Act out your dialogue. Play all the roles yourself, or better still get some local actors to read it for you.Then re-write, re-write, and tweak until it works.
I honestly thought a very similar thought while watching. I thought "what if I asked my friend to think about a character's motivation and I played another character and started a dialogue. Would he be able to give me some improvisation that feels natural and leads to a point?" If I can get someone to play a character with a want and I play someone opposing it and try to act it out improvisationally I wonder if i can get good dialogue or at least a relatively good framework?
Agreed! I often play pretend as my characters to write my dialogues. sometimes I would roleplay it with a friend. But if I'm writing a character I'm unfamiliar with, I'd base it on an existing character or person. Stuff like that helps me keep the dialogues flow like everyday conversations.
I wouldn’t recomend using actors. Every actor would play a different interpretation that isn’t you original one. Debate motivations and naturallity and so on is another thing. But the text will never sound in the final film or play like it did in your head...
That’s what I do (read it in my mind as if I’m each character) and it actually really helps. I mean I’ll still get bad dialogue (obviously) but much less often.
Here's my 20 second dialogue master class for anyone interested: "Hi, can I help you? Can I have a dozen red roses, please. Oh hey, Johnny, I didn't know it was you! Here you go. That's me! How much is it? That'll be $18. Here you go, keep the change - hi doggie! You're my favorite customer. Thanks a lot, bye. Bye-bye!"
"leave the rest in the classroom" is one of the advice I've seen on this site. too many videos named "how to write the perfect dialogue/ how ________ writes the PERFECT scene" contain no practical advice and mostly feature videomakers showing you their favor clips and describing what they see on screen.
Dialogue is just like cinematography, or editing, or CGI, or any part of filmmaking really. Sure, you'll get outliers - films that pride themselves on blatantly showing off their craft. But the best implementation is the invisible one. It's the Spielberg oner; it's Fincher's CGI. If you're able to trick the audience, to the point where all they see is the story, well... then you've done it.
Agreed that dialogue is like the other parts of the recipe. But just because one part of the equation may be noticeable (e.g. the cinematography in The Grand Budapest Hotel or the editing in Dear Zachary) that doesn't make it not "the best implementation". It's doesn't always have to be invisible to be good. But sometimes it does. There's flexibility there. Whatever it turns out like, if it's good, then it's good. Whether or not the individual components are invisible doesn't seem to correlate with good or bad films. It's just style differences, and differences in what the director and their team are aiming for.
Well said, dialogue is another way at the filmmaker's expansive dispoal to the move the story forward and like said in the video stylistic dialogue is just a tool in the tool box. It comes down to execution and how he/she handles it in my opinion.
I believe the general mistake people are making, is that they're trying to apply all of this while they're writing. That's not what the writing part is for. For me the writing part is all about having made a lot of research and knowing your characters and worlds well, not in the way of knowing every little shit about them, but knowing them in a way like you'd be knowing a good friend and knowing about a city like you're living in it. Then you just basically let your emotions and instincts flow and you write all of this down as if the situation is happening in front of your eyes and you're just witnessing and descriping it. The whole big subtext and emotional verbs and semantics and information-transimitting part is for editing. In editing your script, you find out for the really first time what you've written is all about. Then you go all over the dialogue and structure and make it fit in with this idea (that you've found in the script) and make it shine. Like Oscar Wilde said: "Write drunk and edit sober." With this he (Probably) didn't mean you should become an alcoholic, but to go crazy and emotional when you write and apply logic and techniques, etc. to it when you're editing it.
Oh, my god, thank you. I... _knew_ all of this stuff, but I hadn't been able to untangle it into something actionable. I'm definitely one to overthink every single line. I knew each scene should have a purpose, and I should know what my characters want... And then I'd get caught up on correctly writing a regional accent, exposition, wit, and just not get much of anything done at all. No one has ever said to me "good dialogue can be like good editing - you don't notice it's there". I hope this becomes one piece of advice that gets repeated more often, because that is exactly what I needed to hear.
Noiseless Sounds hey m8 while writing your script, think of ways you can use practical effects or even make stuff with the resources around you. For example, I’ve spent the past few months working on a stranger things fan made mini series. It has 6 episodes all at around 20-30 min long. About every effect I’m using is practical because I have no money to buy stuff or get a good VFX software with the right packs. An example of this is during a scene I haven’t done yet. At the very end the 3 main characters are closing the gate, and it’s in the forest. I wanted to have leaves raise off the ground while the gate was closing, but I didn’t know how to do that. So, what we’re doing instead is taking ladders out of shot, and throwing leaves down, and letting them fall to the ground. Then, in editing, we’re going to reverse the scene so it looks like the leaves are raising. It’s honestly really cool what you can do with the stuff around you and a few tweaks in editing! Keep at it, I’m sure you’ll make something awesome :)
I'm preparing to make a short film with children in the interiors of India. Your presentation clarified so many thoughts I had concerning this assignment, especially about being natural and spontaneous. Thanks a ton.
Many of these tips are extremely applicable for an actor as well. All the stuff about intention and action and beats are great but can bog many people down into their heads when actually playing a role. I'm so grateful that in my training we started with the Mamet approach and always kept coming back to it. This was all so encouraging to hear ❤️🦄🌈
Yeah, the weird thing is the burger conversation in Pulp Fiction only serves as over-elaborating exposition, telling the audience that Vincent has been away from Cali for awhile, a detail which itself is arguably pointless since the most important scene it comes up in is just after Marvin gets his head blown off - Jules has to find the "safehouse" nearest to them. There's no reason to think in the heat of the moment that Vincent would be able to come up with a more viable alternative, even if he had been living there. I'll be the first to admit, it's hard to find a dialogue scene in a Tarantino movie that ultimately serves _no_ purpose, even if it feels like that most of the time, but there *are* instances where he just indulges. Especially with regard to the _volume_ of dialogue, I don't know that he's the best example for this discussion.
Thanks for the video. I didn't know any of that stuff about dialogue but it's something that happens spontaneously when I am writing. I'll look up my scripts and limit the unnecessary dialogue. Thanks again
Tylers 4:45 - 4:50 sudden pause and sudden pluck of guitar tells us its almost obvious in a way. or atleast i felt the simply powerful drop of noise at this moment. lovely
OH MY GOSH THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!! I CONSTANTLY am bogged down with attempting to write subtext and include other technical aspects in my dialogue!! Your rules are simple, easy to remember, and understand!!!!! This is SO reassuring!!!!!!!! I'm still going to record some of this in my notebook!!!! THIS IS TREMENDOUSLY INSPIRING AND HELPFUL, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
As in everything else, it is vitally important to trust your audience. I have written some bad dialogue, of course, and I would say 80% of the time it's because I don't think my audience will understand, so I over compensate in one way or another.
There's a scene in the TV show Bones, one of the heroes, an FBI man named Booth puts together a tactical team, to stop a murderer. He's showing them their plan of attack and he goes "We've got machine guns..." and he pulls out a printout of a mounted machine gun, "inside... grates" and he pulls out a _printout of an opening of a _*_freaking_*_ air duct_ and shows it to his SWAT team. Like "got it everybody, everybody here know what a grate looks like now? Does anybody on this _tactical team_ still need to know what a machine gun looks like?" It's bad form bro, dialogue visuals, unnecessary flashbacks, whatever it is, it is always the cringiest thing ever. I mean... that particular show did seem to have a disturbing number of fans who thought they were actually getting a doctorate in forensics or something. So you might only be selecting the type of audience you want to appeal to by holding their hand, if you catch my meaning.
Funny how I was just thinking of Zodiac when you talked about remembering dialogue from great films, then moments later you used Zodiac as an example. What a spectacular movie.
Flawless, as usual, Tyler. Your way of explaining things clears my mind and always helps me find my way whatever obstacle I'm facing while writing. I always feel inspired after watching one of your videos. Thank you, keep it up!
I agree with you up until the end of the video. Even if you have a great story, your dialogue is going to suck if you don't worry about syntax, subtext, ect. at some point. Storytelling is only half the equation. My advice? Work in stages that each focus on one aspect at a time. First, just get the scene down, brainstorm a couple different lines, while keeping in mind the direction of the scene. This is assuming you already have the story beats written out, however loosely or tightly described. Second, go through and fix the story. Scenes have beats, just like the greater narrative of your story. Hit them. Third, get detailed. Get your grammar lined up, then decide if that grammatical rule should be broken to better fit the character/situational context. This will then lead to editing based on flow, rhythm, and other poetic terms, which will help determine style. At each stage, read the dialogue out loud. If you catch yourself changing wording while you're talking, change it. Also have others read it. Repeat each step until its solid. Don't just throw away the academics, but also don't think about them first. Each stage has a purpose.
I personally view great dialogue as accomplishing 3 things. 1. It progresses the story 2. It's character developing and most difficult of all, 3. It's thought-provoking
I respectfully disagree. While it's perfectly valid to ditch fancy dialogue as long as there's a clear goal, I think it's definitely worth developing your skills in the area of quips and especially subtext if you want to use them. It's true, it's very hard to have many ideas in your head while you're writing a scene. But that's why rewrites exist. The first time you write a scene you might not have all the elements you want in there, but later on you can look at the scene again and see what interesting things you can add. Also, planning the scene on advance is very helpful. First you work on one aspect, then the next. Writing dialogue that is witty AND compelling AND moves the scene forward AND delivers all the necessary exposition AND has meaningful subtext is very hard, but really not impossible in my experience.
Gui Caldo Yeah, his saying "I can't keep track of all these things" was weird. Lots of people can, and also it's something that can be worked in during revisions. Also it's a skill that takes time to develop, and he's like 16.
Wow thank you, as a layman I was pretty confused when he mentioned the "flow" of writing. Pretty sure most of that quippy stuff happens in the rewrite? When the basic flow has already been established? Glad to see my instincts were correct.
You are saying it's not impossible, but hard. Have you done it anytime? Have you ever rewritten dialogues in movies or maybe just did it for fun, you thought 'Hey, I don't like the dialogue, Let me fix it?' Have you ever done such things that you are saying is possible? I am not saying you are lying. You wrote this comment as a counter argument. But have you ever done this before?
@@avanishdutta2658 Yes. Quite a lot actually. I rewrote an entire season of a show, and one of the many problems I fixed was competent but stale dialogue that stripped all the personality that the characters had been developing for years. Also, I often tinker with my own dialogue whenever I think it's kind of bland and generic.
@@guicaldo7164 Good to know. Many of 'these' audience members make me angry, always thinking that writing can be easy and go on to criticise the movie's script without even providing examples from the movie. Well, at least someone like you knows the craft to a greater extent, be it good or bad. Mostly good.
2:13 Ah, Man of Class. You brought up Glengarry Glen Ross. That's a real good movie, expecially the 10 minute scene of Baldwin's character's monologue. Coffee's for the Closers.
I don't over think dialogue. I guess it comes naturally to me but I believe that over thinking aspect of it is what causes so much of it to go wrong. Good dialogue is natural and flowy.
I'm working on a screenplay right now, and I am constantly second guessing the dialogue I write because I am so afraid of it being too clunky or too wordy or too cringy. This video was extremely helpful and reassuring. Thank you!
One of the best movies when it comes to (invisible) dialogue is The Meyerowitz Stories. It features a lot of dialogue that appears to have no polished lines and it shows people not really listening to each other, talking at the same time or just blatantly interrupting each other as if there is no script (just like in real life). It is a mess and it helps tell the story in an authentic way.
Thank you for this video. I struggle with writing dialogue and I think it is because I forget the purpose of dialogue. I saw dialogue as a way to entertain and hold the interest of the reader. So I became focus on making it interesting,funny and witty. It puts more pressure on me because if it doesnt seem interesting, funny or captivating. I keep rewriting it. But seeing dialogue as a tool or mechanism to move the story forward makes it so much easier. It takes the pressure off. So thank you
One of my favorite writers is Paddy Chayefsky. The screenplay for Network is incredible, and shows exactly how to break the, "rules," when it works in your favor.
I really appreciate this video. It came right on time for me I feel like you read my mind lol! I been slacking on my re-writes lately because I've been bogged down with dialogue and thinking of all the technicalities of it and whether it's funny enough or smart or witty enough or subtextual enough or some other overthought BS. So as soon as I saw this video I clicked lightning quick lol. Thank you! (not sure 'subtextual' is a word though but I'll look it up later lol)
That’s great! I’ve had a very similar struggle. And so I felt like making a video on this would be helpful to others who’ve gone through a similar thing
I'm currently writing a screenplay for a thriller that I hope to produce one day and another screenplay for a short film that I might be producing shortly. This was really helpful.
Tyler you are spot on about streamlined dialogue elements - core universal principals. Writer's have to keep in mind the "teaching" cottage industry pushing "this and that" about the craft. Yes, there are various techniques/elements like subtext, etc but not every scene;s situation warrants it or any other elements to express story, character. The various elements are tools of expression, choose them when needed and appropriate for a particular scene's articulation.
As someone who plays way to many VNs, this is accurate. But entertaining dialogue doesn’t just have to be quick and witty, it can make you happy and shape the characters and the story.
You know what's a little on the nose? The midroll ad I got for Sorkin's Masterclass Really liked the video! Never considered that like editing, dialogue could be invisible
Thank you for this video! I am so glad you mention this. I love film analysis and narrative analysis etc. But the more I learned about theory, the more I realized that you can't consider all these issues at the same time. For me, everything is about context, subtext, and the purpose of the particular story you're trying to write.
Before seeing the video, I'd just say that I don't know. I just kept writing. It was shit and cliche and contrived dialogue. Now it's much, much better. Not saying that my dialogue is on the tier of Elmore Leonard or Tarantino or Sorkin, but it's getting to a place that people think it's actually good. So... keep writing and somewhere along the way you'll get to a decent place and even a great place with dialogue or just any aspect of writing. I will tell you that being an actor like myself helps a shit-ton, though. The moment I started thinking like my acting process and asking the questions that I would ask when doing my script analysis in preparation for a role... man, did my dialogue improve tremendously.
Love your channel. I studied screenwriting in college and these videos have taught me way more than the classes could. Keep it up! Would love to see a video on pacing.
About the subtext and verbalising the text... Of course when you’re just the writer it’s quite secondary. But still, once you’ve written it and you take a second look on it, it helps a lot understanding what the characters are going through in their minds and seeing if it’s exactly what the character would say. And when you’re ALSO directing the script... O-oh! Believe me, it saves you half of the directing work.
I agree with this video, however I believe those tips you dismissed as being distracting are really important for stylizing dialogue. I also think it’s important to ask what strategies they use when speaking. I have a story based off of Greek mythology and my character based on Athena uses factual statements that are very removed from personal statements, however you can read her intentions through subtext because of what information she decides to provide. On another hand my character based on Poseidon builds up his tough guy persona through his dialogue and threatens opposition.
I think I came here primarily too see how introduce dialog. Like in a book, how do you seamlessly weave a conversation within the narrative of the story.
when i used to think up scenes, i used to think of lines where the wit or the joke in the line is based on the speakers intention or action. i do that because its more interesting that way; and it helps to fight boredom. i think when it comes to sorkin or tarantino, they really enjoy the wit in their dialogue, to the point where it can become excessive (some parts of inglorious, for example). thats the difference between them and less flashy writers, they enjoy the flash. sorkin literally sees dialogue as some kind of poetry. i agree with this video, i dont think thats practical for every writer out there, it will force them to focus on flash and wit, something they might not even enjoy. even worse, is many of us are no where near sorkin's proficiency. im sure he has internalized so much of his process, he'll work in the wit while writing intention. two birds with one stone. and flashy writers do go overboard, and many analytical videos dont pick up on this. we dont personally mind though, because the style is so good. but its important to know that not every line in a tarantino film should be there. dont let some 1 million-sub channel tell you otherwise. final notes: im not a good writer, i dont really care, but i would rather overload my stuff with (what i think is) witty dialogue. not saying it even sounds good, or conveys the speakers' intentions, because i find this the funnest way to write. also, i do alot more writing in things other than film and screen nowadays, but i always find screenwriting tips useful.
Great video. Simple, practical tips that anyone can throw up on their writing desk, look at, and not get thrown from their story as they write. The subtext, ect. can always be investigated in the edit if need be. Putting all that pressure on oneself during the process is ludicrous.
I think good dialogue is just knowing how normal people speak. Everyone has their pwn cadiance and thought process along with how they have lived up until now. Sometimes overthinking can make the dialogue too wordy or too uncanny.
My main method is be as stylistic as I want unless the situation is about a sensitive enough subject to warrant subtext. If the scene is interesting for the plot on its own, you don’t need to hide anything. You can be as direct or ostentatious as you want. I use subtext at the discretion of the subject matter. Even in a more fantastical work, if what’s being talked about is something that should realistically be talked AROUND, that’s what the characters will do. That’s a very specific craftsmanship thing that comes with experience however. It’s almost more instinct than science. To my mind, your personal style has to serve the story above all else and there are just some scenes that you need to work differently to execute.
It was the same in the art school, artist are pushed to study art theory and complex theories which most of the time are nonsense, when making art starts by making something and seeing if it works. The theories are good but they may confuse artists and get them stuck into this spiral of seeking complexity instead of trying to make the art that you wanted to make....
I agree. You don’t make a great movie by ticking off a set of boxes. Even though this guy says things one can think about while planing your project,, he is wrong in implying that a movie have to rely on its story. I know a bunch of fantastic movies that have trivial, or loose story plots
I recently read David Mamet's 'On Directing Film', and though I disagreed with about 75% of what he said (mostly due to his idea of its universal applicability), I think you get to the art of what is valuable in his ideas. I also really liked your point about all the analysis out there only serving to make non-writers feel smart and writers confused. I think if you focus on the things you pointed out - though there are exceptions - and you get experience, subtext and "emotional verbs" will come across naturally. Good video!
I'm currently writing a screenplay, barely in the beginning stages of the first draft. After watching several videos on dialogue I found I've been overthinking each line wanting it to be perfect. My advice: just ask yourself if it serves the purpose of your scene? If yes just move on for now. You can go over the dialogue in further drafts which is best as by that point you have the full story and know exactly what the characters need to do and say.
If you understand who your characters are, how they react, what they need, and what they want, coming up with dialogue for said characters is rather easy. Dialogue is a dance between characters. The difference is that this 'dance' needs a beginning and end that pushes the plot forward in some way or foreshadows what may be to come. If it doesn't do either one, then the scene simply isn't necessary. Did the character gain or lose anything, whether it's a friend/foe, possession, information, optimism, etc.? By the end of the scene, are we wondering what the characters might do next? Each line needs to be a direct *contrast* to the previous one. Repetition works in this manner to drive a point forward, much like how a song does. Dialogue is the song the characters dance to. Yeah that's my quote, dunno if I'm just flat out wrong but so far this rule has helped keep the story flowing.
i agree with this statement. i feel (just me) that if you know the traumatic incidents characters go through in childhood, you will know how they will live their lives. if this happened to you, you get what i mean. and from their childhood memories, you can write dialogue based on what they want. a character who was physically harmed as a kid would grow up with a heightened sense of justice, especially when it comes to physical assault, torture, or abuse. their dialogue would reflect that.
You understand dialogue when you understand people. People use words to tell the truth and to lie, to manipulate and gain. Writing dialogue is not that hard if you have instincts for it, but when you do, you find out its better to have a skill to convey the same message with less dialogue.
I am a writer. The first thing to make an OK dialogue, is to know your characters. You put dem into the action, you listen to what they say. You write it (almost all) done. You end up with tons of chatting. Then do you start the real Writing. You mark the essential part, you keep the rhytm -- and send 80% of the text into the trash can. After a few weeks, month, you do it again. And you are already well ahead of the Dilettants.
Get Practical Tools to Write Your Great Screenplay: www.practicalscreenwriting.com
@Tyler Mowery can you do a video on how to build suspense?
I guess you must ask these question for both sides not only for main protagonist but also for antagonist
Act out your dialogue. Play all the roles yourself, or better still get some local actors to read it for you.Then re-write, re-write, and tweak until it works.
I honestly thought a very similar thought while watching. I thought "what if I asked my friend to think about a character's motivation and I played another character and started a dialogue. Would he be able to give me some improvisation that feels natural and leads to a point?"
If I can get someone to play a character with a want and I play someone opposing it and try to act it out improvisationally I wonder if i can get good dialogue or at least a relatively good framework?
Agreed! I often play pretend as my characters to write my dialogues. sometimes I would roleplay it with a friend. But if I'm writing a character I'm unfamiliar with, I'd base it on an existing character or person. Stuff like that helps me keep the dialogues flow like everyday conversations.
I wouldn’t recomend using actors. Every actor would play a different interpretation that isn’t you original one. Debate motivations and naturallity and so on is another thing.
But the text will never sound in the final film or play like it did in your head...
That’s what I do (read it in my mind as if I’m each character) and it actually really helps. I mean I’ll still get bad dialogue (obviously) but much less often.
Thats me speaking all to myself like a crazy man. Play all roles to make dialogue haha
Here's my 20 second dialogue master class for anyone interested: "Hi, can I help you? Can I have a dozen red roses, please. Oh hey, Johnny, I didn't know it was you! Here you go. That's me! How much is it? That'll be $18. Here you go, keep the change - hi doggie! You're my favorite customer. Thanks a lot, bye. Bye-bye!"
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Oh Hi Doggie
This 😂 I'll never get over this movie
you gotta read between the linesss maaan
This is from the room right? XD
@@Somespideronline Yes lmao
"leave the rest in the classroom" is one of the advice I've seen on this site. too many videos named "how to write the perfect dialogue/ how ________ writes the PERFECT scene" contain no practical advice and mostly feature videomakers showing you their favor clips and describing what they see on screen.
I agree!
Dialogue is just like cinematography, or editing, or CGI, or any part of filmmaking really. Sure, you'll get outliers - films that pride themselves on blatantly showing off their craft. But the best implementation is the invisible one. It's the Spielberg oner; it's Fincher's CGI. If you're able to trick the audience, to the point where all they see is the story, well... then you've done it.
THANK YOU!
Agreed that dialogue is like the other parts of the recipe. But just because one part of the equation may be noticeable (e.g. the cinematography in The Grand Budapest Hotel or the editing in Dear Zachary) that doesn't make it not "the best implementation". It's doesn't always have to be invisible to be good. But sometimes it does. There's flexibility there. Whatever it turns out like, if it's good, then it's good. Whether or not the individual components are invisible doesn't seem to correlate with good or bad films. It's just style differences, and differences in what the director and their team are aiming for.
@@bennyjones1502 Agreed
Well said, dialogue is another way at the filmmaker's expansive dispoal to the move the story forward and like said in the video stylistic dialogue is just a tool in the tool box. It comes down to execution and how he/she handles it in my opinion.
Someone's watched Every Frame A Painting.
This vid simultaneously encouraged me and scared me at the same time.
I gotta keep you guessing
@@TylerMowery thank you. What I most picked up from this is that I need to practice writing more. Practice makes perfect so the saying goes right?
I believe the general mistake people are making, is that they're trying to apply all of this while they're writing.
That's not what the writing part is for. For me the writing part is all about having made a lot of research and knowing your characters and worlds well, not in the way of knowing every little shit about them, but knowing them in a way like you'd be knowing a good friend and knowing about a city like you're living in it. Then you just basically let your emotions and instincts flow and you write all of this down as if the situation is happening in front of your eyes and you're just witnessing and descriping it.
The whole big subtext and emotional verbs and semantics and information-transimitting part is for editing.
In editing your script, you find out for the really first time what you've written is all about. Then you go all over the dialogue and structure and make it fit in with this idea (that you've found in the script) and make it shine.
Like Oscar Wilde said: "Write drunk and edit sober."
With this he (Probably) didn't mean you should become an alcoholic, but to go crazy and emotional when you write and apply logic and techniques, etc. to it when you're editing it.
Good thoughts!
these are really good points. if you made this into a video, it could help alot of writers.
This honestly made me laugh when you said he 'probably' didn't mean you should become an alcoholic. Also i do agree with your point.
Thanks for sharing your points
Oh, my god, thank you. I... _knew_ all of this stuff, but I hadn't been able to untangle it into something actionable. I'm definitely one to overthink every single line. I knew each scene should have a purpose, and I should know what my characters want... And then I'd get caught up on correctly writing a regional accent, exposition, wit, and just not get much of anything done at all.
No one has ever said to me "good dialogue can be like good editing - you don't notice it's there". I hope this becomes one piece of advice that gets repeated more often, because that is exactly what I needed to hear.
I’m glad it was helpful!
Omg thank you for making this the next video, dialogue is such a tough thing for me now because I think, I think about it too hard and much
You’re welcome! Just focus on what’s important!
@Noiseless Sounds i dont think thats bad though, maybe thats your style of dialogue
@Noiseless Sounds that's actually a good thing in my eyes because, personally, I find it obnoxious when a movie uses dialogue unrealisticly.
Noiseless Sounds hey m8 while writing your script, think of ways you can use practical effects or even make stuff with the resources around you. For example, I’ve spent the past few months working on a stranger things fan made mini series. It has 6 episodes all at around 20-30 min long. About every effect I’m using is practical because I have no money to buy stuff or get a good VFX software with the right packs. An example of this is during a scene I haven’t done yet. At the very end the 3 main characters are closing the gate, and it’s in the forest. I wanted to have leaves raise off the ground while the gate was closing, but I didn’t know how to do that. So, what we’re doing instead is taking ladders out of shot, and throwing leaves down, and letting them fall to the ground. Then, in editing, we’re going to reverse the scene so it looks like the leaves are raising. It’s honestly really cool what you can do with the stuff around you and a few tweaks in editing! Keep at it, I’m sure you’ll make something awesome :)
I'm preparing to make a short film with children in the interiors of India. Your presentation clarified so many thoughts I had concerning this assignment, especially about being natural and spontaneous. Thanks a ton.
Glad to hear it!
Dialogue is a conversation that WILL move the story forward.
This is the first actually useful guide to writing dialogue I've encountered, genuinely thank you
Did nobody notice that narrator's (Tyler Mowery) meaning of words matched the character gestions in the 9:30 minute
Holy crap youre right!
Yes, almost, good eye.
I was literally just about to comment this as I read the comment. Omg
Many of these tips are extremely applicable for an actor as well. All the stuff about intention and action and beats are great but can bog many people down into their heads when actually playing a role. I'm so grateful that in my training we started with the Mamet approach and always kept coming back to it. This was all so encouraging to hear ❤️🦄🌈
“Is it just a talent you’re born with?...” as it cuts to Quentin. Nice! 😉
Yeah, the weird thing is the burger conversation in Pulp Fiction only serves as over-elaborating exposition, telling the audience that Vincent has been away from Cali for awhile, a detail which itself is arguably pointless since the most important scene it comes up in is just after Marvin gets his head blown off - Jules has to find the "safehouse" nearest to them. There's no reason to think in the heat of the moment that Vincent would be able to come up with a more viable alternative, even if he had been living there.
I'll be the first to admit, it's hard to find a dialogue scene in a Tarantino movie that ultimately serves _no_ purpose, even if it feels like that most of the time, but there *are* instances where he just indulges. Especially with regard to the _volume_ of dialogue, I don't know that he's the best example for this discussion.
Wrong! The burger dialogue serves as Comedy Relief, dumbass.
It's only amusing _because it's pointless,_ *dumbass*
Thanks for the video. I didn't know any of that stuff about dialogue but it's something that happens spontaneously when I am writing. I'll look up my scripts and limit the unnecessary dialogue. Thanks again
Glad it was helpful!
Tylers 4:45 - 4:50 sudden pause and sudden pluck of guitar tells us its almost obvious in a way. or atleast i felt the simply powerful drop of noise at this moment. lovely
this is the most practical thing i've heard about this whole writing process thing.. YOU give me hope man..thanks
OH MY GOSH THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!! I CONSTANTLY am bogged down with attempting to write subtext and include other technical aspects in my dialogue!! Your rules are simple, easy to remember, and understand!!!!! This is SO reassuring!!!!!!!! I'm still going to record some of this in my notebook!!!! THIS IS TREMENDOUSLY INSPIRING AND HELPFUL, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
That’s great to hear! Glad it was helpful
As in everything else, it is vitally important to trust your audience. I have written some bad dialogue, of course, and I would say 80% of the time it's because I don't think my audience will understand, so I over compensate in one way or another.
There's a scene in the TV show Bones, one of the heroes, an FBI man named Booth puts together a tactical team, to stop a murderer. He's showing them their plan of attack and he goes "We've got machine guns..." and he pulls out a printout of a mounted machine gun, "inside... grates" and he pulls out a _printout of an opening of a _*_freaking_*_ air duct_ and shows it to his SWAT team. Like "got it everybody, everybody here know what a grate looks like now? Does anybody on this _tactical team_ still need to know what a machine gun looks like?"
It's bad form bro, dialogue visuals, unnecessary flashbacks, whatever it is, it is always the cringiest thing ever. I mean... that particular show did seem to have a disturbing number of fans who thought they were actually getting a doctorate in forensics or something. So you might only be selecting the type of audience you want to appeal to by holding their hand, if you catch my meaning.
Why is this only aimed at screenwriters? This is perfect for books, too.
I agree! My channel is focused around screenwriting, but many of the concepts go both ways!
I’ve often gone for screenwriting videos because they’re more professional than the writing novel ones.
Storytelling in general
Your channel is so underrated! One day I want to pursue a career in film or television, so I'm glad UA-camrs like this exist.
Thanks for the love!
"He is not the boogieman, he is the man you send to kill the boogieman".
My favourite dialogue ever!
The best video concerning writing good dialogue. This makes a ton of sense!!
Funny how I was just thinking of Zodiac when you talked about remembering dialogue from great films, then moments later you used Zodiac as an example. What a spectacular movie.
Thank you Tyler. I always thought I was doing something wrong when I decided to forget about subtext and just write lines.
Flawless, as usual, Tyler. Your way of explaining things clears my mind and always helps me find my way whatever obstacle I'm facing while writing. I always feel inspired after watching one of your videos. Thank you, keep it up!
That’s awesome to hear! Thanks!
I agree with you up until the end of the video. Even if you have a great story, your dialogue is going to suck if you don't worry about syntax, subtext, ect. at some point. Storytelling is only half the equation.
My advice? Work in stages that each focus on one aspect at a time. First, just get the scene down, brainstorm a couple different lines, while keeping in mind the direction of the scene. This is assuming you already have the story beats written out, however loosely or tightly described. Second, go through and fix the story. Scenes have beats, just like the greater narrative of your story. Hit them. Third, get detailed. Get your grammar lined up, then decide if that grammatical rule should be broken to better fit the character/situational context. This will then lead to editing based on flow, rhythm, and other poetic terms, which will help determine style. At each stage, read the dialogue out loud. If you catch yourself changing wording while you're talking, change it. Also have others read it. Repeat each step until its solid.
Don't just throw away the academics, but also don't think about them first. Each stage has a purpose.
I personally view great dialogue as accomplishing 3 things.
1. It progresses the story
2. It's character developing
and most difficult of all,
3. It's thought-provoking
The simplicity of this is refreshing. I'm ready to attack all of my scenes for my re-write. Thank you for this!!
Your videos have really opened my mind up to exploring new methods of storytelling. Much thanks, keep it up
Sorkin has a great masterclass course on writing
I respectfully disagree. While it's perfectly valid to ditch fancy dialogue as long as there's a clear goal, I think it's definitely worth developing your skills in the area of quips and especially subtext if you want to use them. It's true, it's very hard to have many ideas in your head while you're writing a scene. But that's why rewrites exist. The first time you write a scene you might not have all the elements you want in there, but later on you can look at the scene again and see what interesting things you can add. Also, planning the scene on advance is very helpful. First you work on one aspect, then the next.
Writing dialogue that is witty AND compelling AND moves the scene forward AND delivers all the necessary exposition AND has meaningful subtext is very hard, but really not impossible in my experience.
Gui Caldo Yeah, his saying "I can't keep track of all these things" was weird. Lots of people can, and also it's something that can be worked in during revisions. Also it's a skill that takes time to develop, and he's like 16.
Wow thank you, as a layman I was pretty confused when he mentioned the "flow" of writing. Pretty sure most of that quippy stuff happens in the rewrite? When the basic flow has already been established? Glad to see my instincts were correct.
You are saying it's not impossible, but hard. Have you done it anytime? Have you ever rewritten dialogues in movies or maybe just did it for fun, you thought 'Hey, I don't like the dialogue, Let me fix it?' Have you ever done such things that you are saying is possible? I am not saying you are lying. You wrote this comment as a counter argument. But have you ever done this before?
@@avanishdutta2658 Yes. Quite a lot actually. I rewrote an entire season of a show, and one of the many problems I fixed was competent but stale dialogue that stripped all the personality that the characters had been developing for years.
Also, I often tinker with my own dialogue whenever I think it's kind of bland and generic.
@@guicaldo7164 Good to know. Many of 'these' audience members make me angry, always thinking that writing can be easy and go on to criticise the movie's script without even providing examples from the movie. Well, at least someone like you knows the craft to a greater extent, be it good or bad. Mostly good.
2:13 Ah, Man of Class. You brought up Glengarry Glen Ross. That's a real good movie, expecially the 10 minute scene of Baldwin's character's monologue. Coffee's for the Closers.
I don't over think dialogue. I guess it comes naturally to me but I believe that over thinking aspect of it is what causes so much of it to go wrong. Good dialogue is natural and flowy.
I'm working on a screenplay right now, and I am constantly second guessing the dialogue I write because I am so afraid of it being too clunky or too wordy or too cringy. This video was extremely helpful and reassuring. Thank you!
One of the best movies when it comes to (invisible) dialogue is The Meyerowitz Stories. It features a lot of dialogue that appears to have no polished lines and it shows people not really listening to each other, talking at the same time or just blatantly interrupting each other as if there is no script (just like in real life). It is a mess and it helps tell the story in an authentic way.
Thank you for this video. I struggle with writing dialogue and I think it is because I forget the purpose of dialogue. I saw dialogue as a way to entertain and hold the interest of the reader. So I became focus on making it interesting,funny and witty. It puts more pressure on me because if it doesnt seem interesting, funny or captivating. I keep rewriting it. But seeing dialogue as a tool or mechanism to move the story forward makes it so much easier. It takes the pressure off. So thank you
Make it natural and you make that very clear great video Tyler
One of my favorite writers is Paddy Chayefsky. The screenplay for Network is incredible, and shows exactly how to break the, "rules," when it works in your favor.
This was so much more helpful than a lot of other videos on exposition I've seen. Plus it didn't make me feel like shit, it actually calmed me down
I really appreciate this video. It came right on time for me I feel like you read my mind lol! I been slacking on my re-writes lately because I've been bogged down with dialogue and thinking of all the technicalities of it and whether it's funny enough or smart or witty enough or subtextual enough or some other overthought BS. So as soon as I saw this video I clicked lightning quick lol. Thank you! (not sure 'subtextual' is a word though but I'll look it up later lol)
That’s great! I’ve had a very similar struggle. And so I felt like making a video on this would be helpful to others who’ve gone through a similar thing
I'm currently writing a screenplay for a thriller that I hope to produce one day and another screenplay for a short film that I might be producing shortly. This was really helpful.
Glad to hear it!
Tyler you are spot on about streamlined dialogue elements - core universal principals. Writer's have to keep in mind the "teaching" cottage industry pushing "this and that" about the craft. Yes, there are various techniques/elements like subtext, etc but not every scene;s situation warrants it or any other elements to express story, character. The various elements are tools of expression, choose them when needed and appropriate for a particular scene's articulation.
As someone who plays way to many VNs, this is accurate.
But entertaining dialogue doesn’t just have to be quick and witty, it can make you happy and shape the characters and the story.
Thank you so much Tyler Mowery, I love your videos so much!
Man this was an amazing movie driven purely by character and dialogue.... Amazing watch
i appreciate your time, it´s clear and on point
I also think that dialogue is a way to give your story and characters life and energy
You know what's a little on the nose? The midroll ad I got for Sorkin's Masterclass
Really liked the video! Never considered that like editing, dialogue could be invisible
Thank you for this video! I am so glad you mention this. I love film analysis and narrative analysis etc. But the more I learned about theory, the more I realized that you can't consider all these issues at the same time. For me, everything is about context, subtext, and the purpose of the particular story you're trying to write.
I've seen this before, and I didn't get it. But for some reason this bless me. WOW!!!!
Very well done!! I know some writers who can really use this!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this!
Thank you so much for this concise info, much appreciated.
Before seeing the video, I'd just say that I don't know. I just kept writing. It was shit and cliche and contrived dialogue. Now it's much, much better. Not saying that my dialogue is on the tier of Elmore Leonard or Tarantino or Sorkin, but it's getting to a place that people think it's actually good.
So... keep writing and somewhere along the way you'll get to a decent place and even a great place with dialogue or just any aspect of writing.
I will tell you that being an actor like myself helps a shit-ton, though. The moment I started thinking like my acting process and asking the questions that I would ask when doing my script analysis in preparation for a role... man, did my dialogue improve tremendously.
Good thoughts!
Excellent… Excellent video!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Your videos are so informative! Really impressed!
Love your channel. I studied screenwriting in college and these videos have taught me way more than the classes could. Keep it up! Would love to see a video on pacing.
Video on pacing is coming! Probably in a month or two but it’s on the list!
You are my teacher , I will follow you master
About the subtext and verbalising the text... Of course when you’re just the writer it’s quite secondary.
But still, once you’ve written it and you take a second look on it, it helps a lot understanding what the characters are going through in their minds and seeing if it’s exactly what the character would say. And when you’re ALSO directing the script... O-oh! Believe me, it saves you half of the directing work.
Really great work. Great examples and footage to go along with the examples of dialogue usage.
I agree with this video, however I believe those tips you dismissed as being distracting are really important for stylizing dialogue. I also think it’s important to ask what strategies they use when speaking. I have a story based off of Greek mythology and my character based on Athena uses factual statements that are very removed from personal statements, however you can read her intentions through subtext because of what information she decides to provide. On another hand my character based on Poseidon builds up his tough guy persona through his dialogue and threatens opposition.
Hopefuly one day a movie or TV Show will begin and state "'Written by Tyler Mowery"
Your mic quality is great. Script is pretty good too
I think I came here primarily too see how introduce dialog. Like in a book, how do you seamlessly weave a conversation within the narrative of the story.
Observe how people speak, imitate it, create it
Nice master class ad on this video
Leave the rest in the classroom. Love it!
I needed this.
when i used to think up scenes, i used to think of lines where the wit or the joke in the line is based on the speakers intention or action. i do that because its more interesting that way; and it helps to fight boredom.
i think when it comes to sorkin or tarantino, they really enjoy the wit in their dialogue, to the point where it can become excessive (some parts of inglorious, for example). thats the difference between them and less flashy writers, they enjoy the flash. sorkin literally sees dialogue as some kind of poetry.
i agree with this video, i dont think thats practical for every writer out there, it will force them to focus on flash and wit, something they might not even enjoy. even worse, is many of us are no where near sorkin's proficiency. im sure he has internalized so much of his process, he'll work in the wit while writing intention. two birds with one stone.
and flashy writers do go overboard, and many analytical videos dont pick up on this. we dont personally mind though, because the style is so good. but its important to know that not every line in a tarantino film should be there. dont let some 1 million-sub channel tell you otherwise.
final notes: im not a good writer, i dont really care, but i would rather overload my stuff with (what i think is) witty dialogue. not saying it even sounds good, or conveys the speakers' intentions, because i find this the funnest way to write. also, i do alot more writing in things other than film and screen nowadays, but i always find screenwriting tips useful.
As always, great essay. Thanks!
thank you!
Definitely subbed after watching a few of your videos. Loving your take on writing and story. Very eye opening and thought provoking
Thank you!
Perfect performance
Great video. Simple, practical tips that anyone can throw up on their writing desk, look at, and not get thrown from their story as they write.
The subtext, ect. can always be investigated in the edit if need be. Putting all that pressure on oneself during the process is ludicrous.
Thank you! I am sure I would use some of your knowledge to write my own story now (in my native language, sorry for my english)
I think good dialogue is just knowing how normal people speak. Everyone has their pwn cadiance and thought process along with how they have lived up until now. Sometimes overthinking can make the dialogue too wordy or too uncanny.
When there's an ad near the end of the video and it's a MasterClass ad with Aaron Sorkin talking about screenwriting
My main method is be as stylistic as I want unless the situation is about a sensitive enough subject to warrant subtext. If the scene is interesting for the plot on its own, you don’t need to hide anything. You can be as direct or ostentatious as you want. I use subtext at the discretion of the subject matter. Even in a more fantastical work, if what’s being talked about is something that should realistically be talked AROUND, that’s what the characters will do.
That’s a very specific craftsmanship thing that comes with experience however. It’s almost more instinct than science. To my mind, your personal style has to serve the story above all else and there are just some scenes that you need to work differently to execute.
Good thoughts!
Wait, there's a David Brooks and Aaron Sorkin interview out there......guess I know what I'm watching next.
Thank you for these great tips from Mamet and Sorkin. A huge takeaway!
Thanks for this.
It was the same in the art school, artist are pushed to study art theory and complex theories which most of the time are nonsense, when making art starts by making something and seeing if it works. The theories are good but they may confuse artists and get them stuck into this spiral of seeking complexity instead of trying to make the art that you wanted to make....
I agree. You don’t make a great movie by ticking off a set of boxes. Even though this guy says things one can think about while planing your project,, he is wrong in implying that a movie have to rely on its story. I know a bunch of fantastic movies that have trivial, or loose story plots
I recently read David Mamet's 'On Directing Film', and though I disagreed with about 75% of what he said (mostly due to his idea of its universal applicability), I think you get to the art of what is valuable in his ideas. I also really liked your point about all the analysis out there only serving to make non-writers feel smart and writers confused. I think if you focus on the things you pointed out - though there are exceptions - and you get experience, subtext and "emotional verbs" will come across naturally. Good video!
Read his plays, not his books. They're awful.
And this is coming from an Uber fan.
I'm currently writing a screenplay, barely in the beginning stages of the first draft. After watching several videos on dialogue I found I've been overthinking each line wanting it to be perfect. My advice: just ask yourself if it serves the purpose of your scene? If yes just move on for now. You can go over the dialogue in further drafts which is best as by that point you have the full story and know exactly what the characters need to do and say.
Just riff, bro. First thought, best thought.
thanks for advices
If you understand who your characters are, how they react, what they need, and what they want, coming up with dialogue for said characters is rather easy. Dialogue is a dance between characters.
The difference is that this 'dance' needs a beginning and end that pushes the plot forward in some way or foreshadows what may be to come. If it doesn't do either one, then the scene simply isn't necessary. Did the character gain or lose anything, whether it's a friend/foe, possession, information, optimism, etc.? By the end of the scene, are we wondering what the characters might do next? Each line needs to be a direct *contrast* to the previous one. Repetition works in this manner to drive a point forward, much like how a song does.
Dialogue is the song the characters dance to.
Yeah that's my quote, dunno if I'm just flat out wrong but so far this rule has helped keep the story flowing.
i agree with this statement. i feel (just me) that if you know the traumatic incidents characters go through in childhood, you will know how they will live their lives. if this happened to you, you get what i mean. and from their childhood memories, you can write dialogue based on what they want.
a character who was physically harmed as a kid would grow up with a heightened sense of justice, especially when it comes to physical assault, torture, or abuse. their dialogue would reflect that.
Excellent!
It was super helpful! Thank you
Expertly constructed essay, informative helpful and to the point, liked and subscribed
Such a great video! Thanks for sharing, I learnt a lot :)
Very clean and clear content.
Oh how I needed this.
You understand dialogue when you understand people. People use words to tell the truth and to lie, to manipulate and gain. Writing dialogue is not that hard if you have instincts for it, but when you do, you find out its better to have a skill to convey the same message with less dialogue.
I am a writer. The first thing to make an OK dialogue, is to know your characters. You put dem into the action, you listen to what they say. You write it (almost all) done. You end up with tons of chatting. Then do you start the real Writing. You mark the essential part, you keep the rhytm -- and send 80% of the text into the trash can.
After a few weeks, month, you do it again. And you are already well ahead of the Dilettants.
Every "amateur" script I ever read sounds like a 1st draft. It makes me want to be a writer.
Unless you want to become one of the top 10 best writers in the entire world, you have no business worrying about talent
Thank you so much. This has definitely helped me ^.^
My dialogue is actually very good, judging for what you've been trying to teach here.
'Focus on why this scene is here in the first place; then think about dialogue.'
In other words: story structure before dialogue.
I have watched a lot of your videos lately but this is the first time I get scared...
4:50 knowing what character wants, and the context of a scene