Script Analysis: “The Good Dinosaur” — Part 5: Dialogue
Reading scripts. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. The focus of this weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Our daily schedule:
Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
Tuesday: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Dialogue
Saturday: Takeaways
Today: Dialogue.
Screenplay by Meg LeFauve, story by Peter Sohn & Erik Benson & Meg LeFauve & Kelsey Mann & Bob Peterson, original concept and development by Bob Peterson, additional screenplay material by Peter Hedges & Adrian Molina.
IMDb plot summary: In a world where dinosaurs and humans live side-by-side, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.
Some questions to consider in relation to dialogue in The Good Dinosaur:
* What do you consider to be the most memorable lines… and why?
* Any notable callbacks (a line used once, then used again later in a different context)?
* How about set-up & payoffs?
* Any exposition that caught your eye for being handled exceptionally well?
Head to comments and let me know what dialogue in the script made the most impact on you.
Major kudos to Rhidian Pentz for doing this week’s scene-by-scene breakdown.
For Part 1, to read the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown, go here.
For Part 2, to read Plot analysis, go here.
For Part 3, to read Characters analysis, go here.
For Part 4, to read Themes, go here.
If you have a favorite movie script you’d like to break down scene-by-scene and contribute to our archive, as well as provide the foundation for a week’s worth of discussion and analysis, email me with your suggestion.
Note: The script has to be available online somewhere.
To see the archive of scene-by-scene breakdowns, go here.
Circling back to where we started, reading scripts is hugely important. Analyzing them even more so. If you want to work in Hollywood as a writer, you need to develop your critical analytical skills. This is one way to do that.
So seize this opportunity and join in the conversation!
I hope to see you in comments about this week’s script: The Good Dinosaur.
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