Write, write, write

Dialogue’s quite often a problem for screenwriters. Too wordy, too “on the nose”, too stilted, too expositional, yadayadayada. The craft of acting helps. I’ve had the great fortune to attend and graduate from the acting school that brought forth talents from Sydney Pollack to David Mamet and from Gregory Peck to Robert Duvall.

Another Playhouse actor of few words

What fantastic school was this, you’re dying to ask, right? It’s one you’ve probably never heard of – it’s “The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre” in New York. Sanford Meisner and Lee Strassberg were both part of the famous “Group Theatre” in the 30s. Strassberg went on to form his own Actor’s Studio with his “Method”. Sandy Meisner took a different turn, created the “Technique” and brought it to the Neighborhood Playhouse.

When I was at the Playhouse in the early nineties, Sandy was still alive and still a monumental presence in the tiny gnarled body of an old man. And the sign on the wall of our classroom reminded us every day that “An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words”. Acting is not about talking, it is about doing. Obvious enough, right? And yet we writers cram dialogue upon dialogue into our scripts. Of course you need some of it – but always remember the title of this blog – it’s an ultimate truth, for film, for actors, for the audience.

Just think, you’re watching a film. The old man on screen just lost his dog. The mutt got run over by a car. Now the old man tells you how sad he is… which is entirely lame, of course. As screenwriters we should always think visual (another obvious), we should also always think “actors” and “audience”. The scene with the sad old man might be:

• A small mound of earth in the garden. The OLD MAN exits the house, stands on the porch with the dog’s leash. He WHISTLES, smiles – nothing happens. The WIFE steps out and puts her hand on his shoulder, gently shakes her head. He looks at her in confusion.
• The OLD MAN on the street, holding the dead dog, staring after the hit-and-run car disappearing around the corner at high speed. Holding on to the dog, trembling.
• The OLD MAN sits down heavily at the curb, staring at the lump of the dead dog in the street. Completely in shock, he doesn’t even realize the people running toward him, crowding him, trying to talk to him – he hears nothing. Then the dead dog rises and walks to him, tail wagging – the old man smiles.

Countless options! And yes, there will also be good options WITH dialogue. But just remember, good actors want to act, not talk. And whatever emotion you want to convey will comes across ten-fold stronger if you convey it through action instead of dialogue. There’s a nice little John Wayne anecdote – admittedly, not one of the greatest actors – but a very screen-smart star. Apparently, whenever reading a script, he would shift the dialogue bits to his co-stars and make sure he would get the silent reaction shots. Smart move. Let the others talk – I’ll have the strong moment instead! And that’s the one that will stay with the audience. Always remember: 


“An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words.”

And if anyone ever asks you about an excellent acting school – trust me - there's nothing better than the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and Sandy Meisner’s “Technique”.