Week 8

Elements of Dialogue:

-dialogue reveals character

-a character will talk about himself and other people will talk about him

-because we know ourself  best and ego

-Dialogue establishes relationships between characters

Once you have established your main character’s POV, you can use dialogue with other characters to show that they have other attitudes, creating opposite /alternative POVs

- This helps to create and sustain the element of CONFLICT between characters

Good effective dialogue will move the story forward

Dialogue communicates facts and information to the audience

- It conveys essential exposition

- Characters will talk about what happened, establishing the storyline

Dialogue comments on the action

Dialogue ties the script together

- It is one of the devices that You as a writer can use to expand and enlarge your characters

“If you can see it or hear it, don’t write it.” (Neville Smith)

Dialogue should be used sparingly

-only to reveal what’s to be reveal

-”Talk is Cheap”

Never tell the audience what they can see for themselves!!

(Dialogue is no substitute for action)

In Hollywood when they look at a page and it’s got too much black, too much ink on the paper, they say:

“SHIT! IT’S FREEZE THE CAMERA TIME!!!”

Common mistake

-students sometimes never achieve a level of competence as they tend to reproduce conventional spoken language, long statements of “REAL TALKING”, and defend their decision by telling us that:

“It’s how the character speaks.”

GOOD DIALOGUE is not somebody’s ability to write authentic speech as heard in real life

Bad dialogue:

-cheesy

-unfocussed

-inappropriate tone and language

-long winded

If that was all there is to it, you can just push a button on the tape recorder and then go collect your Oscar

GOOD DIALOGUE  is the illusion of reality

-you’ve got to know how to edit what people say without losing any of the spirit

Common Mistake:

-students tend to create radio shows with images

(FILM IS A VISUAL MEDIUM)

A SCREENPLAY IS A STORY TOLD IN PICTURES

Writing Dialogue :

The Scenario:

-a middle-aged man returns home from work

-he had stopped for a few drinks with his friends and forgot to phone his wife to tell her he’ll be late

-the dinner is ruined

Exercise:

Husband: I’m back honey. What’s for dinner?

Wife: Have you forgotten what today is?

Husband:Oh its Sam bithday right?

Wife: Its 19 december. Our anniversary. How could you forget?

Husband: Im so sorry honey. i’ve been so busy with work that it slipped off my mind.

Wife: But you have already promised me to be home early.

Husband: Look I’ve already apologised. What more do you want me to do.

Wife: You’ve been drinking again, haven’t you?

Husband: What are you talking about? I stayed back with John to discuss about a project. Anyway, why are you complaining so much? I never complaint when you drove my car into the swimming pool.

The real exercise:

-repeat “the experiment” but:

-husband and wife are your own parents

-get two people to read the dialogue

-record the reading

-post it to your blog (using Youtube, Multiply, etc.)