screenwriters toolkit

There are two kinds of movie dialogue: Expository Dialogue & Action. Expository dialogue says something about your characters, and the who, what, why, how and where of the movie you’re writing. Action dialogue is what moves the plot forward. Your Task: Combine the two. Write a page of dialogue between two characters that exposes them and moves them to the next scene.

Written/Contributed by Hal Ackerman

1.Open the phone book Yellow Pages to two random pages, and select two businesses. Move two characters from Point A to Point B by whatever means you invent. Invent a good reason for the journey. Reveal that intent skillfully. If it?Ç‚Äôs huge, understate it. If it?Ç‚Äôs trivial, exaggerate.

2. Pick one of the following topics and write a dialogue scene between those two characters, exploring and disputing the topic fully.
a. Standard shift vs. automatic transmission
b. Leaf blowers
c. Teeth
d. Class seating on airplanes
e. Vegetarianism
f. Paying for cable TV
g. Burning CD?Ç‚Äôs
h. Any other mundane topic in the world.

As in every good scene, use the interchange not only to explore the issue, but in doing so, reveal who the characters are, individually and in their relationship to each other.

3. Orchestrate part 2 into part 1 and write a sequence of scenes.

Expository dialogue builds our characters personality. It gives the audience a chance to learn more about who our character is. For example, in the movie “Adaptation,” much of the voice over that is used is built as an internal monologue that gives the audience an idea of the main character, Charlie’s intense inner critic. Your Task: Identify one scene in a movie where expository dialogue is used. Now, write your own 1-page scene that involves this kind of dialogue.

Dialogue can be used as an exposition of character. It can also be used to advance action. Advancing action moves the plot forward from one scene to the next. Your task: Write a 2-page scene where dialogue is used to advance action.

Writing dialogue is not only an exercise in writing about the way people talk. It includes writing why we say or don’t say the things we do. Your task: List the last 5 conversations you had. Answer these questions: Did I say everything I wanted to say? Why or why not? What did I leave out? What is my general attitude when I talk? How does it change depending on who I’m with? Now, write a 2-page scene with you as one of the characters. Repeat one of these conversations as if you had said everything you wanted to say.

What defines the way you talk? Do people see you differently because of it? Your task: Make a list of 3 things that define your characters personality. List 2 ways this personality reflects in the way they talk. Now, write a 1-page scene with dialogue that represents their personality.

Good screenplays utilize a “show don’t tell” policy. Let’s practice this. Your task: Re-write these 5 statements as descriptive dialogue. Do not use the following statements in the dialogue you write.
1. I don’t trust you.
2. I love you.
3. Accept me for who I am.
4. We’re in danger.
5. I’m really excited.

Try this dialogue challenge. Your Task: Identify 5 of your favorite movie characters of all time. Further identify 3 characteristics you have in common with each one. Now, write 2 pages worth of dialogue for a scene where you meet one or two of these characters. For an added challenge, write the dialogue in consistency with the story style of the movie one of the characters comes from.

Let’s focus on how we remember dialogue. Your Task: Tape a conversation between you and one other person. Now, put the tape away and wait 15 minutes to a half-an-hour. Meditating on this conversation, recreate this dialogue from memory. After you’re done, transcribe the original tape and compare.

Many writer’s books and seminars push writers to create dialogue that’s more natural. There is, however, a big difference between screen dialogue and real life. Your Task: Tape 2 scenes worth of dialogue from a movie and transcribe it. Ask yourself, what attitude or tone is being portrayed? Now, find a real-life situation with the same attitude or tone and tape a conversation. Notice what’s different about each piece of dialogue.