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Re:When we take turns speaking, we chime in after a cultural... by derefr on Monday January 25, 2016 @12:39PM (#10968552)
I've had it pointed out to me that there's something weird about the show Gilmore Girls in the actors' delivery of lines. The actors don't seem to be speaking particularly fast, but something about the structure of the dialogue still seems to be perceived as very "dense" by most people. I'm guessing the effect is from the actors shortening the conversational gaps between their line deliveries. It seems like the each reply comes near-instantly after the actor "heard" the previous line, which may be a super-stimulus for making the portrayed characters seem extremely "witty."

I also have a feeling that actually increasing verbal velocity would hinder this effect; you wouldn't get the impression of a witty character, but rather a manic one.

Re:When we take turns speaking, we chime in after a cultural... by night815 on Monday January 25, 2016 @02:09PM (#10969171)
They talk about this in one of the special features on the DVDs. The average script length for a typical "hour" show (42 minutes, running time) is one page per minute. Gilmore Girls episodes were closer to 80 pages. They even talk about bringing in a speak coach for the actors so they could learn to speak faster while still being clear.
Re:When we take turns speaking, we chime in after a cultural... by mercer on Tuesday January 26, 2016 @10:50AM (#10973980)
Do they explain why they did this?
Re:When we take turns speaking, we chime in after a cultural... by JoshTriplett on Monday January 25, 2016 @02:37PM (#10969374)
> It seems like the each reply comes near-instantly after the actor "heard" the previous line, which may be a super-stimulus for making the portrayed characters seem extremely "witty."

Not just witty, but in tune with each other. Shows that pull this off give the impression of characters that actually know each other, work together, spent years together, etc.

Re:When we take turns speaking, we chime in after a cultural... by gohrt on Monday January 25, 2016 @03:54PM (#10969865)
Re:When we take turns speaking, we chime in after a cultural... by cglace on Monday January 25, 2016 @01:29PM (#10968876)
I always found it amazing that Lauren Graham was able to remember that much dialog for each episode. I would like to see some stat on how many total lines she had during the course of the show.
Re:When we take turns speaking, we chime in after a cultural... by jessriedel on Monday January 25, 2016 @02:27PM (#10969308)
Shows with Aaron Sorkin dialog also have this feel. (A "verbal Normandy" in the words of Stephen Cobert.)
Re:When we take turns speaking, we chime in after a cultural... by mercer on Tuesday January 26, 2016 @10:51AM (#10973984)
That and the walk-and-talk approach were what made The West Wing so much more enjoyable to me. It audibly and visibly made everything seem more hectic and exciting in an unusual way.