Regardless of whether you are writing for screen, page or monitor, the one rule of thumb widely agreed upon is ‘show don’t tell’. So how can you be sure that your dialogue does not talk the plot?
Watch cartoons.
The most widely and recently successful example of this is Walt Disney/Pixar’s UP.
© 2009 Disney/Pixar all rights reserved.
The entire first act (well beyond the 1st 10 pages) had less dialogue than even the most dysfunctional of family dinners. Yet, it grabbed us and never let us go, using dialogue only when needed through the rest of the movie. And the opening short, PARTLY CLOUDY had no dial whatsoever and everyone young and old got not only go it they embraced it.
There are many more examples of this out there. But this is one worth seeing again and again.
1st 10 pages 