Screenwriting in Melodramas

    As I get closer to starting pre-production on my brief, I start looking at screenplays. In melodramas, the screenplay is not about the actual plot but about emotional weight. The dialogue, pace, and subtext all help frame how the audience empathizes with characters. The script for Manchester by the Sea really stood out for me because of how it handles emotion in such a restrained but powerful way.

One of the most striking and guiding aspects of the screenplay is its use of subtext. Characters rarely say exactly what they feel. Instead, pauses, half-unfinished sentences, and day-to-day conversations mask a deeper, hidden meaning beneath. This makes the emotional moments ring even more forth with feeling and realism. The film allows tension to build rather than releasing it through monologues. For a melodrama, this is an important aspect, as it makes it impossible for the story to be overdone and mushy, but instead surprisingly fraught with emotional intensity.

Segment from Manchester by the Sea script

   Reading this script has given me further insight into what I need to consider when thinking about writing my own opening. Since I only have two minutes, I am not able to think in terms of any heavy exposition, and therefore, I need to think in terms of building up any type of emotional tension simply by using dialogue and interactions. Reading this script has given me further insight based on the fact that sometimes, outstanding results can be achieved without resorting to any heavy or dramatic speech, as might be seen in many instances of dialogue.

"Manchester by the Sea" wins Best Original Screenplay