Writing Dialogue

[sportladirector]

I was wondering how everyone writes the dialogue in your films? Since I picked up my film making hobby, I have written and directed a couple short films, but the dialogue always comes off sounding forced and unnatural. This could be my "actors" (just friends with really no acting experience) but I think it might also be my writing. For my next project I am thinking about not scripting the dialogue at all, and instead telling the actors: "this is the gist of what is said, this is what needs to be said, you say it however you want to and in the words you want to use."

Does anyone have any advice for me on this issue? Anything would be helpful.

[nomicon]

I'm no expert, but here's some stuff I remember reading on the subject...

Make sure all your characters don't sound the same.
Ideally, the things your characters say should reveal character, advance the story, and be said in an entertaining way. Avoid stuff that's been said a million times before -- "fire in the hole!"

Listen to how people(from all walks of life) talk out in the real
world -- words, phrases, slang, etc. This can also be a good way
to get interesting "source material," too.

[nomicon]

Some great advice here...


johnaugust.com/archives/2007/how-to-write-dialogue

[George Willson]

Write it, then read it out loud on your own. You'll usually work out your dialogue problems rather quickly that way, since you'll be hearing it instead of just reading it.

[jlowry71]

I work in radio, so writing good dialogue in commercials and comedy bits is a must.

I would agree with nomicon in that each character needs to have a distinct voice and style, and in John August's blog he correctly pointed that dialogue is a two way street -- it can't just all be speaking but listening has to take part as well.

When I write dialogue and I have an idea who at the station is going to voice something I'll try to style it towards them. I've worked with them enough to know their patterns, their inflections. The same would go if I didn't know who would voice that character, I would give that character his or her own unique vocal patterns and inflections. In the end, though, to me the dialogue I've written is just a template or foundation to bulid off of. Once I get someone to voice the part then we get into ad-libbing and rewriting lines to make it feel more natural.

And like George says, read it out loud -- either by yourself or with someone else. I prefer someone else because then you really get to hear the dialogue's rhythm and can tell real quick what work's and what doesn't.

[donpayasos]

Howard Hawks (THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD) had some great dialogue techniques.
THREE CUSHION DIALOGUE: rather than just saying something, the characters refer to it indirectly, they bounce around before making the point.
OVERLAPPING DIALOGUE: the characters talk over each other, the way we do in real life.
And having figured out what a character needs to say, he'd then change the words completely. Instead of "Aw, you're just in love" they'd say "Aw, you're just broke out in monkey bites." The audience somehow knows what is meant.

[rerj73]

I'm also a big fan of making notes on overheard conversations. Nothing replaces the actual flow of a natural conversation.