Your task as a screenwriter is to create a blueprint for a film that is visceral, cinematic, and experiential. That’s what we crave in our stories. It’s what forces us off the couch and into theatres. Or keeps us up late at night, binging episode after episode of a fantastic series. We are hungry for the visceral experience of storytelling – to experience the emotion.

 

Subtext is the unspoken language of emotion. It is the externalization of characters’ inner thoughts, conflicts and feelings. Text can be powerful – dialogue and description count – but subtext takes your writing to the next level. It is the most impactful way to communicate and connect with your reader.

 

Subtext makes stories and characters engaging. Tapping into universal human emotions, makes us want to follow your characters on their journey. It makes us eager to know what happens next.

 

Subtext captures the underlying emotion on the page. It ensures the director and actor understand your underlying intention. This is how the movie in your mind becomes the one on the screen.

 

Subtext is the key to roles actors will be eager to play. We learn the most about your characters not from what you tell us about them, but from what your characters show us. Subtext comes across through actors’ reactions and behavior – their facial expression and body language. A meaningful glance, a distinctive gesture, an unfinished sentence are the most eloquent tools at your disposal.

 

Subtext impresses your reader and impacts the audience. It activates their own emotions.

 

Subtext elevates your writing. It adds a layer of richness that breathes life into characters, helps your theme resonate, and makes your story truly compelling. Painting a full picture for the reader – your first audience – is the best way to get your story to the screen.