Random Chit-Chat

Random chit-chat can be in several movies but what sets it apart is the execution. Maybe try having it be loud at first with brief dialogue, but then fade the sound as we cut to something else that is happening, then come back just when the chit-chat is coming to a close. I did something like that with a long drawn out beer debate in one of my scripts...I cut it down severely to the point where I feel I set the atmosphere and still got the point across. Gotta get that part down fast.

Ginosion said:

Every time I try it seem to generic and forced.

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maybe you don't know your characters well enough (background, backstory, personality, values, the works).

if it's "plotless" dialogue, there still has to be some conflict between the characters, no matter how trivial. remember the quote, something like "too much agreement kills a conversation"?

idk, i usually tend to avoid "plotless" dialogue; rather I try imagine words and sentence structure a character would use in a given situation based on their traits and their goals for that scene (a lot of juggling).

do whatever's appropriate for your story. just don't write cool dialogue for the sake of being cool.

Most of all, the speaking character has to believe that what he's saying is interesting and/or cool. Travolta's character in Pulp Fiction, for instance, believed that the alternative French name for a quarter pounder with cheese would be amazingly interesting to Jackson's character. And as part of his "little differences in Europe" conversation, it was (listen to his ain't-this-cool "Royale with cheese" reveal: YouTube! clip - adult language).

-Derek

I'm not a big fan of random dialogue; I'd rather use the time for exposition if I need to. However, it can be fun to have people

However, I will concede that the Travolta scene is killer; I also like scenes where major excitement is happening, but the conversation itself is completely banal (two people discussing bills while dealing with gunfire, the gunfire stops, and they meet; "Wait a sec; are you sure we paid the cable bill?" followed by a glare from the other person). It's also reasonably easy. All you need to is:

1) Spend time just listening to how real people speak and develop an ear for how they speak. I'm one of those weird people that don't mind spending time in line when I'm not in a hurry; it can be interesting to listen in on conversations go.

2) Pick a topic that totally irrelevant to situation at hand, but that you know reasonably well. It's okay to be totally inaccurate in this situation, as it's just two people talking, but it can make it just a bit cooler to be completely accurate.

3) Make sure that it's important to show that the situation is completely regular to the people involved. In the Pulp Fiction scene, the Vincent and Jules are doing what is essentially routine to them; discussing the French Mickie-D's is more interesting to them than what they are about to do. That's why it's so effective when they almost get killed, but are saved by the worst shooting ever.

Justhave fun with it, and you should do okay...

FR

Ginosion said:

What is the best way to write small talk, or plot-less dialog?

You know, stuff you would mostly in a Tarantino movie. Every time I try it seem to generic and forced. Like any every Uwe Boll movie.

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The goal is to make that dialogue not "generic" but specific -- and while don't presume that because the dialogue isn't specifically advancing the plot -- "George, Tina's got a tumor -- and she's been kidnapped by terrorists. Zombie Terrorists." -- that it's operating competely at a tangent to the issues at play in your story.

That kind of "small talk" -- since it can really be anything, gives you a very fruitful field for finding a metaphorical way for the character to discuss the larger issues at play within the story as a whole

You don't have to do this in a heavy-handed or serious way. The characters can be talking about sports, or their relatives or telling jokes or whatever -- but within the context of what may seem to be an unrelated discussion, you can actually illuminate, in a subtle way -- what your whole movie is really all about.

NMS

My favorite chit-chat has to be in True Lies. Arnold's partner is hilarious, and it speaks volumes about his character. He talks about ex-wives, their boyfriends and so forth. I would take your favorite movies, and seek out the chit-chat. Then copy it. See how it looks and feels on a script. Then look at the situation you are trying to plug it into and alter it to fit your characters.

Don't. You should be fighting for every word to characterize or to move the plot. You don't have time for chit-chat.

kullervo said:

Don't. You should be fighting for every word to characterize or to move the plot. You don't have time for chit-chat.

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I have to disagree with that. Chit-chat as my example above demonstrates, can be characterization. It can be a great window and give a natural feel to the characters. Now it can't be any old chit-chat, it has to have a purpose, it has to give us a window into the characters, but chit-chat used right, can be endearing and extremely useful.

My favorite line of chit-chat is out of True Lies.

"I came home one night and the house is empty. I mean she even took the icecube trays out of the freezer, what kind of sick b*tch takes the icecube trays out of the freezer?"

This is chit-chat. It is not moving the story forward, it is how this character reacts to his best friend and partner finding out his wife may be cheating on him. He jokes, he relates personal stories and so forth. But it really shows us what kind of character he is, and how the character Harry responds in turn to his friend's gentle joking and attempts to cheer him up.

If it accomplishes something, it isn't chitchat. And I bet the writers wouldn't characterize it as such.

kullervo said:

If it accomplishes something, it isn't chitchat. And I bet the writers wouldn't characterize it as such.

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You're probably right but I still catagorize it as chit-chat because it's chit-chat for the characters inside the story. I have some weird definitions I'm sure, because that's what I define it as in my own story.

Can't argue with kullervo's advice, but it's still kind of a tough call because in real life, people sometimes talk a load of crap. I'm not suggesting every character must do the same. But sometimes, just for realism's sake, maybe just a light fairy dusting...



...if only so every scene doesn't have a staged, author-manipulated feel.

-Derek

icerose said:

You're probably right but I still catagorize it as chit-chat because it's chit-chat for the characters inside the story. I have some weird definitions I'm sure, because that's what I define it as in my own story.

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I guess the question is -- obviously, there are countless "off screen" events in the putative lives of our characters. They sleep. They go to the bathroom. They visit their relatives. They get in the car and drive from where ever they exit one scene to where ever they enter the next scene some distance away.

But we make a point of cutting all of that stuff out because the character isn't doing stuff that's useful to the story that we're using *him* to tell.

Because, let's face it -- We all live for years -- and our characters, in principle, the same. But we've only got them for a couple hours (and they may not even be on screen for all that time, so we may even have them for less.

So yes, in principle our characters may spend many hours of their lives chit-chatting, just as they spend many hours watching TV, hanging out with pals -- doing all sorts of things that don't help us move our story forward.

But why would we want to use any of our incredibly valuable and limited two hours or less of the time we're going to have with them for any of that stuff?

"Inside the story" - shouldn't they be up and about and doing what they need to do to advance the requirements of the story?

And while it's not impossible, it's rare that "chit-chat" (at least as I understand it) is going to be doing that.

Now, there are lots of scene where characters are having what *appear* to be casual conversations but which are actually much more than that. Much more than that is going on.

That's differerent.

And if the issue is writing dialogue that has a natural give-and-take flow, so that it doesn't come across as plot-driven and on-the-nose, that's also different.

But in both of those cases, it isn't really chit-chat, because in the scenes in question, the story is still moving forward.

NMS

i like the 'pulp fiction' example. as mentioned, for these guys, what they're about to do is another day at the office, so it's perfectly 'normal' water cooler conversation. were it even more banal than it is (though i thought it interesting), the point of that chit-chat was to underscore the fact that all this killing was old hat to them. it had a definite point. while not plot advancing, it advances the characters, a couple of cats we'll be seeing a lot of.

discussing bills while robbing a bank is just a comedy routine. if it fits with the tone, okay.

i really can't think of an example where the chit-chat accomplishes nothing and had no ulterior motive whatsoever. i'm that stuff is out there, though.

presumably we're trying to make 'good' scripts, which precludes using any uwe boll as an example. his movies take advantage of a german tax loophole (or at least it used to) that's very attractive to overseas 'investors' looking for a tax shelter. in other words, his movies aren't made to make money, despite the talent he's inexplicably able to draw (my theory there is he gets these B and C list actors by paying them tons of money, further making his movies harder to see a profit from). then again, it's hard to see how difficult it would be to recoup from such 'classics' as 'house of the dead.' however much i have the theory and/or facts messed up regarding uwe boll's movies, the fact remains that you shouldn't view any of them as any kind of standard to emulate... unless you like that kind of thing, and if you do, little training is required.

nmstevens said:

Now, there are lots of scene where characters are having what *appear* to be casual conversations but which are actually much more than that. Much more than that is going on.

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I guess this is what I was trying to get at with my example. They're having a "casual" conversation but it's so much more. If you're going to have chit-chat it should be this type of stuff.

Yeah, something like that.

^^ yeah, Icerose I agree. There's everyday chit-chat and then there's chit-chat within the confines of a film. Within those confines all chatter is relevant. If only for the fact it is there. True lies is a good example...love that film. Even Tarrantino-esque rants are relevant....characterisation.