WIM+AI – WIM Module 8 – Lesson 3: Anticipatory Dialogue

[Margaret]

Margaret loves Anticipatory Dialogue

My Vision: To write profound faith-based screenplays that are produced.

What I learned: Importance of anticipatory dialogue to move the story forward.

Anticipatory Dialogue added:
NURSE
Whoa, there! Let’s get you a wheelchair and take you on back before you fall and break something.

JACOB
I need to go to class today, I can’t afford to miss any more if I’m going to graduate. Do you think you could take me?

DAWN
(into phone)
Are you serious? Jacob? Jacob Munoz?
(a beat)
Dying?

EMILY
You won’t graduate.

[Monica Arisman]

Subject: Monica loves Anticipatory Dialogue

VISION: I am a very successful screenwriter who has made multiple movies.

What I learned from doing this assignment is the different ways to write anticipatory dialogue to move the story in the direction you want the audience’s attention to focus on.

• 1. Direct prediction – Scene 7 – When God tells Emily she will change her life.

• 2. Indirect prediction – Scene 1 – Emily predicts that she can’t rewrite this current chapter of her life even though she’s written hundreds of stories.

• 3. Countdown – Scene 13 – Paul wants to thank the staff for all their hard work with an afternoon “tea”.

• 4. Imply consequences – Scene 7 – As God and Emily tour the library – God says the computer patch is being worked on (implying humanity has a limited time left until…).

• 5. Imply hopelessness – Scene 2 – Emily says she’s out of places to hide.

• 6. Shield from consequences in advance – Scene 10 – Dickens tells Emily if you release an author from a book but then close the book, the author has to return to the book. Need to leave as many books open as possible.

• 7. Warnings – Scene 21 – Dickens warns Emily it’s not safe as long as Donahue is around because he’s unpredictable and who knows what he’d do to Emily.

• 8. Create reputation for the villain – Scene 10 – When Emily encounters Donahue she asks him what kind of library guardian is he to treat books with such disrespect.

• 9. Confront someone hiding from a future consequence – Scene 30 – God confronts Donahue reminding him that God sees all, hears all, and knows all.

• 10. A challenge issued – Scene 22 – The author’s explain the intricacies of the After-Life to Emily and the challenge is to send Donahue packing and release the real guardian of the library.

• 11. Silence at a strange time – Scene to be added when Emily overhears Paul planning something that has to do with her and she confronts him.

• This reply was modified 6 months, 2 weeks ago by  Monica Arisman. Reason: Formatting

[Edward Lusk]

ED Loves Anticapatory Dialogue

MY VISION is to be a bankable, reputable, and industry go-to writer who’s demonstrated how to entertain and hold an audience’s attention through unforgettable characters and stories that are as enjoyable to write as they are to watch.

What I learned doing this assignment is how to discover opportunities there were in my dialogue for using anticipatory dialogue techniques. Sometimes just changing a statement to a question or vice versa was enough to create different implications and consequences. I did have some techniques, such as warnings, countdowns, and direct and indirect predictions. I need to study more about a shield from consequences in advance, as that's a little more complicated.

[Michael Collado]

Mike’s Anticipatory Dialogue

My Vision is to write an original screenplay, make a couple of calls to pitch it, to start a bidding war.

This lesson taught me how to take a scene and add anticipatory dialogue to point to the future. Many of my scenes end with this type of dialogue or description.
Look at the questions left after the end of this scene.

MR. BLACK
Who's brain are we looking at?

CHARLIE
Willie's. (Who is Willie? Willie turns out to be a Chimpanzee!)

MR. BLACK
Very good. How are we going to introduce them to the host?

CHARLIE
You are going to love this.

Charlie ushers him over to another part of the lab. (This is the end of the scene, so what is the delivery system, and why will he love it?)
(Later, we find out that a vitamin is the delivery system, and Mr. Black owns a vitamin company.)

• This reply was modified 6 months, 2 weeks ago by  Michael Collado.
• This reply was modified 6 months, 2 weeks ago by  Michael Collado.