Thursday, May 19, 2011

How to Create Tension and Drama in a Screenplay

Emulating real life speech within film is only part of the craft. Dialogue needs a subtle touch to be effective. Consider the following:

  • Less is more. Dialogue should be understated and expressed in as few words a possible, unless the scene is trying to convey an atmosphere, such as the pressures of working in an office.
  • Watch out for repeating information, spouting platitudes, and dialogue that “feels” wordy or stating the obvious. Sometimes too much dialogue can leave the viewer feeling pummelled over the head.
  • Use subtext. Not every question requires a response. Evasiveness, obliqueness and non-replies can say a lot, as can action that contradicts what is being said.
  • Cut the small talk, greetings and chit-chat about the weather. Begin a scene as tardily as possible.
  • Sometimes, simply cutting dialogue will add to the script. Deadwood can become invisible. Cut, cut, and cut again in order to get to the essential core of the dialogue.
  • Use dialogue as a convenience for driving the plot with care.

Read more at Suite101: How to Write Dialogue for Screenplays: Creating Characters & Convincing Speech in Movie Script Writing

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