Blockbuster movies have several traits in common besides a strong screenplay. Among other things, they also have great dialogue.

Blockbuster movies gross millions of dollars because they appeal to a wide ranging audience. The highest grossing films have quite a few traits in common: powerful dialogue, great acting, and superb storylines. Although screenwriters don’t have control over which actors are chosen to portray their characters, they certainly have control over the storyline as well as the quality of the dialogue. This article will discuss the universal elements that are found in great dialogue.

A perfectly written screenplay takes time and effort. Despite what anyone tells you, there are no short cuts to writing a great screenplay, and that includes screenwriting software; it’s a waste of your money so don’t buy it. You’re better off investing your money into buying old DVDs and investing your time studying them.

There are several common traits that you’ll find in every example of great dialogue. The most prominent aspects of strong dialogue are: brevity, plosives, reinforcement, and questions. Attention-grabbing dialogue uses a strong dose of each of those elements.

Let’s talk about plosives first. What are they? A plosive is any sound that forces the speaker to create and release a pocket of air. Here are a few letters that create plosives: k, p, b, t, and d. Say these words out loud and listen for the pocket of air: bubble, baby, tart, plank, kettle, and band. Can you hear yourself release the pocket of air when you say those words out loud? Those pockets of air are plosives. When they are used abundantly in dialogue, they will effectively captivate your audience’s attention.

Lengthy dialogue has no place in movies and film. Long monologues will put your audience to sleep. When writing dialogue, keep this one word in mind: brevity. Short dialogue is powerful dialogue, especially when it’s packed with plosives.

Have you ever told someone that you love them? If the person didn’t respond with, “I love you too”, then most likely they rephrased your statement as a question by saying, “You love me?” Repeating what someone else says is a form of verbal reinforcement. You’re deliberately placing emphasis on what the other person said by repeating it. Dialogue reinforcement is used quite a bit in movies. In my opinion, it’s used too often. Try to keep your lines of reinforcement to a minimum, and they will pack a powerful punch.

If you’ve got a boss breathing down your neck at work, no doubt he or she asks you the same annoying questions every day: what are you doing? Are you finished with that project yet? Did you call that person back? No matter how politely a question is phrased, a question is a form of interrogation and thus a form of conflict. Questions are very handy when a writer wants to reveal how two characters feel about each other. The manner in which a question is asked as well as the manner in which a character responds to a question can tell the audience all it needs to know about the relationship between those two characters.

Great dialogue is a unique blend of all of the above. Some writers rely heavily on questions and answers, while others are very skilled at crafting short, plosive-packed dialogue for the characters. When you’re writing dialogue for your screenplay, keep those four things in mind and you’ll write better dialogue on the very first draft. Good luck with your screenwriting!

Author Bio: Learn more about the art of screenplay writing at these pages: tips for writing great characters, suggestions for writing great dialogue, and storytelling guidance.

Category: Writing
Keywords: screenplay writing, writing dialogue, screenwriting tips