From Wally:
I’m sure you all have read or heard “Your dialogue is too on-the-nose.” You need more subtext. So, what is subtext and why is it so important?
Without subtext, scenes can come across as unrealistic or melodramatic, which can cause the audience to disengage from the story. Subtext allows the character to express themselves through action and nuance.
Actions sometimes say more, or at least as much as, words. Think back to when your mother or father shot you a look that got their point across, without saying a word. That is subtext in a nutshell. How about when you said something brilliant, or stupid, and the room went silent? Subtext.
A novelist uses narration or internal thought to express subtext. But in a screenplay, the writer can only write what the audience will see or hear. So, subtext is conveyed by the character’s reaction or inaction. What they did, not what they said.
In real life, we seldom express our feelings in words. We think things but don’t say them. We might stiffen or deflate. Blush or blanch. Stare or blink. We all have emotional scars and fears that we don’t want others to know about. So, we try to avoid subjects or circumstances that may expose them to others. We try to talk around them, change the subject, talk about something else.
When creating subtext in a scene, it is important to know your characters inside and out, especially psychologically. What their fears are. What they dislike. What makes them tick.
I would also suggest you become a “people-watcher.” Not a peeping tom. Just observe those around you. People on the bus. In a restaurant. At a party. Watch their actions and reactions. Store this information in a corner of your mind, to be used in the future when writing subtext in a scene.