About This Training
Session One: SYSTEMS
This session explores the systems — the social rules and structures — that govern the society your character inhabits. These ‘given circumstances’ shape how a character behaves, what they are able to say openly, and what must remain hidden.
Great dialogue lives in the tension between a character’s inner truth and the version of themselves they present to the outside world. Understanding this dynamic allows writers to sharpen a character’s energetic presence (rhythm) and refine their language choices.
Mastering this foundation gives writers a practical diagnostic tool: you will be able to hear when dialogue feels false, understand why, and adjust it so that every line reveals character, conflict, and social pressure.
About Melanie Spencer
Melanie is a playwright, screenwriter and director based in London. Mel graduated the Channel 4 Screenwriting Course in 2014, securing a place on the scheme via her play RESPONSIBLE OTHER which she wrote and directed, and which had a successful run at Hampstead Downstairs (receiving four stars from The Times, The Independent, Evening Standard, Time Out, What’s On Stage and five stars from The Arts Desk.) After taking a break from writing to raise a family, she made a triumphant return to the page, with her recent play CONTENDER, about the murky, cut-throat world of high- level sport, being adapted as a BBC radio drama production in 2022, starring Elliot Cowan and Hannah Tointon. Melanie is also a casting/performance director (credited as Melanie O’Connor), and worked on Simon Amstell’s film CARNAGE, as well as the latest C4 Dispatches Documentary, RUSSELL BRAND: IN PLAIN SIGHT.
Watch The Recording Below
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