July’s Buzz:

DIALOGUE
(Copyright 2007)
by
Kathryn McCullough

While story and characterization are key to making a script excel, dialogue is one of the first things a reader notices. No matter how intriguing your idea or how well-structured the plot, if the dialogue does not ring true, the script is going to fall short of success. All writers can benefit from keeping several important points in mind when they are putting words into their characters’ mouths:

1. Avoid chunks. Long chunks of dialogue are considered unprofessional and are almost always unnecessary. While stage plays rely on dialogue to tell their stories, film is a visual medium and the dialogue needs to serve the action. Monologues drag the pace of your story to a crawl. If your characters tend to say more than five or six lines of dialogue at a time, go back and look at each exchange. Often it is the first and last sentences that contain the meat of what the character is trying to say. Cut the rest.

2. Avoid talking heads. Overwritten conversations are another problem in many scripts. If you have one whole page or more with nothing but dialogue, then you have lost the visual sense of your screenplay. What are the characters doing? What is going on in the space? Try to find ways to insert action into these types of conversations.

3. Avoid repetition. You can often solve the above problem by eliminating repetitive statements. There is no need to re-emphasize points or repeat arguments that have just been made. Figure out exactly what it is the characters need to say in the scene, get right to it and move on.

4. Beware “real” dialogue. Good movie dialogue is not how people really speak; it is an artful interpretation of how people speak. In real life, people hem and haw, repeat themselves, pause, and are often inarticulate. You may have a character who is inarticulate, but his or her speech still needs to be carefully crafted so that it advances rather than bogs down the scene.

5. Beware “clever” dialogue. Conversely, you don’t want dialogue that is so witty and arch that it comes across as artificial and takes the reader out of the reality of the story. Smart dialogue is always welcome, but it needs to emerge credibly from the character.

6. Voice. Ideally, every character should have his or her own unique manner of speech. There is no need for the differences to be extreme, but you want to avoid having everyone sound alike. In addition, the character’s voice should be consistent throughout the screenplay, and consistent with the character’s background and personality. A shy person may be reserved and say little. A hyper person may be verbose. However, you can also use voice in a way that contrasts believably with the character’s background. An uneducated person may try to sound educated, for instance. Such a character might use fancy words but would probably employ them incorrectly.

7. Slang. Certain regions of the country and the world come with their own slang, as do different ethnicities, as well as specific social circles such as gangsters and urban teens. Using slang in your script will give it an authentic feel. However, make sure that you 1) use the slang correctly, and 2) make it accessible. One false step and the attempt will come off as contrived.

8. Shorthand. As with slang, characters from a specific cultural or social group will often share phrases and idioms. Think of the con men in THE STING or the Ray Pack-worshipping pals in SWINGERS. Friends and colleagues often have phrases that have developed from shared experiences, which become a sort of informal code. The movie THE APARTMENT is filled with this type of dialogue. Unique idioms help to flesh out the world your characters live in and help bring the audience into that world. As with other dialogue techniques, never try to force it and remember that a little goes a long way.

9. Agenda. Every line of dialogue in your script should have a dramatic purpose. The most common and effective purpose is to bring about a specific outcome. In every scene, the principal characters enter the action with a goal or intention, and that should be reflected in their speech. The drama of the scene comes from the obstacles to this goal, and again this should be reflected in the dialogue. In DOUBLE INDEMNITY, for example, Barbara Stanwyck and Fred McMurray use dialogue both to manipulate each other and to defend themselves from being manipulated.

10. Comedy. Naturally, one would expect the dialogue in comedy scripts to be funny, but it always helps to have some wit and levity in more serious fare too. In real life, cops joke around to help counter the gloom and violence of their jobs, and friends and families often lighten a shared tragic event with humor.

11. Contractions. Lack of contractions is often a problem in scripts by beginning writers. Your dialogue needs to sound conversational, not formal. Look for places where “I am” and “You are” should be “I’m” and “You’re,” etc. One way to make sure your dialogue flows is to read your script aloud to yourself. This is a good idea for all writers, as it helps you not only catch examples of stilted speech but also overwritten or clunky passages that need to be tightened and polished.

In addition to reading your dialogue aloud, read produced writers’ scripts. While eavesdropping on real people can help you get a flavor for how people with different backgrounds and different personalities talk, reading scripts will help you see how dialogue needs to be crafted so that it does not just reflect life but actually serves, advances and enhances your story and characterizations.