Reel Dialogue: Movie-Speak Part II
In the second of a two part article, Ron Suppa explores strategies for creating good screen dialogue.
By Ron Suppa. As promised in the first part of this article, here are a dozen basic strategies for creating good screen dialogue: Characters don’t talk to each other, they argue. No pleasant chitchat, please, and don’t have your characters preach to us. Dialogue maintains the tension and dramatic conflict between the characters. Especially if […]
Reel Dialogue: Movie-Speak Part I
In the first of a two part article, Ron Suppa discusses dialogue in films, the difference between real conversations and 'movie-speak', and the importance of brevity.
By Ron Suppa. Forgive the cliché, but a picture is worth a thousand words. Unlike stage plays, movies don’t have to rely on words to tell the story. In fact, the first movies were silent. If today’s action blockbusters are any indication, we may be heading back that way. And for good reason – communication […]
Ten Rewriting Strategies
Ron Suppa discusses the importance of rewrites, and offers crucial advice on how to go about making them.
When I published the following strategies in my book, Real Screenwriting: Strategies and Stories from the Trenches, I received a ton of email thanking me for giving writers somewhere positive to go after they had finished their first drafts. No one likes to celebrate Fade Out only to then tackle the excruciating process of tearing […]
Getting Noticed in Hollywood: Writing the Showcase Short
Ron Suppa discusses the importance of Short films, and offers crucial advice on how to create them.
By Ron Suppa. It’s how Spielberg, Coppola, Lucas and Scorsese got their start. As a producer, I found the first three filmmakers I ever worked with through short film showcases. Always on the lookout for new talent, I still try my best to make it to film festivals, film school screenings and private showings of […]
Is Literary Management For You?
Ron Suppa discusses the benefits and risks of having a manager.
By Ron Suppa. Who are these guys anyway? Wistfully, I tell you that I once had an agent. A good one. A big wig at CAA. Now that person manages literary talent and often acts as a producer of the scripts he manages. This did not endear him further to me as, call me crazy, […]
