dialogue inspiration

[igorsandman]

Hello,
I love the dialogues in Blade Runner and it's one of the many reasons this film is in my "top 5". Then again, it depends on the genre of film you want to make. Blade Runner dialogues are very lyric and philosophic. In the same vein, you have Tarkovsky's films.
As for inspiration:
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=229067&highlight=dialogue
Hope this helps.
-IS-

[Joe Burnham]

For me, as a writer, it depends on the mood you're story is trying to convey. You won't use the dialogue style found in Quentin Tarantino flicks to depict a family movie, for example.

When I worked on the dialogue for a play I wrote, I looked no further than "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller for my inspiration. Not just because it's also a play, but because the interaction of the characters and the way their stories were told was executed in a way I felt would be powerful for my story. But when it comes to writing the screenplay I'm currently putting together, I won't be following those same rules. Granted, one is a play and the other is a film. But the only major difference there is stage direction.

Dialogue is a very, very fragile element. It is meant to carry the meaning of your story through the characters and their specific personalities. If the dialogue is poor, your message will not come across as pure or as powerful. Now, should you do a silent animation, you won't have a problem here ;)

What kind of animation are you putting together?

[BigJay]

What kind of story are you working on?

I find the interplay of dialogue in Firefly to be really good. The same writer did Buffy the vampire slayer series and helped with Toy Story, script doctored it I think.

I really liked Usual Suspects, The Professional, Romeo is Bleeding and True Romance for great characters and lines. Tarentino wrote True Romance, but the director, from what I heard, took his script and put it back into a linear narative so it does not play like his usual movies.

looking at my list I would say you need to really have a firm understanding of your character's personality to figure out how they will talk, also the right mix of conflicts going on between the characters also helps. No one gets along perfectly so how they deal with each other and what sets them off helps feed the dialogue

[kletterget]

That's actually a good tip: to look at films of the same genre.

When ever I write dialogue I seem to always fall into the trap of bringing too much of my own personality into the characters. It ends up reading like I'm having a conversation with myself. I feel that I do have a good grip on the personalities of the characters involved, but despite this I always seem to revert to my own personality. Quite annoying really. That's the main reason why I am so sick of QT's films. All the characters end up talking the same way, telling the same kind of "anectdotes" it makes me feel like I'm watching a film about Tarantino himself.

[Joe Burnham]

Tarantino flicks are more geared toward the gritty side of human nature. Because of that, dialogue tools such as sarcasm will be used in a different way than those in Marx Brothers movies. It's not that they convey the same personality, it's that the personalities are dependent upon the nature and social qualities of the story. Now, if Tarantino wrote a movie that didn't involve killing and showed a brighter side to humanity, I doubt they'd all have the "same personality".

That said, I understand where you're coming from. Being able to understand and convey an imaginary person's mannerisms through dialogue, which include understanding how an individual might react to a particular circumstance, is a difficult process. Which is why I believe a good writer is also a good actor. It almost becomes necessary to develop the same characteristics within yourself, then imagine you're in your character's shoes. That way, it doesn't become a question of how your character will respond, but how you will respond. After which, let the words flow through you.

At least, this is how I approach character dialogue. I've always been an actor at heart, so naturally, I like to become my characters and walk them through their roles, so to speak.

Hopefully this makes sense. At the end of the day, this is really just one dimension of the complex element to story-telling known as "dialogue". It's an extremely important hurdle, nonetheless.

[malcolmvexxed]

I don't look at other films I like when i want inspiration for writing, I listen to people actually talk. that way my writing sounds like my own. A good tip is to go to a coffee shop and buy a danish or something and listen to people talk in line to remind yourself of cadence and interaction, or go to a park and sit down and listen to hierarchal convos - mother to child , boyfriend to girlfriend etc. and realize how word selection reflects dominance.

[animquer]

well the dialogue is theatre. So maybe reading some books..... an idea....

[JM_JM]

Goodfellas and Casino have really great dialogue.
Try some Hitchcock films like Strangers on a train.
For less serious stuff with some good lines, try something from Harold Ramis or Frank Oz.
(Stripes, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, What about Bob...)
I love that guy.

I often get motivated from movies like the ones above. It inspires me to write in my own style...my own voice. I pay attention to the world around me. Think of people in the world as characters. What role would you cast them in? Are they Leading man material? Or the side kick, or slut etc...

I often re-cast movies in my head with current actors. Like Tim Robbins as Forest Gump.
Im not sure that has any value here, but its fun. Maybe it should be a new thread.

-J

[CyanideCotdPnuts]

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Period.

[jussing]

Thoughts on dialogue....



Blade Runner's dialogue is great and unique, because it's a lot about questions that aren't answered. That keeps a lot of tension. "Do you like our owl?" "Is it artificial?" Questions answered with questions.... no-one really likes anyone in the Blade Runner universe, and the non-cooperative dialogue displays it. As Igor says, it depends on your genre. This kind of dialogue wouldn't work well in Legally Blonde or Lion King, except for the nastiest characters.
If you have boring exposition, work around it with creative frames until your scene is no longer just a boring exposition scene. Find a way to make the scene good, not just necessary. Example from Ocean's 11: They have assembled 10 people, the screenwriter needs to introduce that they need on more. Brad Pitt and George Clooney are hanging in the bar. The following is one shot, only Clooney talks, Brad Pitt is looking away the whole shot, not saying a word.

- "So, we have 10, that oughta do it, don't you think?"
(pause)
- "What, you think we need one more?"
(pause)
- "You think we need one more..."
(pause)
(Clooney finishes his drink)
- "All right, we'll get one more"

That's a funny scene that could have been boring exposition. (it's funny because Brad is taking part in the dialogue without saying a word or moving a muscle)
An example of boring exposition that talks directly to the audience, from Day After Tomorrow: We cut to Quaid and his buddy arriving in snow-covered New York, to find Quaid's son in the library:

Quaid: "How much further to the library?"
Buddy: (looks at GPS, then looks up): "It should be right here"

Pffft. Alone the sentence "how-much-further-to-the-library" is embarrasing... they've headed for the library for three days, I don't think the buddy needs to be reminded. -"How much further" would've sufficed. Plus, you'd think they were following the GPS as they walked over the snow, rather than just walking, and checking it to see were they've gone. Ie, the buddy would've pointed out the library's location 500 yards ealier, yelling "it's over there!".
.....that's all I have for now, but I might be back. :)

- Jonas

[zurfer]

I recently bought a TV-series from Aardman studios called Creature comforts. It is based upon a short film by nick park. What they have done is interview the British public and then cut the tracks together and animated clay animals to it.

This makes it not written dialogue which is fabulous with all the pauses and little extra noises people make when talking naturally. I found it very inspiring to watch when writing dialogue.

What I used to do was go out and just listen to people talk at cafés or on the underground or busses and really listen to the use of words and try to build a sort of a character-sheet in my head for that person. After watching Creature Comforts I actually took a voice recorder with me and taped various conversations without listening at them and play them back when I get home instead. This gave me a voice without a face and I could try to think about who this person is and the subtext of what HE/SHE is saying. What are their agenda in the conversation and how often do they change "beat" (scriptwriter talk for strategy to reach their agenda).

It has proved quite valuable to get a realistic flow in my dialogue work. One can even use the tapes successfully as voices for specific characters one is working on at the moment and get their personal way of talking working with the personality of ones character. Try not be too controlled by it though and find the unique voice of the character, not by copying the personality straight off another person but by letting yourself be inspired by how they talk and how that can work in a positive way when "painting" your characters.

When listening to the recordings or conversations out on the town try to ask yourself about ,as I stated earlier, the agenda of the persons talking, the beats in the conversation, the pattern of speech, what the subtext is, are they lying, what is their relationship to each other, Where have they been, where are they going and if it's a recording where are they now and can you in your mind try to visualize them being somewhere else and talking about something different than what the are. If they are talking about their love of computers then try imagining it as if they were talking about their children for example.

Well I thing I've rambled enough so as a last note just remember that film dialogue should not be exactly as real dialogue, with too many breaks and pauses and side notes, but should emulate the feeling of it wile still sticking to the point of what is actually being said (the agendas)

Hope this little rant helps.

Peter

[FabioMSilva]

my screenwritting teachers have praised me for my dialogues saying each character has its own voice and that the dialogues are very well written.

I believe my main source of inspiration came from Disney's Lion King dialogues, which are very good. U should hear them:thumbsup: good luck!

[Nicool]

Watch Crash's sequence when the young white policeman ask his officer to change of team mate (because his team mate is racist). You should also watch 12 angry men as a dialog lesson.

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