Transform your dialogue from mere conversation into powerful dramatic action
Date: Saturday, 26 April
Time: 09:00
Room: Tuke Hall
Filmed: YES
What makes dialogue leap off the page and into life? Join BAFTA-winning writer Thomas McMullan as he reveals how understanding an actor’s approach to dialogue can revolutionize your writing. Drawing from his diverse experience crafting compelling conversations across novels, games, and interactive media, Thomas will show you how to create dialogue that doesn’t just tell your story – it drives it.
In this energetic and practical session, you’ll discover how ‘actioning’ – a technique used by actors to infuse lines with intention and energy – can become a powerful tool in your writing arsenal. Whether you’re writing for the screen, stage, or interactive media, you’ll learn how to choreograph conversations that crackle with tension and purpose.
You’ll learn:
- How to write dialogue that actors will love to perform
- Techniques for embedding action and intention within every line
- Methods for crafting dynamic conversational flow and rhythm
- Ways to make subtext work harder in your scenes
- Strategies for avoiding static “talking heads” conversations
- Tools for creating distinct character voices that serve your story
Drawing from his experience as the lead writer of BAFTA-winning “Rollerdrome” and author of “The Last Good Man,” Thomas will demonstrate how these principles work across different media, helping you craft dialogue that engages audiences regardless of the format.
Implementing thes practical tools that break beyond theory to make your dialogue more dynamic, purposeful, and dramatically compelling will immediately amp up your writing to undeniable and irresistible.
Speakers In This Session
Thomas McMullan // Writer and Trainer
Thomas crafts narratives across multiple mediums, from award-winning novels to BAFTA-winning video games, while pushing creative boundaries in each form.
