Dialogue

Format

Definition: Dialogue is the spoken words of a character in a screenplay. It appears indented beneath the character name, roughly 2.5 inches from the left margin, and runs no wider than about 3.5 inches. Dialogue is what characters say out loud — distinct from action lines, parentheticals, and voice-over narration.

Understanding Dialogue

Great screenplay dialogue does not sound like real speech — it sounds like a compressed, heightened version of it. Real people um and uh and repeat themselves. Screen characters get to the point faster, reveal character through word choice, and leave the subtext for the audience to decode. Every line of dialogue should either advance the plot, reveal character, or both. If it does neither, cut it. Dialogue formatting is narrow for a reason: it should be fast to read because it is fast to hear. A page of heavy dialogue plays faster than a page of heavy action. Keep individual speeches short — three to four lines max unless you are writing a deliberate monologue. Characters interrupting each other is shown with a double dash at the end of the cut-off line.

Example in a Screenplay

                    ELENA
          You said you'd be home by eight.

                    DAVID
          I said I'd try to be home by
          eight.

                    ELENA
          There's a difference?

                    DAVID
          There's always been a difference.
          You just stopped listening.

Common Mistakes

Writing on-the-nose dialogue where characters say exactly what they feel instead of letting subtext carry meaning. Long speeches that should be broken up with action or reaction. Using dialogue for exposition dumps that no human would actually say. Characters who all sound the same — if you cover the names, you should still know who is talking.

Related Terms

Dialogue

Subtext

Subtext is the meaning beneath the surface of dialogue — what characters actually communicate withou...

Format

Parenthetical

A parenthetical is a brief direction placed in parentheses between the character name and their dial...

Format

Character Name

The character name (or character cue) is the capitalized name that appears above a block of dialogue...

Dialogue

Monologue

A monologue is an extended speech by a single character, typically running half a page or more, deli...

Dialogue

Exposition

Exposition is the delivery of background information the audience needs to understand the story — ch...

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