Words in action : forms and techniques of film dialogue / Paolo Braga.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Braga, Paolo.

Contributor:

Alumni and Friends Memorial Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dialogue in motion pictures.

Physical Description:

vii, 223 pages ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

Bern : Peter Lang Pub Inc [2015]

Summary:

Words in Action dedicates to the subject of film dialogue a comprehensive exploration. The book analyzes a wide series of examples, perfectly chosen in contemporary American mainstream cinema - from Gladiator to The Devi! Wears Prada, from Schindler's List to A Beautiful Mind, from Collateral to The Dark Knight - and, in some cases, also in prime time TV drama - ER, The West Wing, House M.D., John Adams. In a screenplay, the secrets of well written dialogue are hidden in the construction of the scene, where every word should stem from the theme of the story. At the light of this basic assumption, the book explores how Hollywood screenwriters create verbal duels assigning characters different frames of values and making the hero win by "re-framing" what is at stake in the scene. The author elaborates on how Oscar winner authors such as Paul Haggis, Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian create subtext. Finally, the book highlights the screenwriting techniques to cover exposition, an issue which gives the author also the opportunity to concentrate on the differences between dialogues in movies and in TV drama. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Dialogue and conflict 19

Dramatic dialogue and its features 20

Dialogue is action 20

Dialogue pushes the story forward 21

Dialogue is dynamic 21

Dialogue has deep implications 22

Dialogue has structure 23

Dialogue is succinct 24

Dialogue has a climax 25

Dialogue changes the fate of the character 26

Dialogue surprises 27

Dialogue tends to follow a set pattern 27

Three scenes 29

Munich. "Mazeltov" 30

Lethal Weapon. "You really like my wife's cooking?" 35

The Best of Youth. "Then let's get you signed out!" 40

Direct attack and sudden backlash 45

The counterattack 54

Dialogue, conflict and values 70

John Adams. "My sons..." 82

Chapter 2 Dialogue and subtext 91

Dramatic subtext 97

Why use subtext 99

Reason 1 It reflects real life 99

Reason 2 Subtext creates tension 99

Reason 3 Subtext holds an audience's interest 101

Reason 4 Subtext can be acted out 102

Two kinds of subtext 103

Deep subtext 104

The Next Three Days. "Goodbye" 106

Strategic subtext 109

The West Wing. "We're gonna get the names of the damn commandments right." 116

Non-shared subtext 125

Manipulation 125

The irony of fate 127

Crash. "Is there a problem, Cam?" 129

The Lives of Others. "I am your audience" 134

Chapter 3 Dialogue and exposition 141

The problem of exposition 143

The screenwriting techniques to solve the problem of exposition 144

Dramatization of exposition 145

Use of irony 153

Use of examples 160

The right moment for exposition 170

How to reveal themes in dialogue 180

Verbal setups and payoffs, taglines, key words and metaphorical texture 182

Batman Begins. "Justice is about harmony" 188

Theme in dialogue 189

Metaphorical texture 193

Munich. "Break bread with me" 195

Theme through visual metaphors 196

Subtheme in dialogue 196

Subtheme through verbal metaphors 198

Metaphorical texture 199

Dialogue and revealing metaphors 200

Collateral. "Guy. Gets on a subway. Dies" 200

The revealing metaphor 205

The Dark Knight. "Because he can take it..." 208

The revealing metaphor 210.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Alumni and Friends Memorial Book Fund.

ISBN:

9783034316620

3034316623

OCLC:

909329887

Publisher Number:

99963628615