The Mystery of Subtext

by Hal Croasmun
For most people, subtext is the most illusive of all the writing skills. You ask a screenwriting teacher about subtext and you'll get a vague answer that will leave you confused, but won't provide any real insight. Why? Because many of the best writers of subtext operate primarily from intuition. So they don't have a conscious structure they can teach.

But there is a structure to subtext and it can be learned.

The quality of your dialogue can be dramatically improved by building in meaningful subtext. Well written subtext is the mark of a professional writer. On the other hand, constant on-the-nose (OTN) dialogue is the mark of an amateur writer.

FROM THE SCREENPLAY "AS GOOD AS IT GETS"
In the rest of this article, I've analyzed the subtext in the first three pages of AS GOOD AS IT GETS written by Mark Andrus and James J. Brooks. When you read it, along with my notes, you'll understand why producers say that they can tell if a writer is any good in the first five pages. Keep in mind that this is what you're up against when you send a script in.

Remember, subtext plays a vital role in bringing a script to life. It takes the movie from an external projection on a screen to an internal experience that an audience can live and enjoy.

See the Article here!

http://www.screenwritingu.com/screenwriting-articles/36-general-articles/64-the-mystery-of-subtext

www.ScreenwritingU.com
Los Angeles, CA
Copyright 2010, Hal Croasmun, All Rights Reserved