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Look who’s talking

Using transactional analysis in the writing of effective screenplay dialogue
  • Craig Batty and Wilf Hashimi
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Dialogue across Media
This chapter is in the book Dialogue across Media

Abstract

Transactional Analysis (TA) is a theory of personality devised by Eric Berne, a Canadian psychiatrist, in the early 1960s. In particular, he ascribed specific meanings to the words ‘Parent,’ ‘Adult’ and ‘Child,’ and we suggest that these provide readily accessible ways in which screenwriters can understand the power that language possesses, and the ways in which dialogic subtext may be designed for optimum effect. This chapter seeks to connect TA with screenwriting practice to understand and put into use the effective writing of screenplay dialogue. We first provide an overview of the fundamental points of TA theory before examining examples of how dialogue between characters can be used to build the credible characterisation that is the hallmark of all good and engaging screenwriting.

Abstract

Transactional Analysis (TA) is a theory of personality devised by Eric Berne, a Canadian psychiatrist, in the early 1960s. In particular, he ascribed specific meanings to the words ‘Parent,’ ‘Adult’ and ‘Child,’ and we suggest that these provide readily accessible ways in which screenwriters can understand the power that language possesses, and the ways in which dialogic subtext may be designed for optimum effect. This chapter seeks to connect TA with screenwriting practice to understand and put into use the effective writing of screenplay dialogue. We first provide an overview of the fundamental points of TA theory before examining examples of how dialogue between characters can be used to build the credible characterisation that is the hallmark of all good and engaging screenwriting.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Creating characters through dialogue
  6. Pragmatic stylistics and dramatic dialogue 19
  7. Dialogue and character in 21st century TV drama 37
  8. Look who’s talking 55
  9. All talk 77
  10. Part II. Involvement, audience design and social interaction
  11. Studying everyday conversation 95
  12. Dialogic interactions on radio 117
  13. Dialogism in journalistic discourse 137
  14. Friends and followers ‘in the know’ 155
  15. Dialogue with computers 179
  16. Part III. Playfulness and narrative functions of dialogue
  17. Dialogue in Audiophonic Fiction 205
  18. Dialogue in comics 225
  19. Dialogue in video games 251
  20. Dialogue and interaction in role-playing games 271
  21. Index 291
https://doi.org/10.1075/ds.28.04bat

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Creating characters through dialogue
  6. Pragmatic stylistics and dramatic dialogue 19
  7. Dialogue and character in 21st century TV drama 37
  8. Look who’s talking 55
  9. All talk 77
  10. Part II. Involvement, audience design and social interaction
  11. Studying everyday conversation 95
  12. Dialogic interactions on radio 117
  13. Dialogism in journalistic discourse 137
  14. Friends and followers ‘in the know’ 155
  15. Dialogue with computers 179
  16. Part III. Playfulness and narrative functions of dialogue
  17. Dialogue in Audiophonic Fiction 205
  18. Dialogue in comics 225
  19. Dialogue in video games 251
  20. Dialogue and interaction in role-playing games 271
  21. Index 291
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