Screenwriting : Need definition of "sub-texting". by Georgette Skolnick

The opposite to on the nose dialog. When a character is frustrated and says "Thanks a lot!" Here the subtext is the frustration shining through.

Subtext in dialogue is when a character expresses an unspoken thought in a subtle-and sometimes not too subtle-way. I wrote this character Alex who is anything but subtle: “Wow, another promotion? Must be nice to have everything just fall into place for you.”

Another example I can think of is from The Dark Knight where the Joker tells Batman “You complete me.” It’s kind of a twisted compliment, but it tells you a lot about Joker’s fixation on Batman and how he’s so dependent on their relationship.

Hope this helps?

Subtext for me is basically keeping in mind that "still waters run deep." What drives your character underneath what we see and hear from them? What are their depths that drive their words and actions?

Like in Harry Potter, for example, (spoiler warning if you're not caught up with it) Professor Snape's animosity for Harry initially just seems like he's resentful of Harry's fame as The Boy Who Lived and that he's not a particularly good student but overtime you find that it's mostly because he reminds him of his mother Lily who was Snape's childhood friend and unrequited first love, and is her son with his biggest bully, James Potter. So that drives him to have a kind of love-hate relationship with Harry, giving his actions especially in retrospect a TON of subtext because you can see why his emotions are so messy, and why he's not a particularly nice person but that also doesn't necessarily make him a bad person. They give him great depth which in turn makes him a great character. He's more than just the unpleasant teacher now, he's a broken man wrestling with emotions he never healed from.

Obviously you don't have to go quite that deep but just remember that characters, like humans, have layers and don't often just say what they feel in plain words because there's a lot more going on underneath.

The greatest use of subtext in the history of film is Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity with Fred McMurray and Barbara Stanwick. Check out the staircase scene when they meet and you immediatly get it. "If the scene is about the scene you're in trouble."

Subtext is often used when the character has a reason not to reveal his/her true emotions (as when flirting & testing the waters, or facing a boss or authority figure, etc.), or when with close friends that speak a shared short hand.

Ooo, great question! Generally, to add subtext, one needs to look at what is actually, on-the-nose going on with the characters, and then have them do or talk about absolutely anything else. consider it a visual metaphor. It’s possible that the note behind this note is simply - the information is each scene is being delivered instead of explored. What if someone was keepinn a secret? Or someone else didn’t know what we, the audience, knows? How would that change the context of the scene? also consider changing the location - having an existential crisis in a church makes sense, but what about it at a bar or a tattoo parlor? Then you can make the objective of that scene about what is in front of them while the real meaning of the scene is something much deeper.

No idea, as I've never hear anyone use the term "sub-texting".

Subtext itself, as a topic, is contextual. Most people apply the meaning to dialogue but it can also be a term used to reference thematic messages.

This is why I'm reluctant to give a conclusive reply. It could be that the note-giver means the character needs more subtext within their dialogue or that the character needs more subtext to any sort of arc/perspective/background.

Many times, advice givers make up things because they have nothing to add.

I'm still confused. I'm more of a visual person. I guess I need an example of a simple dialogue and the way it should be re-written with subtexting.

It means your characters need deep psychological desires. When they are in a scene, they are not just going to blurt out what they want. They are suggested by how their expressed demeanor and mentality.

The audience comes to understand more about what they really want rather than what they are saying out loud. They come to understand what they character cannot come to say themselves, or what the character does not understand about themselves.

Sub-text: Hints or messages that are unsaid. Mr and Mrs Smith - Angelina Jolie sits in a restaurant, distraught that she thinks she killed her husband until she hears his voice, as he pours her a glass of wine. They sit down and talk about ending each other, but underneath you can tell that neither one really wants to end things.

Here's an example, Georgette Skolnick. The iconic line from The Godfather.

With subtext: "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse."

Without subtext: "I'm going to make him an offer and if he doesn't accept it, I'll have him killed."

Subtext: What’s the meaning behind the words?

Ex: You loo fat!

Subtext ex: Hey. Have you been doing okay?

A lot of screenwriters jerk off over Chinatown, and the ending is a brilliant bit of subtext at the end that sums up the entire story and theme in one.

"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown."

The comment underlines that private investigator J.J. "Jake" Gittes has been wasting his time desperately trying to bring justice to an inherently unjust world. His efforts are pointless and will never change anything. That's his major flaw, and until he realises it, he's going to be continually hurt.

Some solid examples here, Georgette Skolnick Though particularly like CJ's Chinatown reference. I'd love to think in the vomit draft of Towne's script, he wrote that line as:

"Forget it, Jake. You're wasting your time

bringing justice to this inherently unjust

world. Your efforts are pointless and

you'll never change anything."

You're actually not far off, Phil. The script is more on the nose.

"Jake -- it's Chinatown. They're all over-the place. You oughta know better."

Georgette Skolnick Check out the script for "12 Angry Men" as it's mostly dialog and each character has a unique voice. For example, Juror 7 is on jury duty when he'd rather go to a baseball game. And his dialog contains sports lingo. It's not even that subtle or sneaky, it shows his mindset and you really get the notion that he's unhappy about missing the game.

Thank you everyone. I think subtexting requires a type of higher intelligence I just don't have. I'm wondering if there's a specialist that I can hire to rewrite my diaglogue with subtexting. Maybe AI?

You're welcome, Georgette Skolnick. You could hire a writer to help you with subtext (www.stage32.com/find-jobs).

@Georgette, the correct term is subtext.

Does it suite your writing style to add subtext, Georgette? One of your loglines:

Set in Lake Como, Italy 1927, Inspector Lionetti must decipher who killed a wealthy American tycoon. Everyone hated the man, and everyone had a motive. So, who killed him?

Wal Friman: Several judges said my dialogue is "on the nose", so yes, I need to subtext.

Martha Capraotta. I stand corrected, thank you. Is the verb "subtexting" correct?

My dear Georgette! Subtext is easy once you understand its use. It visually tells the hidden mood and nuances of a scene. This really helps in writing dialogue as well.

Here’s a simple scene without subtext.

The Boss greets John in his office. John quickly crumples up a piece of paper, tosses it in the trash can.

BOSS - Good Morning, John

JOHN - Good morning, Boss

BOSS - Let’s make sure we hit those deadlines by this evening! How's the family doing these days?

JOHN - For sure, I’ll get right on it! They’re great! Thanks for asking

The Boss leaves John’s office. John retrieves the crumpled paper, continues reading it...SIMPLE RIGHT. The dialogue is really on the nose.

Now let’s add subtext to this scene:

The Boss storms in, face pinched, eyes glaring. Snorts from his nose like a bull. He greets John with a sense of dire urgency. John quickly crumples up a piece of paper, tosses it in the trash can.

BOSS - Good Morning, John!

John’s hands grip the seat of his chair with intense pressure.

John smiles back.

JOHN - Good morning, Boss!

The Boss smirks, smiles back. His tone, condescending.

BOSS - Let’s make sure we hit those deadlines by this evening! How's the family doing these days?

John’s fingers scraped deep into the chair, bleeding. Heart racing.

JOHN - For sure, I’ll get right on it! They're great! Thanks for asking.

As the Boss leaves John’s office, he makes a death strangle gesture towards him. John retrieves the crumpled paper, continues reading it.

CRUMPLED PAPER: How to kill your boss in 10 secret ways...

See how the subtext took my dialogue from being on the nose. It conveys anger, resentment, and hatred between them, even though the dialogue doesn't say it.

With a little practice and understanding, you'll be writing great, award-winning stories in no time for sure!! Cheers!!

DD Myles: So, to clarify, it's not changing what is said, but rather the description of the scene--adding the emotions of the character and how they react. Right?

Right!! By George, I think you've got it!!

It's what is said that brings other insights in it which underlines the emotion.

DD Myles: Are you available to add subtext for my script? If so, please privately message me. Thanks

And vice-versa - If it's a love, drama, or action scene and the subtext describes it for us. The dialogue doesn't have to convey it! Like so,

"John sneaks into his Boss's office while his boss is on the phone. His face exudes a happy smile.

JOHN - Hi Boss.

The Boss startled, but annoyed

BOSS - John, what is it, I'm on the phone. Can't you see that?

John, holds a sharp knife behind his back, hidden from view. His body coiled ready to strike.

JOHN - Remember when you asked me how my family was doing?

BOSS - Okay.

John reveals his sharp knife.

JOHN - I lied.

Notice John never said he was going to kill his Boss, but the subtext visually showed us.

For sure! We'll connect.

Hi Georgette Skolnick - think of subtext as "I hear what you're saying, but what are you really saying?" As a few of our colleagues mentioned above, it is indeed contextual because all dialogue is driven by the scene's objective. Example:

CONTEXT: Bill is a middle school student who's been grounded. He's on the front porch with his mom when he suddenly sees and hears a group of his friends laughing and playing music on the soccer field across the street.

ON THE NOSE: BILL: Mom? I want to go play with my friends.

NOT ON THE NOSE: BILL: ...that sounds like fun...

His mom ignores him.

ON THE NOSE: BILL: You are ignoring me on purpose because you want me to understand that what I did was wrong and that there are consequence for actions [I'm obviously going to extremes here just to exemplify extreme on the nose]

NOT ON THE NOSE: BILL: I helped dad in the garage this morning, you know...

NOT ON THE NOSE - MOM: That's not gonna work!

NOT ON THE NOSE - BILL: Mom! I want to go play with my friends!

You'll notice two things -

1) as we said, in every scene the character has an objective (the WHAT) - the 'subtext' deals more with HOW the character goes about achieving the objective

2) Bill used the same words /dialogue at the beginning AS he did at the very end. At the beginning, they would have seemed a bit 'on-the-nose because he basically just blurted out his objective. We do not usually do that, and it certainly makes for a less interesting character if we do. At the end, however, he DID blurt out his objective because he ran out of HOWs - he ran out of actions that would fit his character (oblique, maybe shy, maybe usually sneaky) so he HAD to 'be on the nose. Therefore, you'll notice that when dialogue gets to 'I hear what you're saying BECAUSE that's EXACTLY what you're saying' then we are probably at the climax of a scene or of the movie.

Hope this helps :)

Let me highjack your story DD, for my Weird Al Yankovic version:

"THREE'S A CHARM"

INT. ADVERTISEMENT BUREAU - THE BOSS'S OFFICE - DAY

A KNOCK on the DOOR.

BOSS

Come in.

JOHN enters, head down.

BOSS

Sit!

John obeys like a dog.

BOSS

(face pinched, eyes glaring)

Bad, bad, morning, John.

Boss Snorts from his nose like a bull...

... Untill he sees John's clothes.

BOSS

(laughing)

All in white today. You confuced the date; it's April 1st tomorrow.

John hands grip the seat of his chair with intense pressure. Forces a smile.

JOHN

Gugu-good morning, Boss.

BOSS

Gugugu!

He smirks, His tone, condescending now..

BOSS

HAVEN'T SEEN YOU FOR DAYS!! Let’s make sure we hit those deadlines by this evening! How's the family doing?

John's fingers scraped deep into the chair, bleeding...humiliated --- AGAIN -- until something 'CLICKS' inside his head...

DAVE locks eyes...

DAVE

What deadlines? I came here to visit my twin brother, John, who threatened to jump out of this office building. Told me he couldn't stand his boss's bullying anymore.

(contemplating)

It's a family thing, you know. My mother died of lung cancer last week, and... and... my father... my father.. out of grief... took his own life yesterday. So, that's why-

Outside the office EMPLOYES CRY OUT!

DAVE

THERE you have it!

BOSS

(re: asking)

John just killed himself?

DAVE

No, no -- that's GILL...my other twin brother; he switched places with John the last few days, because John felt he had to be taken into care. (contemplates) Gill did a good job. He's his own man. Said you liked his work.

Boss lost the plot.

DAVE

I know, it CAN get's a bid confusing. (contemplates) "John, Dave, and Gill, went up the hill..."

Grabs a huge knife from under his restraint jacket --.

DAVE

To be clear, as long as "pussy"John doesn't fuck things up, I'm doing pretty damn well!

DD Myers & Sebastian Tudores; I've added subtext to the first 10 pages. The only problem I immediately see is--- you cannot SEE butterflies in the stomach or heart racing, and adding subtext stretches out what you want the character to say. I think this is more for a novel. When I add subtext, it adds pages. My script is now 118 pages. I now need to cut a scene or two.

Maybe I didn't do it correctly.

Text is what's being said.

Subtext is what's being thought, meant, or implied.

Think of it in a similar vein as sarcasm.

Tony Ray: I think that's why it's hard for me. I'm not a sarcastic person maybe because I taught middle school children for 40 years.

Hi @Georgette Skolnick, you can be succinct with subtext. Basically, writing subtext is the equivalent of what costume designers do when they buy new fabric then use techniques to make it look aged. As a result the costume looks like it's lived a life before appearing on screen.

Subtext is not meant to describe in the moment emotions like butterflies or a heart racing. It's meant to tell the viewer something about that character that's not directly on screen or maybe didn't even take place in the script. It's used to show what is bubbling beneath the surface of your character historically and motivationally (thus, '"sub" + text) .

EXAMPLE #1

CASHIER rings up the few small items and smiles at KAI.

CASHIER

There you go and may the lord bless you.

KAI

The Lord. Sure. You have a great day too.

Kai exits the store and heads for a massive rocket ship on the far side of the parking lot.

From the last action line it seems like this is a sci-fi script. But based on the subtext in Kai's response to the cashier, what do we know about spaceman Kai? The subtext is in the lines: "The Lord. Sure." It looks as if Kai may not believe in God. The audience easily infers something happened in his background that made him that way. AND it may influence the decisions he makes on the mission on the rocket ship. What happened to Kai related to his relationship with God didn't occur on screen or in the script, but the subtext makes Kai seem as if he's lived a life before the audience met him. Here's the on the nose version:

CASHIER rings up the few small items and smiles at KAI.

CASHIER

There you go and may the lord bless you.

KAI

Thanks. You have a great day too.

Kai exits the store and heads for a massive rocket ship on the far side of the parking lot.

EXAMPLE #2

SLY and FRAN run towards the edge of cliff, with hands tight on their parasails. Sly hollers --

SLY

You ready for this?

FRAN

Hell yeah! Just like Desert Storm. 40,000 feet over Iraq, baby!

The subtext here is found in the Desert Storm comment. Now we know Fran not only spent time in the army, but also saw some serious action. This story is not about her time in the Iraq war, but that subtext will inform what Fran does throughout the script, how she reacts to events and gives her character (and dialogue) much more depth...in just a few words. Here's the on the nose approach:

SLY

You ready for this?

FRAN

Hell yeah!

You don't need to overdue it with subtext. As you revise, think about what is bubbling beneath the surface of your characters as far as their histories off camera/script as well as their motives. Add it where you're looking to add depth to your characters or giving context to their motives.

Dominic White: Would you be interested in subtexting my first 10 pages? Thanks

Don't read my lips, read between my ears!

Yes, I'm happy to. I just sent you a request connect here on Stage32

Dominic White: How do I connect?

I'm with CJ. Subtext, whatever it is or isn't, doesn't make or break a story or character. I hope you find what you're looking for. My share is to stick with the character's goal, make it impossible, and have them overcome it. Genre and plot, character and conflict, obstacles and turning points - until a resolution is reached. It's not what characters say, it's what they do - ACTION. The actions based on your act structure, and TP's, etc., will create the foundation for the dialogue. Whoever read your work and provided that note could have provided an explanation and an example. My other share is to learn to do things for yourself. Watch videos, read books, take classes, get a mentor. All this will help you grow as a writer. Hiring someone to do this for you might not be the best solution. Good luck!

Patricia White: Good advice. Thanks.

Georgette--I agree with Patricia White that you should take a webinar or class on writing subtext and dialogue so you can learn to do this yourself. It's an important screenwriting skill you need to have if you want to succeed. A movie consists of we see and hear on a screen. So dialogue makes up about half of what makes a movie. Realistic dialogue (with subtext) is crucial to a script/movie's success. But in order to write subtext properly, you must know each character's motives, flaws, needs, insecurities, the situation they're in, etc. etc. And no one knows that better than the screenwriter herself. An outside writer can only guess at these. This means you should be writing the subtext yourself. Subtext is a writing skill that must be learned, like all other writing skills You can start by Googling for definitions, examples, and free tips on various platforms. Then take a webinar on writing subtext. Stage 32 has one on demand https://www.stage32.com/education/my-library/8944840933683/learn Good luck.

(Note: If that link doesn't work for you go to the Education tab, clink on Webinars, then in the search bar type in Subtext. The webinar should come up, as well as a 4 part class in writing subtext.

My dear Georgette! If I may ask...upload a scene from your screenplay. And let us as a community join in with you in giving examples of subtext! It will be fun. We are a family here to help each other. Yes, it's a skill you must master, but you already have this skill set. Just needs to be activated. Reading screenplays are the best FREE LESSONS you will ever need (outside of taking a webcast or seminar). "Platoon" and "Apocalypse Now" screenplays have some of the best subtexts to visual scenes of complex emotions, actions, and relationships. Read "romance screenplays, Comedic screenplays, and drama screenplays, because all are loaded with great subtext to scenes to learn from. JMHO!

Just keep studying the craft and practicing, Georgette. You'll get there. No need to resort to employing others or using AI.

Something that you can do here to help is to write in the beats first, rather than try to go all in with dialogue.

- Dave wants the passkey from Mary.

- Mary wants to trust Dave but doesn't know him.

- Dave can tell that Mary is hesitant and knows two previous agents have lied to her to get what they want (Mary is too easily trusting). He explains he knows her past and mentions something they have in common (growing up in a forrest tribe).

- Mary is touched to learn this but still tests Dave on his knowledge to make sure he hasn't made that up.

- Dave passes the test.

- Mary takes a big leap of trust and gives him the pass key.

---

Then add the dialogue after.

---

"I need that code. People will die."

"People have died."

"I know about your past. I know you've been here before. I'm not one of them, Mary. Look, I can't make you trust me but I can tell you this. Back in green maze, we had a saying, if you can't trust your mind-"

"-trust your heart. You were in a tribe?"

"The Crescent Cutting."

"Who told you that saying?"

"Nobody. We learned it from the carvings, on the tallest tree in the forrest. Like all tribe children did."

(long beat) "S-three-two-s-three-two. That'll get you into the control room. You better not be lying to me."

CJ Walley That's a great way to start a session of writing, just write beats slash speak-your--mind prose onto the page before assembling it into a scene. Or as Jordan Peele put it (I'm pretty sure), gather sand then make the sandcastle.

Michael Dzurak it's actually how I write my screenplays from start to finish. I write my big beats first, and then the smaller ones until have the whole story. Makes it very easy to make changes to until I commit to draft. Makes writing that draft a lot easier too as I'm not distracted by story concerns.

I consider it the equivalent of how a painter sketches out the form first, before going in there with the brush

This is where everyone learns screenwriting. Take a look. https://youtu.be/wrR8ggeD4h4?si=5fHXO-6yHNOS4EZq

CJ Walley At doing it thar way, CJ, doesn't it unbalance the story. Would it not jump around and be free flowing? I like to keep it continuous as I write watching my plot points are hit at the right time. It must be raining lots where you are cause all it does is rain here. (Northern Ontario) Best to 'ya.

Claude Gagne it's surprisingly dry here lately, which is good because my roof is leaking LOL!

I don't find that prewriting/scriptments cause the story to jump around. If anything, it helps me build a rigid framework that I write within. I guess it would depend on the writer.