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when you think about dialogue you
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probably think about iconic one-liners
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you're gonna need a bigger boat
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or writers with great dialogue style you
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didn't have seconds you had three weeks
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the universe was created in a third of
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that time well someday you'll have to
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tell us how you did it on the flip side
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everyone knows bad dialogue when they
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hear it it can stunt a scene and pull
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you out of a movie from on the nose
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lines too long expositional monologues
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we've all heard it so how do you write
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good dialogue is it just a talent you're
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born with or can it actually be taught
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let's start by figuring out what
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dialogue actually is
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dialogue isn't a conversation dialogue
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isn't simply woody jokes or phrases it
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also isn't solely poetry or even music
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the purpose of dialogue is to move the
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story forward as characters use language
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to move towards their goal a character
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wants something and they need to talk to
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someone else to get it there really
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isn't any difference in using dialogue
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versus using physical action they're
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both just tools both should move the
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story forward through a character
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heading towards their goal it depends on
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the context and the type of story being
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told which determines what a character
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does to move towards their goal
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sometimes they may speak sometimes they
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may physically act dialogue should first
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and foremost be about context you should
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be focusing on why this scene is here in
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the first place before you're even
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worried about dialogue what do the
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characters want what do they believe how
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does this scenes existence move the
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story forward we know the answers to
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these questions not from writing
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dialogue but from building our
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characters building what they believe
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and building what they want dialogue in
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and of itself will never create a good
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scene not even the wittiest quickest
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most fun dialogue will ever make a great
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scene on its own David Mamet one of the
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best writers of stylistic dialogue said
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that when you're writing dialogue in a
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scene you should focus on three
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questions who wants what from who what
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happens if they don't get it and why now
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notice how these questions have nothing
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to do with the exact word choice or flow
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of dialogue they are about the story and
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how dialogue will move that story
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forward let's take a look at the opening
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scene of Steve Jobs written by Aaron
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Sorkin the screen says it's a nun
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implemented trap but the error code is
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wrong it's
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so what's the upshot it's not gonna say
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hello absolutely Steve Jobs talks to
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Andy Hertzfeld and Joanna Hoffman less
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than an hour before Apple's presentation
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of the Mac let's apply Mamet's questions
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to this scene Steve is the main
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character so first what does Steve want
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Steve wants the Mac to say hello in the
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presentation skip over the voice demo we
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need it to say hello you're not hearing
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me it's not going to say exit what
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happens if he doesn't get it Steve tells
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us in the dialogue why now Apple is
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about to reveal the Mac and take a great
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leap in the computing space the
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presentation is starting in less than an
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hour it must get done right now 26
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people and a stringer from the Alameda
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County shoppers guy a lot of people are
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obsessed with Sorkin's flashy dialogue
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for the wrong reasons he writes
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beautiful dialogue and I love his films
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and television shows but his fast paced
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and snappy dialogue isn't the foundation
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of his stories and Sorkin knows this
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Sorkin uses a very similar method to
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Mamet's on how to start each scene I
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worship at the altar of intention and
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obstacle and I'm I'm trying to I'm just
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loading up on what those things are of
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what is the intention and obstacle and
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that's the that's the drive shaft of the
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car well somebody wants something
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something standing in their way of
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getting it and once you've built that
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then you can start to do the fun things
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that you like to do for me that's
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dialogue his dialogue rests on knowing
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his characters want and what is stopping
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them from getting it for example in this
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scene Steve Jobs wants the Mac to send
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Apple into the future as a leader in the
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computing market and is obstacle is that
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the Mac is failing to say hello minutes
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before the presentation
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Sorkin knows that without intention and
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obstacle his story will not work no
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matter how beautiful the dialogue is
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stylistic dialogue is simply a tool in
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the toolbox and you should think in the
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same way
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the beautiful part about knowing what
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your characters want and knowing the
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context of the scene is that your
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dialogue will flow much better once you
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have a grasp on why the scene exists now
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you know why your characters are talking
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and what they are talking about but
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here's the reality even if you follow
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Mamet's three questions or Sorkin's
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understanding of intention and obstacle
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you still probably won't be able to
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write like them it's an element of
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screenwriting that is based heavily on
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instinct but before you get discouraged
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that you probably won't be able to write
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like Sorkin I want you to pause and
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think about some of your favorite movies
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of all time do they all have amazing
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stylistic dialogue how much of the
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dialogue do you remember from most great
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films let's take a look at a scene that
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doesn't have flashy dialogue like
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Sorkin's but still works very well for
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the story this is a scene from zodiac
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written by James Vanderbilt adapted from
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the book by Robert gray-smith in this
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scene three investigators speak to a
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suspect who they think may be the Zodiac
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killer mr. Allen I'm inspector bill
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Armstrong as Inspector Dave darsky and
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Sergeant Jack Mullenix we're
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investigating the zodiac martyrs in San
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Francisco and Vallejo again let's apply
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ma'am it's three questions what do the
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characters want the investigators lead
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the scene and they all have the same
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want to find out whether or not Arthur
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Leigh Allen should be considered a
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serious suspect in the case what happens
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if they don't get it the investigators
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are looking for a dangerous serial
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killer if they don't find the right man
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more people will die the knives I had in
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my car with the blood on them that blood
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came from a chicken that I killed for
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dinner why now because they have finally
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found enough circumstantial evidence to
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warrant speaking with Allen direct the
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zodiac letters with his right hand
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producing a different handwriting that
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he can't
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and if we also apply Sorkin's method of
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intention and obstacle the three
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investigators want to find out whether
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or not Arthur Leigh Allen should be
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considered as a serious suspect but the
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obstacle is that Alan is cagey and gives
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them nothing all of the elements of a
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great scene are here the characters
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pursue what they want and what the
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investigators learn in the scene moves
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the story forward the dialogue isn't
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supposed to stand out and be flashy it's
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just supposed to work and serve the
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story and in a lot of ways maybe that's
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the best form of dialogue because
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stylistic dialogue can run away from you
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and take away from the most important
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thing telling the story just like great
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editing can be invisible
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maybe dialog can work the same way the
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reality is you don't have to write like
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Mamet or Sorkin or any of those writers
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some of the best dialogue is invisible
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understand what you're good at
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there are so many great films out there
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where you never really thought much
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about the dialogue yet you love the
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story anyways it's not that the dialogue
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was bad
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it just wasn't extremely stylistic it
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was just good dialogue a lot of what is
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taught about writing dialogue simply
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isn't practical everyone talks about
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constantly keeping subtext at the
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forefront of your mind while you write
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or they talk about knowing exactly how
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each line of dialogue has a particular
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emotional verb behind it like a tack or
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punish or pursue or they give all kinds
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of tips on avoiding exposition and
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dialogue and honestly I think most of
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this is worse than useless because that
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interrupts your flow of writing and it
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makes you overthink every single line as
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you push through the scene so what
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should you be focusing on when you go to
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write ultimately dialog comes down to
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two things focus on the purpose of the
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scene why are your characters here what
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does each character want what will
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happen here that turns the story and
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what or who is standing in the
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character's way focus on making your
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characters sound fluid and natural this
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happens by writing and writing a lot
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I can't teach you how to make character
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sound natural that only happens by
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writing a lot anything other than this
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and you start getting into unhelpful
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academic theory and unnecessary
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complexity trying hard to sound like
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Sorkin or Mamet or Tarantino will make
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your dialogue sound forced and
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inauthentic which is the last thing you
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want whatever style of dialogue you may
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have will come as you write if you're
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worried because you're not writing good
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dialogue but you haven't written a lot
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yet then I don't know what to tell you
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you have to write to see what you like
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and see what you don't like and then go
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from there same as anyone else in this
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video I didn't give a detailed analysis
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of subtext or specific word choice or
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all the other phrases and tips people
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like to throw around to make non writers
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feel intelligent and writers feel stuck
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and confused I found that when I'm
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writing dialogue simplicity is a
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necessity I can't hold five ideas in my
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head about exposition subtext verbally
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charge lines and diction while I also
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try to remember what the scene is about
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it's nonsense and it's confusing who
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wants what from who what happens if they
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don't get it and why now leave the rest
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in the classroom
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hello I hope you enjoyed the video if
00:10:21
you did please give it a like and
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looking to join a group of other writers
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to share ideas give and receive feedback
00:10:29
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guide to screenwriting where I go over
00:10:38
the fundamental elements of
00:10:39
screenwriting and storytelling thanks
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for watching
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