Writing Subtext in a Screenplay

Writing "On the nose" dialog is considered a bad thing when you write a screenplay. Writing exactly what a person thinks or wants to say in a scene is considered boring, run of the mill and amateurish. Instead it is said you should write subtext, which is how people really talk in real life. Well in real life I have found that most people talk both ways. They either say what they mean or they are subtle with their comments, using backhanded was of saying what they really mean and this depends on the kind of person you are talking to more than any other reason. Overuse of subtext in dialog can be more annoying and confuse the audience, therefore a middle ground must be found; a middle ground between the boring on the nose dialog and the overly subtext-ed ways of making a point.

As far as dialog my favorite movie of all time would be both of the Godfather movies. The subtext was just right and the on the nose dialog was necessary in spots. Nothing was over done, or over "fluffed". There was never a dull moment in dialog or action during both of these great movies.

Screenwriting is so difficult and requires so many re-writes because you have to write and then re-write dialog to get it just right. Just how do people really talk? How do the characters in the movie your writing talk? This is the challenge we all have when writing a screenplay.