What Is Dialogue?

What is dialogue?

Dialogue is a set of deliberately constructed lines exchanged between two or more people, resembling real conversation but not actually being real conversation, and designed to communicate specific information — to develop the plot, reveal a character’s personality, and so on.

If dialogue is used, then its use is NECESSARY.

Before writing dialogue, you need to determine what function it will perform. (Sometimes this is done after the dialogue has been written.)

The functions of dialogue are:

1. It develops the plot (delivers necessary facts and information).
2. It develops conflict (serves the scene).
3. It serves the character’s goal.
4. It reveals the reason behind a character’s behavior (comments on their actions).
5. It reveals the character’s personality.
6. It presents the character’s speech characteristics (individuality, naturalness).
7. It conveys the character’s emotion (communicates their feelings).
8. It explains the relationship between characters (and also creates communication).
9. It creates tension for the audience (suspense).
10. It creates audience interest (provides a hook).
11. It creates emotion in the audience.
12. It reveals the theme.
13. It contains subtext.
14. It serves to conceal information.
15. It fits the genre.
16. It creates style. (Many professionals have developed a distinctive style of dialogue: Tarantino, Sorkin, and others.)

A screenplay never simply means beautiful dialogue. It is built entirely on action.

In a successful scene, dialogue is always a collision between two people, two perspectives, two systems of values. In other words, it is always conflict!

Conflict should develop through dialogue, reveal the true state of the characters, open up their inner world, and move the story forward.

Even the shortest dialogue should have its own arc and should develop gradually: exposition, complication and climax. The most important information is delivered toward the end of the dialogue...

PRACTICE. To see the functions of dialogue in action, read and analyze the screenplay for the opening scene of The Social Network. (Sorkin is currently considered one of the best dialogue writers.) The scene is built entirely around dialogue and contains all of dialogue’s functions.

From our lesson on dialogue...