Script Analysis: “Man Up” — 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.

Written by Tess Morris.

IMBd plot summary: A single woman takes the place of a stranger’s blind date, which leads to her finding the perfect boyfriend.

Some questions to consider in relation to dialogue in Man Up:

* 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 Clare Macdonald 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, go here.

For Part 4, to read Themes, go here.

I am soliciting volunteers to do a scene-by-scene breakdown to be used as the foundation of our script reading series. There are also over 150 movie scripts from the last 5 years, many of which we have yet to analyze.

Beyond your name being noted here, my thanks and some creative juju, hopefully you will learn something about story structure and develop another skill set which is super helpful in learning and practicing the craft.

To read examples of scene-by-scene breakdowns, go here.

To access the entire Go Into The Story Script Read and Analysis Series, go here.

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! Make it a commitment to read more scripts in 2016!

To read my interview with Man Up screenwriter Tess Morris, go here.

To read my interview with Man Up producer Rachael Prior, go here.

To watch Man Up online, go here.

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