![]() ![]() That’s a loaded “nothing.” We know that something is wrong based on the context. They throw their phone on the counter, plop down on the couch, rub their forehead, and let out a deep sigh. Do people always say exactly what they mean? Let’s say your significant other comes home from work. ![]() This is okay sometimes, but usually, your characters should be much more subtle, and a lot less direct. A mistake that a lot of first-time writers make is writing characters that say exactly what they’re thinking. It’s all about what your characters don’t say. But let’s get back to those three elements. If you have time, read through it and see if you can spot how Hill and Carpenter add subtext. You can probably thank the odd 5/4 time signature for that.īut, before the movie, there was, a magnificent screenplay written by Debra Hill and John Carpenter. John Carpenter wrote a chilling musical theme for Halloween that conjures dread as soon as you hear it. Filmmakers have some tools available that writers don’t. Now, a scene from a movie is not a completely fair comparison. First, though, let’s go back to my earlier example, the three girls walking home, and look at it with the benefit of subtext: There are a lot of ways, but let’s focus on three- dialogue, setting, and action. Your next question is probably: How do I write a subtext? Take Laurie’s final line of the scene we first looked at, “don’t think so…” It’s truncated. But, subtext can also show up in dialogue. ![]() The example of the woman in the alley demonstrates how context can add a mood, and therefore a subtext. So, next question… What is a subtext?Ī subtext is the marriage of these two elements. Ahead of her a street light barely flickers. Pretty basic right? We can add context by describing the setting:Īn old woman walks down a dark alley. This is where foreshadowing really starts to pay off. That includes the environment of the scene, but it also includes all the events that happened prior to the scene. What is Context?Ĭontext is everything that surrounds the dialogue. We know the characters names, we know what they’re doing, and hear what they’re discussing. LYNDA Isn’t that Davon Graham? He’s cute. The shape isn’t visible behind the windshield. The station wagon slowly moves up the street toward them. LYNDA Who cares? I always forget my chemistry book. Laurie suddenly stops and turns back toward the school.ĪNNIE (indignant) I have a place for that. LYNDA The only reason she baby-sits is to have a place to… LAURIE I thought you were baby-sitting tonight. So, let’s take a look at a few beats from a scene, and examine the text. What the characters are doing and saying, what everything looks like. The text is the words you put down on paper. So, how do good writers avoid this? They use subtext.īut, before we talk about subtext lets step back and discuss two other important elements- Text, and context. By giving every detail at the surface level. How? By not burying any secrets in the text. That’s why the ending is always so important, and why gossip is so prevalent in the workplace.īad writers can spoil this story excavation. Some people just want to see the world burn.īut, why do we get so upset by spoilers? I think because audiences are motivated by the act of discovery. A few years back when a new Star Wars movie hit theaters someone on my social media posted a huge spoiler. ![]()
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