Haha, that’s funny. However, he’s not writing a movie, he’s teaching a lesson and in lessons information does need to be repeated many times in many ways.but it tells you something about bad films - they’re lessons which is why they’re a chore to watch!
he has to repeat it so people like you understand. Read the comments in here, he said for 10 minutes dont use repetition, and the comments are like "ohhhhh well,...you can use it sometimes" (facepalm)
Thank you so much. You are extremely helpful, to the point. You don't offer formulaic alternatives as do most "writers" on RUclips. You understand the importance of style and the power of language. Thank you.
Robert McKee is a fantastic teacher. I remember seeing him live in 2009 for his seminar. It's intense but was such a powerful experience. Taught me so much.
+Giorgi Gudiashvili I'm sorry to disappoint you, but this video was uploaded three years ago and there don't seem to be any sequels. not on this channel anyway.
Thanks. Great advice and for the most part I don't realize dialogue repetition until I gp back and proofread a scene or on re-write, but even then its hard when I don't proof read my whole script in one sitting.
Here's a good point about certain repetitions in specific dialogue situations. As an author you have to connect to your reader on an intimate level, if you will. You have to remember that you're not only exposing your written endeavor to other writers/critics, but to actual human beings on their natural course in life, where repetition in speech is quite frequent. I feel that some repetitions are necessary for said connection, a certain level of triviality to encompass the humane factor of your written characters. Cheers, much respect for these lessons, I'll be sure to take note of all of them in due time.
"What do you mean I'm funny? Funny how? No, how am I funny? No Anthony, he's a big boy, he said it, let him answer, how am I funny? Maybe it's me, but funny how? How am I funny? You said it? How the F am I funny?"
Liz Taylor and Richard Burton repeat almost every line in the opening of Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf, at least twice, sometimes three times or more. The first line ("What a dump!") Taylor says at least 4 times in 2 minutes, but makes a little guessing game out of it. Such a powerful way to expose her character, highlight their relationship, and drive home the dig (spoiled little rich Dean's daughter, slumming with a lowly history teacher, complaining about her "dump" of a house, living with her "dump" of a husband). You'd be hard pressed to find a finer first 10 minutes of film. Try. You'd be hard pressed. Those first 10 minutes. Find a finer first 10 minutes. Try.
I read this book called, "Bunny Suicide." It's about cute little bunnies that tries to kill themselves in various means. I bought the book as a fun, coffee table book a long time ago. I thought it was stupid, and funny at the same time. But, after writing seriously for some time, I look back on that book, and understand the beauty of this book. Not only does it not give you the back stories behind each one of these cute suicidal rabbits, but they are eager and innovative in how they die, according to what's available to them. There are no dialogues. I think it's best that, if your character's don't have anything important to say, they shouldn't say anything.
"Search for the perfect choice." So true for so much of the creative process. I'm a writer and also an illustrator, and the same goes for illustration. No matter your skill and talent, and even the clarity of the vision inside your head, you are still searching for the lines and shapes that best capture and refine that vision. It's rarely a "nailed it" process. Rather, it's always a seeking process. Patience, resilience and trust in your own ability that eventually you will find the best choice, is what I found served me best as I developed as a writer and illustrator.
No. That's a fallacy. There's no "perfect choice", specially not when "constrained by time".. and by that I mean a real limit and the point in which you decide to move forward to another project. Creativity cannot be forced, and a better choice might appear suddenly in your head years later when nothing can be changed. It's a matter of fate most of the time.. and the best that is within reach.
How did so many people in the comments miss the point of what you were trying to say? We really are living in the times of the infographic and countdown generation. I guess you should get a Buzzfeed like editor for your videos so people understand them. Again, thank you. I love your no-nonsense approach to writing. It is a battle. Not some formulaic bullshit where a thesaurus substitutes actual thinking process.
is it weird that i love exposition in film? i like the feeling of Im there in the experience in this crazy world like most of the long drawn out scenes in space odyssey. I like it when mood and archetypal imagery symbolism somewhat over shadow the characters.
Exposition is information needed for the audience to understand the story, so when there's too much it takes you out as it no longer becomes about developing the plot organically becuase the film is essentially talking to you
Oh, I don't know.. John Irving uses repetition as a personal style, and it really works. I guess not everyone has his talent and therefore are unable to carry it off in the addictive fashion which he is able to. :) Overall, though, Mr. McKee makes some interesting points.
I don't think he's suggesting that there can never be repetition. Sometimes it can be used to good effect, but it's rare to find. In the example he gave the problem is not that one character is trying to convince another to listen to them and asks three times. It's that it doesn't move along because the writer has not found the right words.
You can repeat objects, lines of dialogue (set-up and pay-off like "I see you" in Avatar"). And so on. The "Southpark" running gags are famous. The problem is when you repeat again and again, back and forth, the same emotion or the same line of dialogue or the same tactic. If a charater don't achieve what he want saying "Come to me to California" as in Good Will Hunting, she/he will try another thing. She/he can inquire "Why you don't want to go with me?". After receive a new "no", she will try something else, and so on. She can cry (in a domestic drama)? Or get a gun in a thriller. Paul Thomas Anderson repeat the same line of dialogue sometimes. "Fuck you", "Fuck you", "Fuck you"! But if you take a closer look, there is a tiny of difference between each "fuck you". There is a escalation of conflict.
He's referring to repetition as a means to convey power in language. It doesn't work. He's absolutely right in that repeating the same thing over and over in order to give it more impact will not work.
So does Mamet. But these guys do it intentionally, where the repetition is the point. You know, like in Glengary Glen Ross, over and over "Are we talking about this?" "Yeah, we are talking about it." "I mean are we discussing it?" "I don't know if we are discussing it. We're just talking. Sure." "Talking about this?" "Yeah, okay, we are discussing it...." Brilliant dialogue but only to show the frustration, where the repetition is the frustration, the repetition is in the characters trying to clarify. Stuff like this has to be done intentionally and by someone as brilliant and skillful as Mamet. If it is done accidently by a new screenwriter, that script will read like sludge.
He's obviously not going to go into exceptions. He's passing out the general rules. If you're good enough, you know how, when and if you must break them.
He was kinda repeating himself... but I got the message. I've been guilty of this in my writing, harping on a theme and milking it for a page when one exchange would suffice.
and what about "life is like a box of chocolates" ? sometimes repetition can add depth to the theme by showing the meaning of the phrase trough diferent perspectives
savedfaves Yes and terrible plot....just saw a movie perfect example of awful plot...Red Light 2012....had some atmosphere, started well....then destroyed itself, like it was written by a 12yr old....incoherent, inconsistent and stupid... filmmakers need to learn that supposed 'twists' are not necessary....if every twist was clever then the shortest route between two points would be a zigzag, but it isn't!
What about Wes Anderson? The man makes it his mission to make you constantly aware you’re watching a film, but most of his films are great or at least entertaining for what it is.
Realistic dialogue is boring. We can get that at a thursday night bridge game. If I am going to pay $15 for a 2 hour movie, I want more than Aunt Betty's banana bread recipe.
Somewhat disagree. Repetition can sometimes be used in a good way. Off the top of my head just take the monologue in Taxi Driver. Repetition is used to great effect in many dialogues as it is a way to show bickering, to stress point or show that a character is maniacal about something. And having a character repeat the same line multiple times in a movie also be an interesting callback.
It's been said before, know the rules before you break them. Although I don't think that Scorsese was even breaking the rules there like McKee mentions here, he was going inside the mind of a psychopath. "Listen here you fuckers, you screwheads, here is a man who would - listen here you fuckers, you screwheads, here is a man who would not take it anymore, here is a man who would not --" Bickle was a very troubled man with no purpose, angry at everyone and no one for his shortcomings in life. That little bit only reveals this element to his character as he was writing on his journal, normally changing his purpose as he is writing in his journal. It's symbolic of his own insanity, wandering left and right, so much we don't know what he will do until he saves the girl. It points to all indications that we literally do not know what exactly is boiling up in Bickle's mind.
migol1984 Bickle might be insane, but I would say the mirror monologue is very similar to what how most regular talk when practicing a speech or something in the mirror :) Using a monologue isn't a great example to prove my point though. Another one would be the "it's not your fault" from Good Will Hunting. In fact I would say repetition quite often creates very memorable scenes.
+BenRangel we never actually see him speak those words, let alone in front of a mirror. watch it again. everything is voice over. we are in bickle's mind.
Writing is like making a pot out of clay. You need a glob of clay in order to begin the process. The words are your clay and McKee's book then tells you how to shape and mold...
I think I have story talent pouring out my ears, but my literary talent needs a lot of development. Anything that helps me work on this is immensely valuable.
Actually, he mentioned writing dialogue as an amplified version of real life communication, where he talks about literacy talent, using the right words, phrases. In screenwriting, writing in a way that people communicate in real life works, one could get away with it but the most memorable moments, words or dialogues are the ones that are quite unusual but yet meaningful in relation to the scene. Hope this helps.
Hi Martin! You ask a good question. This is only my amateur view. Dialogue in novels or screenplay is not "normal" conversation is what I gather. Dialogue in a story is difficult to write because it is not "normal" conversation yet you must do your best to make it sound normal. The dialogue is a means of conveying information where what is being said carries meaning to the story. For that reason it is not normal conversation. That is why Robert tells one to record oneself like for example at their job with coworkers. Play it back later and it doesn't really have a lot of meaning. Dialogue in story serves two purposes, one for sounding natural and two for conveying some kind of meaning or information relative to the story you are writing. That's just my take on it all. To anyone, let me know if I'm wrong. I hope I helped.
Mehdi Husain Imagine he has to make a living. Crazy times. The RUclips generation of "I want everything for free and I want it now". I mean, how dare he charge for teaching people how to write. The screenwriter of Captain Philips said he learned a huge amount from taking McKee's class. I think he deserves some props.
+savedfaves Normally I leave idiots alone, but I feel (as a man who attended Mckee seminar) that he deserves some respect. 60 people who have attended his seminar have won oscars (Including Ed Saxon who worked on Silenced of the lambs, 200 have won Emmy, 50 have won DGA and 100 WGA. Sorry I reply to your comment. Just want to help you nail this 2 year old comment in its coffin.
+BabaYaga Come on. Nobody attacked McKee here. He's a fine teacher and a wise man. He seems to be far from obtuse and from the books, the interviews and the RUclips clips one can deduce that he has enough humour to laugh at a grammatical mistake in a lesson about faulty dialog. Please, leave idiots alone and don't join them.
In violation of his own lesson, he got a bit repetitive - essentially it was the same beat again and again and again "repetition is bad." This video would have been 3 minutes long if he followed his own rule. Maybe it was just his jacket and all the browns in the shot under tungsten lighting ...
***** no, McKee was just being banal in the first 3 minutes, with some repetition, then he really took off. And repeated himself again and again and again, over and over. Again. I'm okay with down votes from those idolizing RM. Even if they didn't watch the whole 9'14. The deeper issue you and others are missing is that his lesson is just wrong. His understanding of beats is flawed, and the banality of his observations on "repetition in dialogue" is like a lenght of 2"x4" whacking the viewer over the head. Over and over again and again. The worse thing a beginning writer could do is take this lesson to heart.
+Boyd McCollum "I'm okay with down votes from those idolizing RM." Ah, so you're mad McKee is respected and you are trolling his video like a theist on a Richard Dawkins video. Your whiney comment makes sense now.
I have no idea how long he blathered on and on about not repeating oneself, while he said the same thing over and over in slightly different words, because I gave up before he was done. This is an "expert"?
Repetition and reiteration have a place, perhaps, in human discourse. What McKee is pointing out is that it does not work at all in movie dialogue. Every bad script or B movie I see commits these errors, saying the same things again and again because they failed to find the essence of what they want to sa and thus to say it only once.
Nine minutes of him saying "don't repeat yourself" in many different ways.
Jeff Bedrick that’s a bit simplistic. Maybe you need to watch it again.
HAHAHAHA. Comon man, he also gave suggestions. 😂
oh the irony
Haha, that’s funny. However, he’s not writing a movie, he’s teaching a lesson and in lessons information does need to be repeated many times in many ways.but it tells you something about bad films - they’re lessons which is why they’re a chore to watch!
he has to repeat it so people like you understand. Read the comments in here, he said for 10 minutes dont use repetition, and the comments are like "ohhhhh well,...you can use it sometimes" (facepalm)
David Mamet + Robert McKee = Head explodes.
The best way to write realistic dialogue is to say it out loud. You’ll know right away if it’s natural or clunky.
This guy pretty much sums up why the show Heroes was canceled.
Zsanine Turner
The first season was the only good thing about it.
Yeah I feel old.
Thank you so much. You are extremely helpful, to the point. You don't offer formulaic alternatives as do most "writers" on RUclips. You understand the importance of style and the power of language. Thank you.
Robert McKee is a fantastic teacher. I remember seeing him live in 2009 for his seminar. It's intense but was such a powerful experience. Taught me so much.
I'm looking forward to seeing the other parts. I can listen to this guy the whole day.
ikr! I feel the same. If he could be my every day teacher tho smh, I would feel like a fucking genius
+Giorgi Gudiashvili I'm sorry to disappoint you, but this video was uploaded three years ago and there don't seem to be any sequels. not on this channel anyway.
"Lei de Diminuição das Repetições" ou retornos... Rica maneira de simplificar o conteúdo. Excelente a didática de McKee.
Thanks. Great advice and for the most part I don't realize dialogue repetition until I gp back and proofread a scene or on re-write, but even then its hard when I don't proof read my whole script in one sitting.
Dear Mr. McKee,
Thank you for this analysis.
X
I was so surprised when I saw that he helped to craft the stories of older Barbie movies. 😮
Was that Barbarella or Barbed Wired?
He just summarized almost 80% of Final Fantasy XIII's dialogue.
Outstanding presentation.
Good writing is harder than chess with an ex lover grandmaster.
This was great. Fantastic. Brilliant. Very useful. Extremely helpful. ...I'll get my coat.
Great advice. Thanks!
Here's a good point about certain repetitions in specific dialogue situations. As an author you have to connect to your reader on an intimate level, if you will. You have to remember that you're not only exposing your written endeavor to other writers/critics, but to actual human beings on their natural course in life, where repetition in speech is quite frequent. I feel that some repetitions are necessary for said connection, a certain level of triviality to encompass the humane factor of your written characters.
Cheers, much respect for these lessons, I'll be sure to take note of all of them in due time.
youre not listening, you havent learned anything. You feel some repetitions are necessary. The whole 10 minute lesson says DONT USE REPETITION
I've never been more nervous making a comment...I've already 'said' too much!
You are starting to get it.
"What do you mean I'm funny? Funny how? No, how am I funny? No Anthony, he's a big boy, he said it, let him answer, how am I funny? Maybe it's me, but funny how? How am I funny? You said it? How the F am I funny?"
Liz Taylor and Richard Burton repeat almost every line in the opening of Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf, at least twice, sometimes three times or more. The first line ("What a dump!") Taylor says at least 4 times in 2 minutes, but makes a little guessing game out of it. Such a powerful way to expose her character, highlight their relationship, and drive home the dig (spoiled little rich Dean's daughter, slumming with a lowly history teacher, complaining about her "dump" of a house, living with her "dump" of a husband). You'd be hard pressed to find a finer first 10 minutes of film. Try. You'd be hard pressed. Those first 10 minutes. Find a finer first 10 minutes. Try.
I read this book called, "Bunny Suicide." It's about cute little bunnies that tries to kill themselves in various means. I bought the book as a fun, coffee table book a long time ago. I thought it was stupid, and funny at the same time.
But, after writing seriously for some time, I look back on that book, and understand the beauty of this book. Not only does it not give you the back stories behind each one of these cute suicidal rabbits, but they are eager and innovative in how they die, according to what's available to them.
There are no dialogues. I think it's best that, if your character's don't have anything important to say, they shouldn't say anything.
"Search for the perfect choice." So true for so much of the creative process. I'm a writer and also an illustrator, and the same goes for illustration. No matter your skill and talent, and even the clarity of the vision inside your head, you are still searching for the lines and shapes that best capture and refine that vision. It's rarely a "nailed it" process. Rather, it's always a seeking process. Patience, resilience and trust in your own ability that eventually you will find the best choice, is what I found served me best as I developed as a writer and illustrator.
No. That's a fallacy. There's no "perfect choice", specially not when "constrained by time".. and by that I mean a real limit and the point in which you decide to move forward to another project. Creativity cannot be forced, and a better choice might appear suddenly in your head years later when nothing can be changed. It's a matter of fate most of the time.. and the best that is within reach.
@@Big_Dai That is true. The "best choice" is indeed limited by time and ability.
Wait.. what happened to the other 9?... Can't find the other matching lessons?
Good advice. I like it.
How did so many people in the comments miss the point of what you were trying to say? We really are living in the times of the infographic and countdown generation. I guess you should get a Buzzfeed like editor for your videos so people understand them. Again, thank you. I love your no-nonsense approach to writing. It is a battle. Not some formulaic bullshit where a thesaurus substitutes actual thinking process.
An Morein agreed. Top comment totally misses the point. forgive the repetition...
is it weird that i love exposition in film? i like the feeling of Im there in the experience in this crazy world like most of the long drawn out scenes in space odyssey. I like it when mood and archetypal imagery symbolism somewhat over shadow the characters.
Exposition is information needed for the audience to understand the story, so when there's too much it takes you out as it no longer becomes about developing the plot organically becuase the film is essentially talking to you
Most films have to have some level of exposition. How the information is presented determines how it fits in the film.
I suppose it is safe to assume Mckee doesn't care for Hemingway...
Sound Foundation Entertainment Kevin Hemingway?
Colonel Neville - Ernest Hemingway
Man he's so cool, just bought his book too. What a bamf.
This is gold for creative people. Subscribe !
Oh, I don't know.. John Irving uses repetition as a personal style, and it really works. I guess not everyone has his talent and therefore are unable to carry it off in the addictive fashion which he is able to. :) Overall, though, Mr. McKee makes some interesting points.
I don't think he's suggesting that there can never be repetition. Sometimes it can be used to good effect, but it's rare to find. In the example he gave the problem is not that one character is trying to convince another to listen to them and asks three times. It's that it doesn't move along because the writer has not found the right words.
Thanks, Michael.. interesting points. I wanted to say that I browsed your site and enjoyed many components.. might have to buy one of those books!
You can repeat objects, lines of dialogue (set-up and pay-off like "I see you" in Avatar"). And so on. The "Southpark" running gags are famous.
The problem is when you repeat again and again, back and forth, the same emotion or the same line of dialogue or the same tactic.
If a charater don't achieve what he want saying "Come to me to California" as in Good Will Hunting, she/he will try another thing. She/he can inquire "Why you don't want to go with me?".
After receive a new "no", she will try something else, and so on. She can cry (in a domestic drama)? Or get a gun in a thriller.
Paul Thomas Anderson repeat the same line of dialogue sometimes. "Fuck you", "Fuck you", "Fuck you"! But if you take a closer look, there is a tiny of difference between each "fuck you". There is a escalation of conflict.
He's referring to repetition as a means to convey power in language. It doesn't work. He's absolutely right in that repeating the same thing over and over in order to give it more impact will not work.
So does Mamet. But these guys do it intentionally, where the repetition is the point. You know, like in Glengary Glen Ross, over and over "Are we talking about this?" "Yeah, we are talking about it." "I mean are we discussing it?" "I don't know if we are discussing it. We're just talking. Sure." "Talking about this?" "Yeah, okay, we are discussing it...." Brilliant dialogue but only to show the frustration, where the repetition is the frustration, the repetition is in the characters trying to clarify. Stuff like this has to be done intentionally and by someone as brilliant and skillful as Mamet. If it is done accidently by a new screenwriter, that script will read like sludge.
"Who are those guys?"
"Who are those guys?"
"Who are those guys?"
~William Goldman, in the highest-priced screenplay in history.
I like this guy. Where do I find the rest of the parts?
Tom Park Well, all his parts are in the usual places I believe.
+Colonel Neville Point for you buddy :D But seriously, where to find the rest of the parts OF this series? :)
I'm not sure if I counted 10 traits.. (unless he repeated some of them)
i got your books. story and dialogue 👌🏼💪👍
On the topic of repeating dialogue, I feel that you can repeat a line just as long the context has changed for the dialogue.
Where is part 2?
@4:15 -- a typical evening with my teenagers.
@4:35 -- same
@4:55 -- yes, exactly
"If you can't find that stuff in life then you my friend don't know CRAP about life!" Charlie Kaufman
"hodor"
How's that for repetitive dialogue.
He's obviously not going to go into exceptions. He's passing out the general rules. If you're good enough, you know how, when and if you must break them.
Hodor, saying, "Hodor," is a trope. Not dialogue.
He was kinda repeating himself... but I got the message. I've been guilty of this in my writing, harping on a theme and milking it for a page when one exchange would suffice.
and what about "life is like a box of chocolates" ? sometimes repetition can add depth to the theme by showing the meaning of the phrase trough diferent perspectives
joaquinlucom123 but then it isn’t just repeating the same action. It becomes relevant in a different context.
But that's important to the story. He's talking about useless shit dialogue being repeated
an awful lot of films are damaged by unrealistic dialogue....bad dialogue smashes the trance and reminds you its a movie
Zayd Depaor And terrible music. So many films ruined by skimpy music budget recently.
savedfaves
Yes and terrible plot....just saw a movie perfect example of awful plot...Red Light 2012....had some atmosphere, started well....then destroyed itself, like it was written by a 12yr old....incoherent, inconsistent and stupid... filmmakers need to learn that supposed 'twists' are not necessary....if every twist was clever then the shortest route between two points would be a zigzag, but it isn't!
What about Wes Anderson? The man makes it his mission to make you constantly aware you’re watching a film, but most of his films are great or at least entertaining for what it is.
Realistic dialogue is boring. We can get that at a thursday night bridge game. If I am going to pay $15 for a 2 hour movie, I want more than Aunt Betty's banana bread recipe.
Example of repetitiveness: "Are you lost, baby girl?"
I wish the Game of Thrones people watched this before doing all those Theon torture scenes.
Somewhat disagree. Repetition can sometimes be used in a good way. Off the top of my head just take the monologue in Taxi Driver.
Repetition is used to great effect in many dialogues as it is a way to show bickering, to stress point or show that a character is maniacal about something.
And having a character repeat the same line multiple times in a movie also be an interesting callback.
He's referring to the beat not actual words repeated in a character's speech, though sometimes words can in fact repeat beats.
It's been said before, know the rules before you break them. Although I don't think that Scorsese was even breaking the rules there like McKee mentions here, he was going inside the mind of a psychopath. "Listen here you fuckers, you screwheads, here is a man who would - listen here you fuckers, you screwheads, here is a man who would not take it anymore, here is a man who would not --" Bickle was a very troubled man with no purpose, angry at everyone and no one for his shortcomings in life. That little bit only reveals this element to his character as he was writing on his journal, normally changing his purpose as he is writing in his journal. It's symbolic of his own insanity, wandering left and right, so much we don't know what he will do until he saves the girl. It points to all indications that we literally do not know what exactly is boiling up in Bickle's mind.
migol1984 Bickle might be insane, but I would say the mirror monologue is very similar to what how most regular talk when practicing a speech or something in the mirror :)
Using a monologue isn't a great example to prove my point though. Another one would be the "it's not your fault" from Good Will Hunting. In fact I would say repetition quite often creates very memorable scenes.
+BenRangel he is saying what he is writing in his journal.
+BenRangel we never actually see him speak those words, let alone in front of a mirror. watch it again. everything is voice over. we are in bickle's mind.
i dont wanna talk about it ... the room
Where is part 2? Or 3?
Starts at 2:40.
Writing is like making a pot out of clay. You need a glob of clay in order to begin the process. The words are your clay and McKee's book then tells you how to shape and mold...
shame the website is all pay walls and the samples cut off at the good parts.
RUclips is free and full of advice....i'm not paying you.
Character B:
Just let me... B
I think I have story talent pouring out my ears, but my literary talent needs a lot of development. Anything that helps me work on this is immensely valuable.
Goo Goo Goo Joob.
DnD should watch this video
Two words to reinforce why bad dialogue is such a killer: STAR. WARS.
cannae216 elaborate please
the content is great though lol
Bay-nal.
I know in teaching repetition is necessary to really drive home a point and commit it to the learners' memory, but I still laugh at the irony here.
Starting 7:55, He seems like he's not doing well. :(
+Kay Tee lol
His book "Story' is worth reading. This sounds like a lot of blather about the obvious
lol.
"lock Her Up"
"stop the steal"
"build the wall"
Those were repeated ad nauseum. Seemed to actually INCREASE the impact.
Yikes.
Sorry, my lump of words took 30 seconds of my time… I’m writing a comedy and couldn’t resist…
cant this be summarized as just - dont add anything superficial. write it in a way people communicate in real life ?
Actually, he mentioned writing dialogue as an amplified version of real life communication, where he talks about literacy talent, using the right words, phrases. In screenwriting, writing in a way that people communicate in real life works, one could get away with it but the most memorable moments, words or dialogues are the ones that are quite unusual but yet meaningful in relation to the scene. Hope this helps.
thank you
Hi Martin! You ask a good question. This is only my amateur view. Dialogue in novels or screenplay is not "normal" conversation is what I gather. Dialogue in a story is difficult to write because it is not "normal" conversation yet you must do your best to make it sound normal. The dialogue is a means of conveying information where what is being said carries meaning to the story. For that reason it is not normal conversation. That is why Robert tells one to record oneself like for example at their job with coworkers. Play it back later and it doesn't really have a lot of meaning. Dialogue in story serves two purposes, one for sounding natural and two for conveying some kind of meaning or information relative to the story you are writing. That's just my take on it all. To anyone, let me know if I'm wrong. I hope I helped.
In other words if your dialogue sucks 🤣
British TV in a nutshell - Female driven police dramas that repeat the same beats over and over and over. We look to America for original TV.
he spent half the video talking about writers repeating themselves... stop halfway if you want to save yourself 300 seconds of your life.
Funny how he keeps repeating himself lol
who did the editing on this vid, its awful
Talking about faulty dialogue : "the complete lesson can be "found" at blablabla."
Mehdi Husain Imagine he has to make a living. Crazy times. The RUclips generation of "I want everything for free and I want it now". I mean, how dare he charge for teaching people how to write. The screenwriter of Captain Philips said he learned a huge amount from taking McKee's class. I think he deserves some props.
+savedfaves Normally I leave idiots alone, but I feel (as a man who attended Mckee seminar) that he deserves some respect. 60 people who have attended his seminar have won oscars (Including Ed Saxon who worked on Silenced of the lambs, 200 have won Emmy, 50 have won DGA and 100 WGA. Sorry I reply to your comment. Just want to help you nail this 2 year old comment in its coffin.
+BabaYaga Come on. Nobody attacked McKee here. He's a fine teacher and a wise man. He seems to be far from obtuse and from the books, the interviews and the RUclips clips one can deduce that he has enough humour to laugh at a grammatical mistake in a lesson about faulty dialog. Please, leave idiots alone and don't join them.
+Mehdi Husain oooh. so, so sorry. Thought you were insulting mckee, My bad
:) Is this real ? Were we this close to troll each other and we stopped ? (thanks to you) In my arms !
In violation of his own lesson, he got a bit repetitive - essentially it was the same beat again and again and again "repetition is bad." This video would have been 3 minutes long if he followed his own rule. Maybe it was just his jacket and all the browns in the shot under tungsten lighting ...
Fuck off and shut up you mc chicken shitting broke ass third grade drop out
***** Hey, if I haven't said the exact same things once, I've said it a thousand times...
+Boyd McCollum I'm 3 minutes in and he hasn't repeated anything and you'd have way for downvotes than upvotes if youtube wasn't so pc
***** no, McKee was just being banal in the first 3 minutes, with some repetition, then he really took off. And repeated himself again and again and again, over and over. Again.
I'm okay with down votes from those idolizing RM. Even if they didn't watch the whole 9'14.
The deeper issue you and others are missing is that his lesson is just wrong. His understanding of beats is flawed, and the banality of his observations on "repetition in dialogue" is like a lenght of 2"x4" whacking the viewer over the head.
Over and over again and again.
The worse thing a beginning writer could do is take this lesson to heart.
+Boyd McCollum "I'm okay with down votes from those idolizing RM." Ah, so you're mad McKee is respected and you are trolling his video like a theist on a Richard Dawkins video. Your whiney comment makes sense now.
Just kidding…
The irony is how much repetituosness is here.
Intentional?
I have no idea how long he blathered on and on about not repeating oneself, while he said the same thing over and over in slightly different words, because I gave up before he was done. This is an "expert"?
Karla York -- This comment is from an iconic disrespectful moron who'll never make it as a screenwriter.
I actually thought he gave very helpful examples of types of repetition. The difference between repetition and actual content in dialogue.
There is a difference between actual movie dialogue and lecturing about proper use of dialogue.
Pedagogical language is based on repetition...
Repetition and reiteration have a place, perhaps, in human discourse. What McKee is pointing out is that it does not work at all in movie dialogue. Every bad script or B movie I see commits these errors, saying the same things again and again because they failed to find the essence of what they want to sa and thus to say it only once.
He didnt say anything useful😢