Dialogue vs Action - Round 1...FIGHT!

sspunisher said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm under the impression that too much action in a screenplay is considered a no-no, and a definite turn off for readers/professional critiquers/directors, etc.

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Okay I'm correcting you. Readers are turned off by long blocks of description with no dialogue interspersed with the action - in the same way they are turned off by large passages of dialogue with no action or descriptions.

It's a balancing act and the genre of a film influences that balance - but you should strive for an equal amount of action and dialogue.

Ideally - someone should be able to follow the basic plotline of any film even if the sound were muted. That requires a fair amount of character action.

Screenplays by definition are stories told through visual images. Whenever possible you should show rather than tell so if there is any way to get across a character's thoughts or feelings through actions (He slams the door. She crumbles to the floor in tears) rather than through dialogue (I'm so angry. I'm devastated) you should do so.

Avoiding boring your reader has a lot to do with how your descriptions are written. A well written screenplay will have the reader on the edge of their seat, make their heart beat faster, have them laughing out loud or their eyes tearing (obviously what type of reaction it evokes is influenced by the genre). The point is if your descriptions do not evoke feelings then you are not writing good descriptions.

ssp, I read an Site link removed per request of other site's Webmaster just last week that had an interesting view on how (some) readers see action and dialogue Tho' the entire article is informative.

-Derek
Derek's Web Page - stories, screenplays, novels, insanity.

Its as if everyone seems to think there's a certain formula, or a certain standard for writing out a successful story. How hard can it be to just write out what you see as you see it. Finish the story, then either you or someone come back later and refine it all.

Perhaps the rule to go by is write the scenes in a way that will help you see what you meant to write at a later time. as much or as little. Now as far as the final draft, thats when Im all in favor of having some writing specialist come in and cross the t's and dot the I's

that wont answer the substance of the story..thats a whole different arguement in itself.

My opinion.

I don't care if you have the best damn story ever written, but if you have 90% action vs. 10% dialog, I doubt it will be that good or at the least will not live up to its full potential because of it being too talky or have too much narative.

Iwrite is right that Action and Dialog are roughly split equal (adding to around 95% where the other 5% or so goes to slugs, character names, parens, transiitions, etc...) with slight variation leaning towards the genre (ie. drama 49% Dialog vs. 46% action) Anything more than a 7% to 8% spread will cause problems.

Who wants to watch a love story with no romantic dialog? Or a Stalone Action film with long philosophical debates.

Final Draft can break down reports to give you the percentages and every script I've read and wrote all fall within that spread (except for 2001 which has almost 70% Action vs. dialog, but that's an anomilty)

You can turn off the sound and watch "Finding Nemo" and enjoy it immensely. But if you turn on the sound, and listen to the dialogue, you will realize how much more FUN the movie is.

It also depends on your genre. The movie Closer has significant dialogue -- it's riveting. A movie like War of the Worlds has relatively fewer dialogue but action packed.

SS,

You mentioned moments with out dialog and cutting some lines.

I agree with you that some lines are best not written. Let the moment carry its own weight without dialog.
While watching Revenge of the Sith I just cringed during the begining of the fight scene between Anakin and Obi-Wan.
That part where Anni has his back to Obi and says "You'll try."
GAG!! ACK!!! BLACH!!!
Just whirl and bash him one!
And all that dialog in there while they were circling?
Can't you guys fight and talk at the same time?
Obi should have been trying to reason with Annakin while fighting for his life.

That is one of the reasons I've heard other writers say that the first three movies were better. All the key dialog scenes took place during key action scenes.

There are some scenes that can be improved in their effect by staying silent.
It's tricky though. You just kind of have to get a feel for the scene or maybe play around with it a bit.

However, the script must look balanced.
One whole page of action will look too heavy and black.
One whole page of just dialog smacks of talking heads. Think of what else is going on in the scene. Something visual should always be happening. And if you do end up writing a long section of dialog have it take place in a really cool location with some kind of interruptions that add to the tension or drama of the scene.

To fix heavy action blocks tighten up your sentences and try stacking or vertical writing. During intense action scenes like a shoot out or car chase come up with short but fresh new lines or dialog that contrasts with the action.