When you first start a script and introducing characters, what do you make them talk about? I get stuck on this part because I dont really know what they should talk about when im not pushing the story forward
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character How to make characters talk about random things? (comedy)
- Thread starter RealJasonBourne
- Start date
1/ Watch a few Tarantinos.
2/ It depends where they are, who they are with.
3/ People mostly talk about their line of work.
4/ You really have to know your characters. They can be talking about girls, boys, something they saw on TV , at the zoo, on the street while buying a taking a piss on a light pole and whatnot. It really depends on who they are.
5/ They don't need to be talking.
But really, this is a bad question. You asking this to us simply means that you don't even know YOUR characters. That's not a good place to start a script.
2/ It depends where they are, who they are with.
3/ People mostly talk about their line of work.
4/ You really have to know your characters. They can be talking about girls, boys, something they saw on TV , at the zoo, on the street while buying a taking a piss on a light pole and whatnot. It really depends on who they are.
5/ They don't need to be talking.
But really, this is a bad question. You asking this to us simply means that you don't even know YOUR characters. That's not a good place to start a script.
Dialogue is a tool to move your story forward. When a character speaks, it should establish the characters personality or give the audience information about the situation they are in. In Pulp Fiction, the couple is talking about robbing banks. That gives us an idea of what kind of characters they are. In This Must be the Place, Penn's character is often making references to his past career as a rock star, and how much he wants to find the man who humiliated and tortured his father in a concentration camp. That give us an idea of what kind of character he is, and his goal. Why would you want dialogue that is... meaningless?
Keep it moving.
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you're jumping all over the place here..
1) how to introduce characters is a subject all it's own. revealing characters is supposed to take extra creative time and energy to come up with the right idea, specifically suited to that character
2) if you're not advancing a plot, then you need to be doing something else such as character development
3) You control the entire universe in your story, why on earth would the characters be talking about something random. Make what you want to talk about an element of the story somehow, and then it's not random anymore.
1) how to introduce characters is a subject all it's own. revealing characters is supposed to take extra creative time and energy to come up with the right idea, specifically suited to that character
2) if you're not advancing a plot, then you need to be doing something else such as character development
3) You control the entire universe in your story, why on earth would the characters be talking about something random. Make what you want to talk about an element of the story somehow, and then it's not random anymore.
Goto http://www.joblo.com/moviescripts.php and read the first two pages of several of these current films to see how these produced films were started on paper - and then - watch the theatrically released film to see what they ended up doing instead.
See how well the two jive together. Or don't.
Then start writing your story in the middle until your subconscious can think of a good way to start the first page or two - THAT YOU'RE GOING TO REWRITE TEN or TWENTY TIMES ANYWAY!
GL!
CPF gives you solid advice. In a script, dialogue is purposeful. It defines the character and drives the action. Tarantino, IMO, is not a good example as he tends to be too wordy. Because he's writer/director he compensates in other ways. Most writers cannot successfully pull this off. Parts of his works are just boring to watch. (Sorry to his fans)
Is it a visual comedy? Do you rely on verbal humor--puns, banter, etc.? Is it physical comedy? I personally like to outline the movie first without dialogue. It gives me a sense of where the action and motivations are heading. Then as I go back and develop the scenes, I add dialogue. I use humor in various ways: get a sense of the character, lighten a tense situation, give a sense of foreshadowing, create an ironic lead-in, move along or accelerate action, etc.
To get 'unstuck', first forget about the dialogue and write down the story outline first. Then go back and you can think about the dialogue. We learn about characters by what they do, say, and how they organize the space around them. What the audience sees is much more important in a script. Some scriptwriters intentionally put in the dialogue last. I'm not that extreme but I do agree with David Mamet that if all the dialogue were stripped from the script, it should be possible to still understand your story from the actions and descriptions.
Write your dialogue specific to your scene. Avoid being expository--telling the audience what they can already see and know, or they need to know to make sense of your story. Watch and read comedies. Look at the timing and set up. Know the kind of comedy you are writing. If it's physical or visual humor, the dialogue often is often more constrained creating a contrast. Writing comedies is often considered a challenge. Nothing is ever random, even in a comedy. If dialogue is tangential to the discussion, it suggests the speaker is attempting to mislead or avoid a topic. The "why" should be germane to the story or action in the scene.
Holy crap, pump the brakes! You're trying to figure out how to better make the movie not progress? This is essentially a trick question.
Everything should have a point, or it should be cut!
The Tarantino method works for Tarantino because he's Tarantino. He has a brilliant way of keeping dialogue fresh throughout a scene as he develops his characters. If a dialogue scene isn't springing forth in your vision of your movie, accept that it might be for a reason...
It sounds like what you are going for is character/plot development that really feels like anything but. Honestly, my best advice is to be nosy
and listen to people's conversations. You hear people say things some times that really make it clear what kind of person they are or what type of situation they are in a very naturally funny way. I agree with others that Tarantino has definitely honed this skill very well but for me this best inspiration for this kind of stuff is inspired from real life conversation amongst very distinct personalities.
Lots of great advice already by others on this thread.
I'll just add these links to helpful articles:
How to introduce characters
http://reelauthors.com/script-analysis-coverage/character-intros.php
How to Create Great Characters
http://reelauthors.com/script-analysis-coverage/how-to-create-great-characters.php
How to Write Great Dialogue
http://reelauthors.com/script-analysis-coverage/how-to-write-great-dialogue.php
I'll just add these links to helpful articles:
How to introduce characters
http://reelauthors.com/script-analysis-coverage/character-intros.php
How to Create Great Characters
http://reelauthors.com/script-analysis-coverage/how-to-create-great-characters.php
How to Write Great Dialogue
http://reelauthors.com/script-analysis-coverage/how-to-write-great-dialogue.php