Show, Don’t Tell: Turn a Talky Script into a Visual Masterpiece

Show, Don’t Tell: Turn a Talky Script into a Visual Masterpiece | Script Reader Pro

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When it comes to advice on script dialogue, “show, don’t tell” is the most repeated phrase out there. But how does a screenwriter put it into practice?
Our latest video breaks down the “show, don’t tell” method so you can turn a talky script into a visual masterpiece.
Here’s what’s coming up:
· What “show, don’t tell” really means and why it works.
· How to push the story forward with action vs. words.
· Film examples to learn from and “auditing” your script.
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FIND THE SHOW, DON'T TELL GUIDE HERE:
www.scriptreaderpro.com/show-...
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Over to You:
· Ask yourself, what’s the purpose of each scene in my script?
· Use the “show, vs. tell” method to write or re-write scenes.
· What do you think of our methods in the video?
Let us know in the comments section below the video.
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КОМЕНТАРІ: 22

@wendyparks7976 Рік тому

Really helpful! Excellent clarification. I especially enjoyed watching the movie clip while seeing how it was written in the script 👍👍 Thank you!

@PCIMPOSSIBLE Рік тому

Essentially, screenwriting and love have something in common. SHOW! DON’T TELL…

@ScriptReaderProLosAngeles Рік тому

Wise words!

@PhoenixEnterprises555 10 місяців тому

Thanks super helpful in a concise way

@seastoriesandsciencefictio4253 5 місяців тому

Thanks for the great advice!

@antonythemaster933 Рік тому

Very, very important advices! Thank you!

@ScriptReaderProLosAngeles Рік тому

Thanks for watching!

@Astroboy956 Рік тому

Thanks for the info.

@ScriptReaderProLosAngeles Рік тому

It's our pleasure!

@stevemaricic7585 Рік тому

Good video.

@ScriptReaderProLosAngeles Рік тому

Thanks Steve!

@MarkLaingPhotography Рік тому

Good one!

@ScriptReaderProLosAngeles Рік тому

Thanks for watching, Mark!

@bodyhairpositive9485 Рік тому

There's a big problem here. Showing it in the most visually interesting way is far more expensive to film. Having her say in an existing scene "I'd like to be a mother one day" is far cheaper, than having to organise a train scene with paid extras and getting permission to film on the train, paying a mother and baby actor to sit on the train etc. That is going to be very expensive to film. Most people watching this are not going to have their scripts purchased by a big producer/studio deal. They're going to be making it themselves with no budget or less than $10,000, even less than $1,000 budget. I guess you could get creative and think of a 3rd option though. Like maybe she's writing a list of her life goals and having a baby is number 1. That would actually show she wants a baby far more. But would that count as telling and not showing?

@jackhudkins542 Рік тому

However, this is not always true. Woody's films are very talky - it's his style. Quentin's is the same....I like talky films as long as there is good sub-text. To think an actor will go around making little facial expressions to show what his thoughts and feeling are would be like non-human. People talk and a variety of ways, so make the dialog riveting with good subtext and I'm good.

@SageIceDragonX Рік тому

You are not wrong, but I think you might have misunderstood his main point. He shows one of Quentin's films in the end and states it as a stylistic choice. Its not necessarily about having a full movie about a person just making expressions (which making expressions without speaking is totally human, many people don't speak up about what they are feeling, but it is very impractical for a whole movie). I think the point he was trying to drive at was the audience doesn't just want to hear what happened, but see it happen. Its mostly about how you choose to tell your story and what you want the audience to see. Do you want your audience to SEE the person on the bus drunk or do you want to hear them talk about it later? Most people want to experience being in that emotion with the character, not hear about it way after. You just cant connect with a character when all you hear about is the aftermath, people like being involved in making those connections. In Quentin's films, the characters don't just tell another character everything they did after the fact. You get to experience it right there with them. I mean how silly would it seem if you got to hear the two robbers in the beginning of pulp fiction talk about their heist at the diner instead of just seeing it play out, which is way more exciting? People don't like summarizations of major events and there are a surprising amount of writers who do this because showing that moment seems like a lot of work (at least in a novel it is), but for scripts that shouldn't be that much of an issue because your actors fill in the rest of what you laid out. Dialogue is generally used to show a person's personality and wants (at least the public censored ones). Showing/action displays a lot more deeper connections/emotions/desires and it gives the audience the opportunity to be involved by filling in the blanks which is what most audiences want to do.

@ScriptReaderProLosAngeles Рік тому

@@SageIceDragonX Well said!

@TiagoCavalcanti-ji6hu 3 місяці тому

Not bad.

@BrunoCosta-wnft Рік тому

Great advice, but in my opinion the example chosen with the girl on the train is not the best. One show that employs this show-don't-tell technique very well is "Better Call Saul".

@ScriptReaderProLosAngeles Рік тому

Hi Bruno, thanks for your suggestion on Better Call Saul -- a great show!

@futurestoryteller 20 днів тому

It should be noted that this definition of show don't tell is only useful for screenwriters, is not a comprehensive definition of the term, and may in fact have some vague detriments even to the craft of screenwriting. Other ways to say show don't tell: Describe do not explain. Dramatize don't summarize. Don't tell me what to think, give me something to think about.