Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dialogue

How can I talk to children?

meadowlark lime — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:16:01 -0800

How can I talk to children? I'm working on some writing projects that require me to know how children talk. I think I have a fairly good ear and memory for it from my own childhood, but you inevitably forget things, or you never would have noticed certain patterns when you were a child.

I would like to speak to children aged 6 - 13. I cannot think of a direct way to do this. Obviously, I'm not going to be the creepy guy lurking around a playground with an open notebook. I think observing classrooms would help, but I don't know any teachers who live near me.

What I'd like to do is to be able to sit down with some kids with a tape recorder running and just talk to them in a free-ranging way. How can I set something like this up? I don't want people to think that I am doing market research for some corporate product, or misrepresent my intentions in any way. Do you think there is some kind of school / church / community group that would let an outsider come in to talk to kids?

What does Valcheck say in Polish at the end of S2 of the wire?

emperor.seamus — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:04:49 -0800

What does Valcheck say in Polish in episode 12 of series 2 of The Wire? (Spoilers within) I don't own the DVD's so I'm afraid I can't check the subtitles myself, but I found Valcheck's response to getting the photo of the van after Sobotka's death to be perhaps the most interesting moment for that character in the series, and I'd really like to know what it was he said there.

The internet has been surprisingly unhelpful on this matter so far, and AskMetafilter? You're my go too guy!

So does anyone have any idea what he says?

Two files become one

saysthis — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:05:47 -0800

I have two files, an Adobe Encore subtitle file of a particular film, and a dialogue list txt (no times) of a newer, shorter cut of that same film, which is to say that there is nothing in the short cut that isn't in the longer cut. I want to ensure that's the case and check the two versions for consistency, i.e. make sure the content in the new/shorter version matches the dialogue in the old/longer version. Is there an automated way to do this that doesn't involve CTL+F and a lot of cutting and pasting? Bonus challenge: the subtitle file is En/Chinese, the dialogue transcript is Chinese. I'm checking to make sure the Chinese is consistent. If there's a way to automate the check, I'll be spared hours of work. My eyes are already glazed over from finagling with two computers and adjusting formats and burning DVD's for all the different cuts of this project tonight...help a man sleep?

How to kill unwanted Windows dialogue boxes

forrestal — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:00:55 -0800

Is it possible to prevent a Windows dialogue box from displaying itself? This concerns Windows Vista, though I've seen the same thing on earlier Windows OS. I run a program and it comes up with some dumb dialogue box, such as Windows Mail tells me every time that it is getting mail. If it succeeds, no problem, if it doesn't you need to hide it, and then 15 seconds later it pops up again and you need to cancel it. Same thing with other programs that pop up a dialogue box even when I'm using another program to tell me something I couldn't possible want to know. Some give the option to "not show this dialogue box again" and then proceed to show me that same dialogue box again and ask "not show this dialogue box again"

Is there some generic program that can kill these, or convert them to a less obnoxious format.

Philosophical film character

Hermit — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:03:45 -0800

I'm trying to remember a film I saw in which a character, possibly engaged in some form of criminal activity (though equally likely not), speaks only one sentence a day. This sentence tends to be aphoristic in nature. What is the film?

Dialogue drowned out on DVDs

bonobothegreat — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:42:37 -0800

Whenever I watch DVDs on my TV, the dialogue is always drowned out by sound effects and music. I'm not interested in buying a surround sound system and was wondering if simply buying a newer model DVD player (than my Panasonic S25) will fix the problem. I've tried changing all the audio menu settings with no noticeable improvement and googling brings up a bunch of recommendations about turning up the "center channel" and other audiophile surround sound related stuff.

Any DVD player recommendations will be gratefully received.

Examples of double-meanings in movies, shows, cartoons?

iamkimiam — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:39:34 -0800

Looking for scenes with dialogue in G-rated movies, shows or cartoons that have hidden references for adults. The examples I am looking for need to meet the following criteria:
• Found in movies and tv shows geared specifically toward a younger audience or a general audience (both kids and adults).
• Dialogue must contain a second/hidden meaning that only adults would understand.
• The hidden message is expressed through the spoken dialogue (not by gestures, signs in the background, etc.)

An example of the type of thing I'm looking for is typical in shows like the Simpsons, where kids watching are laughing at something Homer says because it sounds silly, but adults are laughing AT THE SAME DIALOGUE, but for a different reason...because it's a reference to something in the news, politics, etc. that kids would not understand or have access to.

Yes, this is for a paper. No, you are not helping me with my homework by answering this question. Not even close.

spanish dialogue recommendations

whatzit — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 07:38:23 -0800

Oh, the drama!! Recommend me diálogos en español, please. I'm interested in easy, two-person, not-so-long (~3 minutes out loud) non-risqué dialogues. Preferably, they were originally written in Spanish, and have some emotion in them. Realistically, I should be able to find them online, because I have no access to Spanish language books. (Spanish-language resources are ok to recommend; it needs to be easy for the person learning from me.)

I just hope this isn't a memory from real life...

naju — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:35:52 -0800

I have a vague memory of a dialogue between two people about bulimia. Is it from a movie, a tv show, or a strange dream? This is a short memory I have that's been kind of haunting me for the past few days. It must've seen it recently. Two people are sitting and talking really casually, at a party, almost like they're bored. They're both talking about having to vomit to stay thin, maybe comparing strategies, almost like it's a given that this is the only established way of becoming thin. But it seems like the dialogue is NOT played for drama, or for laughs. It's just really tossed off, and lasts only a few seconds, before the movie (or dream?) shifts to something else completely. I can't remember whether the people talking are male or female.

The only movie I've seen recently that I can think of it being would be Pineapple Express but this seems very wrong for a stoner comedy. Now that I think of it, I also saw part of the movie Thirteen on Lifetime a couple weeks ago. Could that be it? Any other ideas?

Seeking wisdom from the Buffyverse.

Mavri — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:28:16 -0800

Help me find a line of Buffy dialogue! There's a scene where Willow is complaining about something to Buffy and Buffy tries to offer advice or a solution. Willow gets upset and says she just wants someone to listen or empathize. And Buffy says something along the lines of, "Oh is this a feel my pain talk? I thought it was a help me find a solution talk. My bad." Except, you know, the actual line is much snappier.

This just happened with a friend of mine who got laid off and didn't want to hear about a job posting I saw, just wanted to mope. I managed to find this exact line of dialogue a couple of years ago when I had similarly misjudged the intent of a friend, but I remember it took forever and bugged the hell out of me in the meantime.

My memory of the line is too vague for good googling, and I don't have time now to watch all 7 seasons in a totally OCD search for the answer. (Although my instincts are telling me it was season 2-3.)

This is one of those things that is not important but will drive me insane until I figure it out.

Looking for more like Milch...

dobbs — Mon, 12 May 2008 07:54:09 -0800

Novelists or short story writers who write like David Milch (Deadwood / John From Cincinnati)? I really like John From Cincinnati and I love Deadwood. Does anyone write like this in prose form?

I'm looking for the same command of dialogue and/or conflict. Suggestions?

Recommendations for dialogue-heavy films a la Glengarry Glen Ross?

porn in the woods — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:26:18 -0800

I have lately been hooked on Glengarry Glen Ross and The Big Kahuna, small casts with stellar scripts and casting. What other dialogue-heavy films in this vein should I be watching?

When do a bunch of characters solve a problem in one long conversation?

nebulawindphone — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:18:20 -0800

I'm looking for dialog-heavy scenes (in books, movies, TV shows, etc) where a group of people solve a problem or make a plan in the course of one long conversation. The "one long conversation" criterion is what makes this hard. Most police procedurals, for instance, don't work because the problem-solving is spread out across many short conversations in the course of an episode. The planning in heist movies tends to be the same way — split up, or scattered through some sort of "preparation" montage. I want examples where you get to watch the whole problem-solving process from beginning to end, with one set of participants, no jumps forward or backward in time, and no interruptions.

Bonus points, too, if the problem involves subgoals (e.g. "To get the money we'll need to break into the building, get past the guards, and open the safe. Now let's think about how to break into the building....")

Lest this sound too chatfiltery, there is a practical problem here: I'm doing research on the linguistic structure of conversations, and I'd like some well-known examples of this kind of conversation that I can point to as examples.

actually, it's not a plate of beans. it's more like a whole field of them...

roombythelake — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 02:38:16 -0800

Question about audience reaction to "The Ruins"--spoiler of one line of dialogue, comments (if anyone else actually saw it) may contain more. The line "Four American tourists don't just disappear" provoked a slow crescendo of laughter when I saw "The Ruins" in a Canadian theatre tonight. (We love you here, though, really we do...) Since I have such a large group of non-Canadians handy, I figured I'd ask how that line went in the film's home market.

Was it trying to show the character to be naive (he's generally not, otherwise), or was the moment meant to be played straight, and misfired in my showing only because audiences here always laugh at overly jingoistic lines in American films? Was there laughter in your theatre too? If so, was the movie wanting us to laugh, or was it a bad moment of breaking our suspension of disbelief?

Bonus points if you, along with three other young American tourists, have ever been...ah, shoot, I said I wouldn't give spoilers, didn't I?

Darling, I have something to tell you...

Xurando — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:28:15 -0800

Help identify memoirs or other writings which have dialogue in which one spouse informs another of their infidelity or in which the injured spouse reacts to the others infidelity. In response to recent news stories, I am trying to get a sense of the language one uses when informing their spouse they have been unfaithful. I am also looking for what sort of verbal response the other souse may have when informed of infidelity. I am interested primarily in examples from memoirs but will be satisfied with good examples from literature.

If French is a character, that dude smokes and eats cheese.

SassHat — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:25:21 -0800

I seek recommendations for foreign language films which feature extensive narration or otherwise crisp, clear, lovely dialogue. I love foreign-language films in which the beauty of the language being spoken washes over you, to the point where it practically becomes a character itself, and by the end of the movie you almost want to stop reading the subtitles and just listen.

The only examples I can think of off the top of my head are Amelie, Pan's Labyrinth, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Europa Europa, The Seventh Seal, and The Taste of Tea. Several of these movies were originally intended for worldwide distribution, and I think that's why they have such perfect, deliberate use of language (for example, in Amelie the narrator speaks in very careful, 'coffee commercial' French).

I'd love some suggestions for movies with similarly strong use of language as a key element. Any country of origin/language is fine. I'm a recovering film snob, so if you're going to suggest any French New Wave, Italian Neorealist or other similar subgenre classics, I've likely seen them - as such, contemporary films would be preferable. Obviously it would be great if the movie's good, too.

You were doing 80 in a 20 mph zone.

hadjiboy — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 09:31:22 -0800

Is there a correct speed for reading? I know that you shouldn’t be too slow or too fast, so that people are able to understand you, but when you’re reading to yourself, or are typing something that is going to be read by others (such as on Metafilter), how fast should the average reader read it? Is this based solely on personal preference, or is there some standard that one should maintain?

Aaron Sorkin is a pitcher or a catcher?

felix — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 09:16:20 -0800

Sometime within the last month, someone blogged a great parody of Aaron Sorkin's writing style, imagining a discussion between a pitcher and a catcher (or maybe a manager) conferring on the mound. The context was whether Studio 60 will survive or not, which for the sake of humanity I personally pray it does. Since there are about ten trillion blog posts of that format, I'm hoping that someone remembers this one.

The conversation went something like

PITCHER: So here we are at the World Series.
CATCHER: Brazil. In 1948, Brazil produced 53 million bananas.
PITCHER: I got a Brazilian wax the other day. But perhaps that is more information than you intended to obtain.
CATCHER: Let's walk. In 1952, Brazil underwent a dramatic revolution in its weaving industry.
PITCHER: I'm hoping for a dramatic revolution on my fastball.

And so on. But better. Anyone?

Writing better dialogue

iurodivii — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 09:15:38 -0800

Help me write dialogue! I am looking for recommendations of books with amazing dialogue, authors whose style of writing dialogue has made you sit up and take notice, and titles that have used the speech of its characters to gain notable results. Mostly interested in Prose (Non- or Fiction...any genre) but i'll investigate anything you come up with.

I am currently most interested in the defining line between what a character thinks and what a character says out loud and how to blend those two actions together seamlessly, if that helps get this question rolling.

(I'd also be interested in tips you might share from your own experiences of making characters come to life in their speaking...)

How did Quentin Tarantino learn to write his trademark dialogue?

soiled cowboy — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 12:21:56 -0800

How did Quentin Tarantino learn to write his trademark dialogue? Who were his influences? I know of the many filmmakers who were influential for Tarantino in developing his directorial style, but where did he learn to write the stylized dialogue that is characteristic of his films? I would guess Elmore Leonard novels and David Mamet plays, and I even remember T. referring to Ernst Lubitsch on the Pulp Fiction DVD commentary. Anyone know of any other influences?

seeking sound advice

grumblebee — Mon, 08 Aug 2005 11:36:55 -0800

What's a good book (or online resource) about audio editing for a beginner who is smart and wants in-depth knowledge? I'm working with dialogue mostly -- not music. I'm going to start recording people talking (as opposed to music or singing) as wavs and converting to MP3s. I would like to gain a better understanding of my audio-editor's (Adobe Audition) features and filters. But I'm not an audio guy by trade. Still, I'm a fast learner. Can someone point be towards a good resource (i.e. book) which will teach me what I need to know? I want to understand Equalization, Frequencies, etc. All the stull that will pop up in the various dialogues in the software.

Specificially, I want to learn what to do -- i.e. what equalization settings to use, smart types/amounts of compression -- to create good mp3s from these wavs. But I'd like to gain an overall understanding of audio under-the-hood as well.

What does this dialogue ("Floor's good") mean in The West Wing?

m@ — Tue, 25 Jan 2005 13:39:16 -0800

What does this mean? I'm having a hard time deciphering a line from last week's episode of West Wing [MI] During last week's West Wing when Leo is reviewing the old Inauguration tapes his (former) Assistant is having trouble locating a particular tape, thanks to Google Video I now know that the line went like this:

at 16 minutes
[assistant] I'm still looking for the second inaugural.
[Leo] Floor's good.
[assistant] Really?
[Leo] Mm-hmm.
[assistant]Tower or pile?
[Leo]Surprise me.

Tivo failed me in trying to figure out that he was saying "Floor's good" but now that I know what he said, I'm not sure of what it meant.

By floor does he mean video shot from the floor of the chamber where the speech was being given or that it is the location of the missing video. Also, "Tower or pile", are they talking camera location?

How can I get my mom to start smoking pot?

Anonymous — Sat, 25 Dec 2004 09:36:20 -0800

How can I get my mom to start smoking pot?

A few years ago my mother was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, a chronic and very painful disease. I've thought a number of times that marijuana would be able to help soothe her muscle pain. After researching it, I found a lot of people with fibro do smoke and it helps tremendously. She's rather religious and not really open to new ideas. She's very into herbal solutions, but I know she'd turn down this particular herbal solution because of the hype of anti-drug commercials and its legal status in the US. Is there any way I can approach the subject which may convince her to at least try it? I want my mom to feel somewhat normal again and I believe this may be able to positively change her life.

Is there a way to separate music from sound effects and dialogue in a film, starting with a DVD?

scarabic — Sat, 17 Jul 2004 20:58:48 -0800

I watched Donnie Darko again recently and I thought it was a damn shame that Tortoise didn't do the soundtrack. I became ever-so-briefly obsessed with the idea of replacing some of the musical sequences with Tortoise music, but I wouldn't know how to do this without completely removing any sound effects and dialogue from those scenes. Is there a way for a non-audio-geek to separate these audio elements? Assume I'm starting with a DVD.

Scripts with Snark

Cyrie — Wed, 19 May 2004 09:36:05 -0800

I once found a site that had humourous movie scripts, abbreviated with snarky dialogue added in. Some of the scripts were brilliantly funny (The Matrix is one I remember in particular), and I can't for the life of me remember the name of the site and I don't have it bookmarked. I had thought the word abbreviated was in the title, but a google using that term and movie scripts didn't yield any results, neither did a lot of guesses about what I thought the site was called. Help?