A director told me my dialogue sounded 'too American' for a UK scene

I was writing this short film set in a pub in Manchester, and I thought I nailed the local vibe. But after a table read, the director pulled me aside and said my characters kept saying things like 'gonna' and 'awesome' instead of 'gonnae' or 'class'. He pointed out that a Mancunian wouldn't say 'trash can' they'd say 'bin' and 'sidewalk' makes no sense there. I had to rewrite half the script, swapping in slang like 'mither' for bother and 'sorted' instead of handled. It took me three full days with a UK slang guide and a mate from Leeds to get it right. Now I check every character's region before typing a single line. Has anyone else had to rework dialogue because a local caught your slang slip?

2 comments

2 Comments

torres.jason27d agoMost Upvoted

Ever notice how small details like slang are what really sell a scene, not big plot points? I see it all the time where people nail the big stuff but trip on the tiny local words that break the whole illusion. It's like when someone orders "soda" in a London pub instead of "pop" or "fizzy drink" - it just pulls you right out.

abbyc3327d ago

Ugh yes exactly! So like, which slang word trips you up the most when someone gets it wrong in a scene?