♪ ♪
The diner.
"- You know what this is?
The world's smallest violin
playin' just for the waitresses."
The drinking game.
"- Say Auf Wiedersehen
to your Nazi balls."
The gold watch.
"- Little man,
I give the watch to you."
One of the reasons Quentin
Tarantino's films are so unique
is his ability to
craft dialogue scenes
that become set-pieces
of their own.
"- For me a cup of espresso
and for the mademoiselle...
..a glass of milk."
In this scenes
conflict escalates.
"- Hey! Now lay your palms
flat on that tabletop!
If you lift those palms off
that turtle shell tabletop,
Mr. Pooch is gonna let loose with
both barrels of that sawed-off."
Character dynamics are explored.
"- You know what they call a
Quarter-Pounder with Cheese in Paris?
- They don't call it a
Quarter-Pounder with Cheese?
- They got the metric system. They wouldn't
know what the fuck a Quarter-Pounder is.
- What do they call it?
- They call it a Royale with Cheese.
- Royale with Cheese."
And they are
anything but boring.
"- I'm just fucking with you."
Let's see how Tarantino ensures
that even his longest scenes
always stay engaging.
"- The fuck are
you talking about?"
"- Come on,
let's get in the character."
There is a method
to his madness.
In Hollywood films,
the average length of a scene is
between two and three minutes.
Tarantino ignores
this expectation.
Writing scenes that are
often 10 pages or longer.
If you want to write
scenes this long
your challenge is to keep the
audience engaged the entire time.
And we're going to reveal three
of Tarantino's magic tricks.
Create high-stakes.
Structure.
Stories within stories.
We're going to take a look
at the final confrontation
between Bill and the Bride
in "Kill Bill Vol 2."
We're going to use StudioBinder's
screenwriting software
to show Tarantino's craft
on the page as written.
Before we begin,
click the bell icon below to subscribe
and stay in the loop.
First.
The stakes need to be high.
And we should know what's at
risk going into each scene.
"- Freeze, Mummy.
- Bang, bang."
We've watched the Bride go through
hell and back to find Bill.
Over the course of two films,
we've been waiting
for this moment.
What's at stake
is life and death.
Will the Bride finally
take her revenge?
Or will she be cut down
before the finish line?
"- Don't touch it or I'll stick
another one right in your cheek."
When you're writing an
extended scene like this,
make sure the stakes are huge
and understood by the audience
right from the get-go.
"- I have a few
unanswered questions."
Next. The scene needs structure.
Every scene should have a
beginning, middle, and end.
The longer your scene
the more important these
divisions and shifts become.
Let's apply a three-act structure
to this scene from "Kill Bill."
Act one begins as the Bride
makes her way to the couch.
♪ ♪
"- I suppose the idea is we
cross Hanzo swords. Am I right?
Well,
it just so happens this hacienda
has its own private beach.
And that private beach just so
happens to look particularly beautiful
bathed in moonlight.
And it just so happens to
be a full moon out tonight.
So sword fighter, if you want a
sword fight, that's where I suggest.
But if you wanna be
old school about it...
...and you know,
I'm all about old school...
...then we could wait until dawn
and slice each other up at sunrise
like a couple of
real-life honest...
Now, if you don't settle down I'm going
to have to put one in your kneecap.
And I hear tell that's a very
painful place to get shot in.
(laughing)
I'm just fuckin' with you."
The power shifts in Bill's favor
and this puts an end to Act 1.
Act 2 begins with a Bride
fully at Bill's mercy.
♪ ♪
"- Aah. - Gotcha.
- God damn!
What the fuck did you
just shoot me with?
- My greatest invention
Or at least my favorite.
Don't touch it, or I'll stick
another one right in your cheek."
With that one's a
little burst of violence
the edge has been taken off.
And we downshift into
a completely new topic.
"- As you know...
I'm quite keen on comic books."
We can relax a bit
and we can focus on
Bill's Superman speech.
"- Superman didn't
become Superman.
Superman was born Superman.
When Superman wakes up in the
morning, he's Superman.
His alter ego is Clark Kent.
His outfit with
the big red "S" -
that's the blanket he was wrapped in
as a baby when the Kent's found him.
Those are his clothes.
What Kent wears - the glasses,
the business suit - that's the costume.
That's the costume Superman
wears to blend in with us.
Clark Kent is how
Superman views us.
And what are the
characteristics of Clark Kent?
He's weak...
...he's unsure of himself...
...he's a coward.
Clark Kent is Superman's
critique on the whole human race.
Sorta like Beatrix Kiddo, and Mrs.
Tommy Plimpton.
- Ah, so.
The point emerges."
And the point of his monologue
becomes a transition
into the final act.
This time we ramp up the
emotional intensity of the scene.
♪ ♪
"- You can take the needle out.
- Are you calling
me a superhero?
- I'm calling you a killer.
- A natural-born killer.
You always have been,
and you always will be."
Bill's questions force the Bride
to admit some difficult truths.
"- First question:
Did you really think your life
in El Paso was gonna work?
- No!
But, I would've had B.B.!
- Don't get me wrong.
I think you would have
been a wonderful mother.
But you are a killer."
The climax in this scene
is emotionally driven.
We are reminded just how difficult
the Bride's journey has been.
"- All those people you
killed to get to me...
felt damn good didn't they?
- Yes.
- Every single one of them?
- Yes."
The structure of this scene
is clearly demarcated.
And each act has a distinct
purpose and a different tone.
Act one is a physical.
"- Ahh. - Gotcha."
Acts 2 is intellectual.
"- Clark Kent is Superman's
critique on the whole human race."
Act 3 is emotional.
" - But I would've had B.B.!"
The movements give the
scene peaks and valleys
and the constant evolution
allows the scene to
remain interesting
for it's extended duration.
Which brings us
to our final tip.
Let your character tell a story.
Tarantino loves storytelling.
And so do his characters.
And there are a few different purposes
for including them in his scenes.
An anecdote can add humor.
"- Five long years he wore
this watch I possess."
It can delay the inevitable
and create suspense.
"- Your boy told me
his whole life story."
"- Superman.
Not a great comic book.
Not particularly well-drawn.
- How long does this shit
take to go into effect?
- Just long enough for
me to finish my point."
Or it can reveal character.
"- But you're not a worker bee.
You're a renegade killer bee."
The Superman speech
is pure Tarantino.
And there is a point to it.
It sums up the Bride's
internal struggle.
"- You would've worn the
costume of Arlene Plimpton.
But you were born
Beatrix Kiddo."
When you're writing
let your characters
tell stories,
but make sure they are
relevant to the characters
and add depth to
their development.
♪ ♪
All right, screenwriters.
If you find yourself writing
extended dialogue scenes,
make what's at stake
clear from the beginning
and ramp up the
tension from there.
Structure distinct sections
and movements in the scene
to keep it dynamic.
And allow your characters to tell
stories that reveal character.
" - It's the details
that sell your story."
Check out our other videos and
articles that focus on storytelling,
directing and
production techniques.
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To write scenes like Tarantino,
you need to put the audience
through the wringer.
"- Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going
to go home and have a heart attack."
♪ ♪
