Em Dash—Filmmakers Take Notice
Why AI Loves —
If you’ve spent any time reading text written by large language models (LLMs), you may have noticed a peculiar quirk: they love the em dash. You’ll see it popping up again and again—as if it’s a natural extension of the model’s breath. Why? And more importantly, what can that tell us about writing, storytelling, and even filmmaking?
Why the Em Dash?
The em dash (—) is a versatile punctuation mark. It can stand in for a comma, parentheses, or even a colon. For AI models trained on billions of lines of text, the em dash often shows up as a “safe bet.” It helps connect ideas without committing to a rigid grammatical structure.
Think of it this way:
A period ends the thought, full stop.
A semicolon is fussy—rarely used correctly outside academia.
Parentheses are quieter, almost apologetic.
But the em dash? It’s bold. It keeps the flow alive, while signaling that something important is about to arrive.
AI leans on it because it allows for fluidity and emphasis at the same time. It’s a bridge that says, “hold on, I’m not done yet.”
The Filmmaking Parallel
Here’s where it gets interesting for filmmakers. The em dash is like a cinematic cutaway or a long take. It changes rhythm, alters pacing, and adds dramatic emphasis.
Em Dash as a Jump Cut: Just when the audience thinks you’ve wrapped up, the dash pushes the thought further—similar to a cut that interrupts continuity but drives energy forward.
Em Dash as a Reveal: It builds anticipation. The audience leans in, waiting to see what comes after.
Em Dash as a Director’s Beat: Like a pause in dialogue or a glance that carries weight, the dash signals pay attention, this matters.
In screenwriting, this translates to how you break a line of dialogue or structure a scene. In directing, it’s about pacing—when to let a moment breathe, when to disrupt it, when to surprise.
Using the Dash with Intention
AI might overuse the em dash because it’s a crutch. But filmmakers can take the opposite lesson: use your “em dashes” with precision. Whether it’s a line of dialogue that trails off, a shot that lingers, or an edit that collides with the next moment—these choices matter most when they’re deliberate.
The takeaway: the em dash is more than a punctuation mark. It’s a stylistic tool for rhythm and emphasis. Writers and filmmakers alike should ask: What does this dash (or cut, or pause) do for my story?
Because when used with purpose, the em dash doesn’t just connect words—it creates impact. And impact, in the end, is what filmmaking is all about.
Would you like me to pitch some snappy titles for this blogpost (something film-student eye-catching), or keep it as-is?
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