About Subtext

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PelLucidus

How does one go about adding subtext to an otherwise mundane scene? Are there any scene deepening techniques or other tricks one can use? :huh
 

Hamboogul

Subtext is something that is not simply added to a scene. It's not like a potted plant that you can place in a room to make the room look nicer.

Subtext is about characterization. If you can bring the character alive so that we know his inner motivation and hopes, you can show subtext via his actions and dialogue.

William Goldman uses this example.

A man and a woman are in the elevator. They don't talk much but clearly they are married. A beautiful woman enters the elevator. The man takes off his hat.

Figure out the subtext of that scene.
 

dchapma123

Hamboogul is right. You don't add subtext; you START with it. You can do things to your scene to move on-the-nose dialogue into subtext. But if the scene doesn't already have meaning, maybe it shouldn't be in your script at all.
 

maestrowork

To me, subtext is art. The richer and more complicated the characters are, the more sublime your subtexts would be -- they naturally appear.
 

writerscut

Maestro's right, it's all a metaphorical meaning...develop the scenes and characters good, and you will find what you're looking for...
 

dpaterso

"A man and a woman are in the elevator. They don't talk much but clearly they are married. A beautiful woman enters the elevator. The man takes off his hat."
Figure out the subtext of that scene.


He's being polite.

Or, he has a KISS ME QUICK tattoo on his forehead.

Or, he's covering his crotch with his hat.

But if he covers his crotch with his hat then for goodness' sake say he covers his crotch with his hat, don't leave me guessing. Plain English is always best.

-Derek
-----------------------​


I pointed my sword at the half-imagined shadow and said, "Show yourself, and prepare to die." Brave words, considering my bowels were on the verge of loosening.
 

A Pathetic Writer

"Subtext is highly overrated," he said, crumpling up the latest rejection letter.

;)
 

EggMcGuffin

"He's being polite."

thats the point. hes bein polite...to a beautiful woman. hes also bein very rude to his wife. in 2 seconds you know from one gesture, as much about his marriage as you would take 3 paragraphs to describe. remember in screenwritin a gesture like that is measured and has meanin. its not fluff. if its not there for a reason it almost shouldnt be there (with exception of course).

but most peeps when they ask about subtext are askin about subtext in dialogue. i think hamboogul's eg was good cos not everyone realizes theres subtext in actions.

anyway subtext in dialogue i think means sayin a lot without comin right out and sayin it. or by sayin very little.

like in the john malkovich directed "the dancer upstairs" adapted from a graham greene novel, javier bardem is a police inspector and the dudes talkin to a woman hes met durin his investigations, and he tells her before he was 5-0 he was a laywer. and she asks him how come he changed jobs. and he just sez, "im tryin to find a more honest way of practicin the law."

hes not all, "yea i was tired of the bullshit corruption and the injustices i witnessed everyday and the peeps i couldnt help cos the only justice that prevailed in courts were the kind you could afford and finally i had enough and i told my boss to go f*ck himself and quit."

nope.

"im trying to find a more honest way of practicin the law." he didnt need to say more, you got everythin.

anyway hope this answers your ?. this sorta thing you cant just learn and apply, cos you really hafta sorta get it first. i guess you get it by writin it and seein if it sticks. or stinks. :thumbs
 

PelLucidus

“it's all a metaphorical meaning...develop the scenes and characters good, and you will find what you're looking for...”

Writerscut,
I am not sure if I fully understand.

Thanks all for the insight!

In reference to subtext, I once heard someone say, “If it’s only about what it’s about, then it’s not about enough.”
 

maestrowork

Dp :grin Now you're getting too complicated.

I agree with Egg. That's what I took away from the description. That not only was a gentleman to other people (well, in this case, probably just the ladies) but he's also either rude to or just doesn't care much about his wife. The specifics are not important but the message is there -- that he treats other differently than he treats his wife. The obvious thing is his gesture toward the lady. The subtext is the underlying conflict or relationship between him and his wife.

A lot can be said by NOT saying something.
 

EggMcGuffin

that actually wasnt william goldman, it was someone else. maybe billy wilder or ben hecht. goldman was just repeatin it. anyway they wrote it fine. you might disagree with it but thats cool; most people seem to get what the scene implied and meant. in any case i think it illustrates the use of subtext in action cos you still got that there was more to it than that, even if iyo he was tryin to hide his wood.
 
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