Script Writing W/ Steve Coombes 3rd October 2016

Script Writing W/ Steve Coons 3rd October 2016

In this lesson we went over the do's and dont's of dialogue and how to make a character, we learnt that with dialogue long diatribes and speeches are very difficult to pull off, a piece of dialogue can sound too real and too fake and finding the balance between the two can be difficult, all speech needs to be necassary to further the plot and try to show things rather than telling the audience through dialogue.

With Characters a perfect character with no flaws is an uninteresting one, when watching a film a viewer wants to be taken on a journey for the self betterment of the character or even the opposite for a characters fall into evil or such. (such as the story arc of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars) a change is good, no matter if its a good or bad one.

When writing a character give them imperfections make them different from other characters in the script, make them use different words, decide on how they would react in a situation, what swear words they may use, what they wouldn't use. all of this gives more personality to a character rather than just have a copy of another character.

A character should always be under tension, being pushed and pulled, a young man leaving home misses his family (the pull) he needs to find a job to survive (The push). A character needs to make choices all the time and in a good story everyone is right.

Dialogue

Pulp Fiction - Christopher Walkens Watch Speech.

We watched a short clip from pulp fiction, in which Christopher Walken gave a speech, it was a long piece of dialogue about how this watch came from Butch's great grandfather, the point made was that long speeches rarely work out so well, having a great actor and interesting content can counter this but typically you want to keep dialogue short, no more than three sentences.

Keep it at a need to know basis.

AVOIDABLE MISTAKES

- if it doesn't advance the story get rid of it

- don't be too formal

- don't use names too often

- make characters speech diverse, give accents, traits and crutch words.

- don't be too artistic 

- don't be too grammatical or real.

when writing a character see how polite they are, phrases they would say or not say at all.

Read your dialogue outloud infront of a mirror to check its speakable.

Use grace notes, avoid long speeches, try to turn text into action, instead of saying "good to see you!" have the characters hug tightly. however don't overdo it.

Pay attention to syntax, don't give too much information, don't make a character a mouthpiece to send a message unless its a message no one agrees with.

Some speeches can show not tell with the use of provocative phrases.

interesting characters can be ones who are in denial "the man protesth too much" Denial can be subtext and apply pressure to the character.

whats interesting is what they don't know about themselves.

Immerse the audience don't lead them.

swearing has some of the most complicated grammar, when thinking about characters think about what type of insults they would use.

Think about the most extreme words your character will use and that will tell you something about what other words they will use.

accents can make things sound harsher than it actually is, swearing is a rhythm, Anger is talking and eloquent, Monsters Talk very powerful and furious, Always with fury and hate.

the poetry of insult and swearing, “Bull-Shit” has its own rhythm.

Full Metal Jacket

No greater tribute to good dialogue than to create a cliche

Character 

When you know someone well you know their flaws and strengths,  you have some insight into their flaws, eccentricities, vulnerabilities and so on.

Know your characters in your scripts just as well as you know your friends.

what they talk what they do.

Characters have flaws, usually failures or have failures

they fall short of their own expectation of their selfs.

Character journey

looks up at the world not down.

jokes are about servants laughing at masters.

little people not the big people.

small looking at big

Tells don't tell what a person is like, it shows what they are like.

Melodrama, all characters are wrong.

In drama all the characters are right, the point of sympathy is constantly changing.

Conscious or Unconscious tragedy, the difference between a drug addict or a recreational drug taker.

what type of person does he want to be,

doesn't know who he is

single woman- has to decide what type of person she wants.

Make one monster seem like a better monster by putting a bigger one next door.

Diner - Film

how a simple activity can be a metaphor for something much bigger.

“Its too complicated I just want to hear the music.” - Metaphor for marriage.

Music is something he talk to with his mates, its a privileged area, something they all bond with.

She doesn't understand him

she just wants to hear the music, he wants to know the flipside.

He remembers exactly the first time they met, but only because of the song that was playing.

The premise of any rom com, women choose, men display

if your a character and you don't know what you think how do you know what you are.

Feeling in-authentic - existential crisis

overwhelmed by the freedom that they have by having so many choices.

have them make choices 

Choice is what defines character

A character should be like a suspension bridge, pulls in different directions

1 Are they making choices

2 Whats keeping them tense

Next week beginning middle end, moments.