Aaron Sorkin: Master of Dialogue
Learning from The Social Network and The West Wing to improve your Dialogue
No one does dialogue like Aaron Sorkin--and he does it exceptionally well.
The opening scene of The Social Network (2010) is a great example of this. Every time I watch it, the dialogue alone makes me want to watch the entire movie again.
Michael from Lessons from the Screenplay--which I recommended in an earlier post--does a masterful job of breaking this scene down.
I recommend watching the scene (or the whole movie) and then watching LFTS’ analysis. Michael explores how Sorkin employs overlapping dialogue to keep the conversation dynamic and compelling, uses misunderstanding to sneak in exposition, and finishes the conversation with a climax that hits hard and sets up the main conflict and theme of the film.
Michael also mentions Sorkin’s award-winning show, The West Wing, and displays a quote that embodies my own approach to becoming a better writer (and a better person):
“The President likes smart people who disagree with him.”
If you want to improve, you need to surround yourself with people who can recognize where you’re going wrong and who are willing to explain your mistakes.
I watched The West Wing last year (the first few seasons, anyway), mostly based off the comments made in Michael’s video, but also because writers often recommend it at conferences as an example of exceptional screenwriting. I encourage you to do the same. If you don’t want to commit to a full series, check out the pilot episode. On top of the multi-layered, overlapping dialogue, it does a few things really well.
Full Circle Dialogue
Sorkin has a character start a conversation with a statement which seems totally random. He then has the character walk the listeners through all the steps to reach the significance of the initial statement.
This is a mini mystery. When done right, it is suspenseful and compelling.
This makes the speaker seem like they are in complete control. It also makes them appear intelligent as they’re able to weave a complex and impactful narrative in real time.
The Josiah Bartlet Effect
The Josiah Bartlet effect: The pilot episode introduces a bunch of problems, has the secondary characters struggle to address these problems and eventually approach failure, then has the President (Bartlet) come in and fix everything in one scene. I don’t think I’ve felt this level of re-assurance and comfort from a character except from Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek TNG. Definitely worth learning from and attempting to emulate.
If you’re too busy for even the pilot episode, I’ve included a clip of the scene I am referencing above. The full payoff requires watching the whole episode though—and it’s worth it—so watch it!
