I am writing a character with a different ethnicity that I am unfamiliar with. Can someone point me in the right direction of who to consulte when developing dialogue, accents and behaviors of Hispanic and/or Latino characters?
Screenwriting : Writing for a different ethnicity. by Alex R Price
Writing for a different ethnicity.
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Alex: You might want to start by researching common Hispanic slang and checking out films you admire. Here's Wikipedia list. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicano_films.
I've written about a lot of unfamiliar things and it all comes down to research. Best of luck!
Hi Alex,
Hopefully one of the Stage32 members can help you, but you also might want to send an email to Axel Caballero at the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, who would be able to hook you up with someone who can help you. You also might want to send an email to Brenda Castillo at the National Hispanic Media Coalition, who advised the filmmaker of Coco. Isabel Echeverry at Kontakto Reps would be a great source, too.
Best fortunes in your creative endeavors, Alex, and stay safe!
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I would go hang out with some people.
I thought I knew middle eastern culture as I am god father to two Lebanese girls. But their family is more Australian in their ways. This became super obvious to me when I met my Son’s father in-law. My daughter in-law is half middle eastern.
We are great mates (the two dads) and the understanding of cultural and history I have gained from my friend can only be gained over time.
The only advice is get around the people. It is amazing. You’ll learn just as much about yourself as you will about them.
Hello, Alex. When it comes to writing for a character of a different ethnicity, always remember that people are people. Someone’s race does not make them different from other people; their experiences do. In other words, I feel screenwriters should write the story without thinking about a particular race, but instead think about past experiences, motivations, etc. Later, when the film is cast, the actor can choose the best accent and even change the dialogue to be a bit more slang, if needed. I believe it would be a waste of time to learn all the slang words for a particular ethnic group before completing a first draft. If you really feel you must nail ethnicity through dialogue, you could always tackle that during a rewrite. But for the first draft, just tell the story as clearly and entertainingly as possible. Happy writing!