“Dialogue: Finding Your Character’s Voice”

Tomorrow I start a brand new two-week Screenwriting Master Class online course Core V: Dialogue, subtitled “Finding Your Character’s Voice.” We will be analyzing dialogue from some great scripts including The Social Network, The King’s Speech, Winter’s Bone, Jerry Maguire, Sideways, and others to reveal key writing principles. Here is the introduction to Lecture 1:

In the story universe of a screenplay, characters convey who they are and what they are feeling in two ways: action and dialogue. Since movies are primarily a visual medium, a screenwriter’s instinct must be to approach any scene thinking action first, dialogue second. In this regard, the old adage is tested, tried, and true: “Show it, don’t say it.” 

What then of dialogue? Consider the words of William Goldman, arguably the dean of contemporary American screenwriters, writer of such notable screenplays as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men, Marathon Man, and The Princess Bride:

“It’s a terrible thing for a writer to admit, but in terms of screenwriting, dialogue really doesn’t matter as much as in plays and books — because you have the camera.”

Since movies “have the camera,” does that really mean dialogue “doesn’t matter as much” in a screenplay? In one way of looking at it, the fact there are limits on how much [or little] a screenwriter may rely on dialogue means our choices of when to use and how to handle this narrative element are critically important. In other words, we have to exercise greater care whenever we choose to write dialogue over action.

Thus we start with this acknowledgement: In a screenplay, dialogue is not conversation. It is communication. Communication with a purpose. This leads us to the Fifth Essential Principle of Screenwriting:

Dialogue = Purpose

Through a combination of lectures, forum discussions, weekly teleconferences, and writing exercises, participants learn proven principles and professional tips for writing compelling, authentic dialogue. You also get an opportunity to dig into your story’s characters and develop a deeper insight into who they are, what they say, and how they say it.

To enroll, go here.