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[ ARTICLE ]Glenda C.Williams, Ph.D.Assistant Professor,The University ofAlabamaglenda.williams@ua.edu3273 Brashford RoadBirmingham, AL35216(205) 348-6350Fax: (205) 348-5162This paper wasoriginally presentedas part of a writingpanel at BEA, April18, 2004, Las Vegas,Nevada.4ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDERTHAN WORDS:TEACHING THE SUBTEXT INSCRIPTWRITINGIn today’s culture, the subtext speaks more loudly than theactual words. Tone, context, body language, and facial expressionall deliver more meaning to the listener than the verbalutterances themselves. This is true for television and film scriptsas well. For many scriptwriting students, however, there is atendency to over-write; to add more and more words to try andexplain the truth of things rather than relying on the subtext, asseasoned professionals do.Teaching students to write the subtext can be difficult,however. This paper identifies four different types of subtext,and gives examples that can be used in class to help studentslearn to add these to their writing style. In each case, I recommendthat students read the script before class (www.script-orama.comis an excellent source). I play a short clip, then weidentify the elements of the subtext and discuss how the authorwrote it into the screenplay.The Action of Emotion. Many powerful scenes arebuilt on emotion and action, not dialog. Viewers identify fear,passion, embarrassment, and distress much more readily fromthe subtext, from the actions and reactions of the characters inthe scene. We don’t want the characters to voice these feelings;rather, as viewers, we want to get caught up in their experiencethe same way they are. This brings power to the scene.One excellent example of this is the end of an ER episodecalled “Love’s Labor Lost.” In this scene, a woman whose babyhas just been delivered by Dr. Green begins to crash. As hebattles furiously to save her, the dialog turns into mostly medicaljargon--- but the power of his fear and helplessness plays throughhis frantic attempts to keep her alive. At the very end, playedout in silence, he tells the husband that his wife is gone. Thereare no discernable words, as it is shot through a window, but thesubtext is very clear.For a comedic example that students can relate to, look at“The One Where Ross Finds Out” from Friends. This episodegives Jennifer Anniston, as Rachel, an opportunity to usephysical comedy to show her embarrassment and humiliation.Feedback March 2005 (Vol. 46, No. 3)