I've hit my first wall. Help on dialogue?

wrio

103 pages

Posted
April 3, 2008 - 6:33am

I've hit my first wall. Help on dialogue?

I think I ask for too much help XD
Anyways, my two characters are just leaving NY in a medium-ish sized hot-air balloon. Song, my MC, doesn't like talking much. At this point, he is denying that he's opening himself up to others. And by others I mean Do. Do looks up to Song, likes to eat, and has never been in a hot-air balloon or traveled to anywhere but NY.
I want them to have a short conversation right there, but don't know what to have them talk about or how.
Any suggestions? Thanks ^^

gzornenplat

116 pages

Posted
April 3, 2008 - 6:48am

RE: I've hit my first wall. Help on dialogue?

Good time to talk about the future and plans (looking at where you are going in more ways than one, trying to see what could be on the horizon - it's always good to have metaphors and links in there) And you can foreshadow some of the things to come, especially if Do is all upbeat and enthusiastic, and (as it sounds) Song is going to be 'yeah, right, whatever' about it all and on the defensive, while Do can't quite understand why Song won't really talk to him/her.

wrio

103 pages

Posted
April 3, 2008 - 6:51am

RE: I've hit my first wall. Help on dialogue?

Thank you :P
Yes, I'm trying to see how I can have Do talk to Song about the 'traveling around the world in a hot-air balloon' thing.

cmh05u

100 pages

Posted
April 3, 2008 - 8:35am

RE: I've hit my first wall. Help on dialogue?

That's a good time to bring up "Around the World in 80 Days," maybe talk about literature, what they've both read and how they feel about it. I think you can find out a lot about a character by their attitude toward books, literature, culture in general. It gives you a chance to let the audience know about their background and attitude on life.

wrio

103 pages

Posted
April 3, 2008 - 9:07am

RE: I've hit my first wall. Help on dialogue?

Haha. I checked out that book a week ago just for the purpose of writing this script ^^ Strange how life works, coincidences. I will try that, I've just made another character that this story needs. I'll have him bring that up, he knows a lot.
Thank you cmh05u.

deionk

Posted
April 3, 2008 - 11:41pm

RE: I've hit my first wall. Help on dialogue?

have you done a scene by scene no-dialogue treatment of your script (where you write out a narrative of the characters concious and unconcious motives)?
try that, meaningful dialogue tends to magically flow out if you do a really detailed job of it. (can accredit this advice to Robert McKee)

or watch some of tarantino's film, he does incredible casual dialogue - it'll rub off on you.