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Thread: Dialog before characters introduction?

  1. #1
    Scribe
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    Dec 2005
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    Dialog before characters introduction?

    Can you use a characters name in dialog before you state it in the script? My screenplay opens with two men speaking, however we don't see them until a few minutes into the film, their dialog is heard over different footage. Should I...

    A) State who the voices belong too from the get go.
    B) Write with "Man 1" and "Man 2" until they are seen.
    C) Use their names and describe them once they are visible on screen.

    Thanks
    Last edited by Sock; 04-05-2008 at 10:15 PM.
    At least I think... so...

  2. #2
    Scrivener Wallmaker's Avatar
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    Oct 2007
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    I believe it's always best to use one name per a character throughout... If you've seen Michael Clayton, the opening is a voiceover of Arthur and we don't actually meet Arthur until the second Act. But in the script it says Arthur (V.O.) for the opening. And it helps avoid confusion. So, option A.
    Last edited by Wallmaker; 04-05-2008 at 11:44 PM.
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  3. #3
    Scrivener
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    I agree. The audience shouldn't know who they are yet if you don't want them to, but the person reading the script should.

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