Helpful Hints # 66 (Screenplay Dialogue) Though I have far more experience in writing prose fiction than I do working on screenplays (and thats why most of these posts have been geared towards fiction), I have worked on a handful of them over the years, and thought itd be a good idea to switch gears for a day or two to talk about the way that screenplay dialogue needs to be treated differently. The general rule of thumb in a screenplay is that one page is usually equal to one minute of screen time. Therefore a ninety page script will turn out to be roughly an hour and a half long, which is the most commonly desired time for your average film. Given that rather imposing limit on your page count, it becomes important to be as brief as possible in both your descriptions and your lines of dialogue. But since our focus in this series of posts is on dialogue, Im going to forego any description-reducing advice in favor of dialogue strategies. The first of these strategies is, as I touched on yesterday, to let your characters be less polite to each other and dispense with most of the hello, how are you, good to see you, formalities that begin most conversations in real life. This is even more crucial in a screenplay situation. Even if your script is evenly split by action and dialogue, that limits you to 45 pages dedicated to people talking. The average exchange of pleasantries between two people before a conversation takes place lasts maybe 30 seconds, or half a page. Do that 6 times in a script and youve wasted 3 of those precious 45 pages on dialogue that is completely irrelevant to the story, and which viewers wont feel the need to pay attention to anyway. A good way to begin honing this self-editing talent is to watch movies (and especially TV shows) in a different way. Its also best to start with a movie you know well, as the method will feel like a remarkable new discovery the first few times you try it. Heres what you do: Have a notepad handy and watch the movie with a stopwatch. Mark down start and end times for many of the movies key scene, and note the duration of each one. Youll be amazed how quickly the movie will move along from scene to scene. Unless its an indie character-study or a courtroom drama, its a safe bet that there are VERY few scenes that run longer than 4 to 5 minutes. As you watch, pay very close attention to the dialogue scenes in particular, especially in the third act of the movie, as the climax is approaching. There will be dialogue scenes where CRUCIAL dialogue is being delivered, and they will last only twenty or thirty seconds. Think about it: weve all seen those police thrillers where big news is delivered very quickly. It goes something like this: Cop A and cop B are in an office, at an impasse in the case. Cop A: I wish we could get a handle on this one. The chiefs really breathing down my neck. Cop B: Tell me about it. If we dont-- A third cop, Cop C, enters. Cop C: They just spotted our guy downtown. Fifth and Elm Street. A witness said hes armed. Cop A: Jesus, get every available until down there. Lets move out. They exit. Cliche, I know, but its a prime example. And how long did that take. Twenty seconds? There are no greetings or hellos in the beginning of the scene because the two cops are already talking when the scene begins. We join them in the middle of their conversation. And Cop C doesnt introduce himself or apologize for interrupting because he KNOWS his information is vital, and so does the audience, so they wont question the impoliteness of the scene. In this same way, its acceptable to shave off a bit of reality in the dialogue to save precious seconds and minutes of screen time. A character who speaks slowly and often struggles to get a point across (a very realistic character, if you think about it), may have to become a bit less realistic in order to keep things moving. (More tomorrow.)
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 19:43:59 +0000
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