of craft with examples in a concise way. And there's also a few on 'The Art of Story', although that one is very much 'structure' focused and a longer discussion. I've found both of these channels more helpful than the general 'film critic' ones.

[@DrGonzo96]

@@Ruylopez778 Thanks G! I'll be sure to look into that asap. Always hungry for more knowledge. Hope your days are bright!

[@Ruylopez778]

@@DrGonzo96 You're welcome. Ellen Brock (novel editor) and Shannan E Johnson (producer), and Quotidian Writer (Diane Callahan) also have no nonsense, practical, specific advice, just like Glenn. I also think Cory Mandell, Alan Watt and Ken Atchity have great insights. And Brandon Sanderson's youtube lectures are a nice refresher, along with the podcast 'Writing Excuses'.

[@davidblairmusic]

I find these videos helpful to understand how life works. What are people actually saying?! What is their motive? Great great videos! Subscribed and excited to watch them all!

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you so much!

[@Meowch3]

Brilliant as always, Glen. It is funny you mention anime and (Japanese) video games as a different style, because I was thinking the whole way through that they would really benefit from the advice in this video. The latest Japanese RPG I've played was great fun, but the typical anime dialogue syndrome was instantly recognizable and permeated the entire game -- each character constantly on the nose and constantly wearing their heart on their sleeve, with the only major difference being a personal quirk or two. I tried, but it is impossible to take a story seriously with dialogue like this. When I was younger, I used to think anime dubbers just did a terrible job translating the deep complexities of the Japanese language. Fifteen years later, watching and playing these in Japanese myself, I realize it was almost never their fault. The increasing reliance on voice actors in video games these days has, in my opinion, made it so that they could get away with awful dialogue. Japan's voice actors really are top-notch and literally save the script. I almost get the feeling that they are trained specifically to do so. Why venture away from this lazy, uninspired dialogue style when you know your voice actors will do the work of spicing it up for you? The work sells and that's all that matters at the end of the day. However, a good story it will not make. It will always feel like something is "missing."

[@writingforscreens]

Yes, but...it's also possible that the audience is finding in the "cardboard cutout characters" a personal identification BECAUSE they are so basic. It reminds me of Scott McCloud's UNDERSTANDING COMICS, in which he points out that a simplified "face" is often more emotional than a deeply unique and detailed one. That's why we get "feelings" from emoticons. A lot of it depends on the traditions one is raised in and the art forms one is accustomed to. Watching old 1940s Hollywood films now, it is shocking to realize how bizarre and artificial they are...when 50 years ago they swept me up in their emotions.

[@Meowch3]

​@@writingforscreens That is an excellent point, Glen. There are certain archetypical personalities that I'm drawn to in entertainment just because I happen to personally like that kind of character. I wonder how much of the "basic can be more emotional" idea is applicable to dialogue though? The simplest face can convey emotion because it has the benefit of being a visual medium; we can always "see" the intended emotion through context and things like the Kuleshov effect. But I'm not sure dialogue has that same power -- or rather, you can say that it's so powerful that this trick just doesn't work. Dialogue that is "basic" instead causes a disconnect between what the character seems to be feeling and what we know he should be feeling, in my opinion. And this disconnect is my main problem with anime-esque dialogue. With that said, I am sure someone out there enjoys it. I wish I did. I relate to your feelings about the old Hollywood movies. I have rewatched shows that I used to absolutely adore, only to find that they just don't hit the same way. I suppose age, maturity, and novelty all influence taste. I never considered how traditions and the art forms you're used to can have an influence though...That's really interesting.

[@writingforscreens]

@@Meowch3 I think there's a big difference between "simple"/"basic" and "undramatic" or "on the nose." I think your problem with anime dialogue is that it's often undramatic. I get into those here: Dramatic Action - kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6m0hXqbg9p-g6s and On The Nose Dialogue - kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4fTmZ1roKaHeac

[@Meowch3]

​@@writingforscreens YES, I think you hit the nail on the head! How would you define simple/basic dialogue then?

[@writingforscreens]

@@Meowch3 Dialogue that is action, but...simple. Not fancy. Direct, clear - but not a summary, not a comment. An act in the moment.

[@miraperegud1625]

I did not expect this to be as enlightening and inspiring as it ended up being. Great video, amazing channel - thank you!

[@writingforscreens]

It's great to know I'm unexpectedly good! Thank you!

[@blue_evolution_studio_official]

Thank you So much, it really opened my eyes to things I totally didn't think about, but I have one question. Is the Dialogue part of the story I am writing, like is everything in a one Word file, for example, or is the Dialogue separated into its own pages or its own file? I don't know if what I am doing is right, but basically, I separate every episode into its own file, starting with setting the purpose or the goal for the episode, and then I start writing. I have a folder where I write notes about the planets, species, etc.

[@writingforscreens]

Everyone has to figure out their own best work method. I don't advise separating out dialogue, but if you're happy and productive you should do what works for you. These videos may help: How To Organize A Project (Livestream Class) - kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4SraJx8jbKbo68 / Why Outline? - kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2XQXmyDpdJoba8 / How To Outline - kzbin.info/www/bejne/aonaiItjnaebars

[@RebelKitty525]

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