In my opinion... less dialogue the better. I have the book ScreenPlay: Writing the Picture and it states, "In a movie, most information can be conveyed without dialogue. You should always try to show rather than tell. There is a lot of cool stuff I could quote but it would take forever. Oh wait one more thing...
Quote: "One student screenplay concerned some college kids who discovered that their weird professor has invented a time machine. IN the first scene, at a bar, the students recounted the previous nights adventure, talking about how they broke into the profesors office and attempted to start the machine. The prob. was that there was no need to express these events through dialogue. Since this was the event that started the story, the answer was teh create an exciting scene in which the students crawled in the window, discovered the time machine, and tried to start it, letting the audience see the action rather than hearing about it."
This is self explanatory but its good to hear.
Its true, writing dialogue and making it seem real is difficult, its esp. hard reading your own dialogue that you just wrote. Always have a dictionary or thesauras on you. Again, if you can stay away from the dialogue, it would be better. Try showing something instead of talking about it and see if you can work something out. Experiment with it. I hope I could be of some help, but Im not sure I answered your question. What exactly are beging bogged down with in the dilogue?
I've read more than my fair share of screenplay texts - i think people get too bogged down in making dialogue realistic.
the illusion is that it appears realistic but really is not.
if anything, i would describe it as an efficient way of beating around the bush. You don't directly say what's on people's minds. The trick is to let the audience figure out what is meant, rather than telling them.
I'll copy and past a scene from my script where I attempted to do this.
Salters answers his phone, smiling toward Adam.
SALTERS
That didn't take long.
RACHEL
I needed an excuse.
SALTERS
For what?
RACHEL
How do you feel about your boss?
SALTERS
I know the feeling.
RACHEL
It's just she's so damn abrasive.
SALTERS
And that bothers you?
RACHEL
I don't like abrasive people.
SALTERS
Well, not many do, sweetheart.
RACHEL
And I don't like it when people do that either.
SALTERS
What? Say sweetheart?
RACHEL
You don't know me enough to say that.
SALTERS
What? Say sweetheart?
RACHEL
You don't know me enough to say that.
SALTERS
So. Did you call me just to tell me that? Or do you want to tell me what's really going on?
RACHEL
It doesn't seem like you know what's going on.
SALTERS
I know. That's why I am asking you.
RACHEL
Well, I don't have the answers.
SALTERS
Where can I get them?
RACHEL
I have to go.
Dial tone.
(FYI, this in the first Act,..what I attempted to accomplish here was develop character without the individuals actually saying what was going on. However, it can be seen what is going on...there is tension between the two...a love - hate relationship...and maybe some history with Rachel)
I don't know..that's what I've read and this is one of the examples I have.