Because Robert Towne Said So
"It made me alive to the fact that the most
important thing sometimes is what isn't said – to prepare for moments of
revelation that can be read entirely on actors' faces without dialogue."
-Robert Towne
Mr. Towne (Chinatown) brings up a valid point; one that can be
forgotten quite a bit. Most of the time less is more. Heavy exposition can bog
down a screenplay like an elephant strapped to a life raft.
When
going back and editing dialogue, make sure it sounds real (reading aloud helps
here) and that it's concise. When a character over explains the situation he or
she is in, it seeps through the script, clouds pacing and can turn off a
reader.
These
questions will help you clean up that excessive dialogue:
1. Do I need that
sentence? Or that word?
2. Do these blocks of
dialogue between characters fall in line with previous [edited] dialogue
blocks?
From <https://thescriptlab.com/screenwriting/script-tips/3234-because-robert-towne-said-so/>
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