In my last post I discussed how to tell if you should use dialogue in a scene. The example I used in that post was about a discussion to merge companies during a late night dinner.
An after hours meal is a wonderful setting for a big revelation in your script because the alcohol, cozy seating and low-lighting cause your characters to feel uninhibited. [Note: Kind of like a John Mayer Playboy interview.]
For example, a few weeks ago, I was surprised to learn that one of my friends who is in what seems like the perfect relationship, revealed to me that she had not been intimate with her partner for almost six months.
“He got lazy,” she said, in-between glasses of wine.
As an exercise:
Think of a moment in your script when someone announces some surprising news. Did they lose their job? Are they having an affair? Did they commit a crime?
Now set this scene in a cozy restaurant. Do they have to whisper? Get drunk first? Look through a long menu before they can make their admission? Speak over a string quartet?
How did the scene change?
