You've probably noticed in your daily life that your conversations are not always tidy. Voices overlap, people interrupt others or change the subject, or sometimes you have to backtrack and repeat yourself. As we write our scripts, most of the time we're aiming for natural-sounding dialogue that reflects a version of reality. Not always, but a lot of the time. One way to accomplish this is to have characters interrupt each other.When one character cuts off another, it reveals power dynamics, emotional states, and relationships in ways that perfectly structured exchanges probably wouldn't. It helps the audience understand what matters to a character, can show character growth, or lead to a big climactic showdown. Two screenwriters who have done this very effectively are Aaron Sorkin and Greta Gerwig.Sorkin told Q with Tom Power, "I like when people interrupt themselves. I love overlapping dialogue. I love the sound of two people talking at once. So, I script all of it."Sorkin's dialogue is known for being snappy and clever, with actors like Jesse Eisenberg having to maneuver through his use of derailments or interruptions. In The Social Network, for example, many characters don't politely wait for responses.The opening scene demonstrates how Sorkin uses misunderstandings to drive scenes forward, with Mark dispensing facts in a rhythmic concatenation of non-sequiturs, interrupted only by his date's confused questions. - YouTube www.youtube.com On the page, he uses em dashes to show broken dialogue, like this: An exerpt from the script for The Social NetworkSorkin has also...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday