Archive for the ‘Exposition’ Category

Five Techniques for Revealing Exposition

Dreaded exposition – the necessary but boring information every screenwriter fears will put an audience into a deep sleep. Most screenwriters agree the best way to present exposition is visually, but when that’s not possible and you’re forced to resort to expository dialogue it can be a challenge.  Here are five techniques to help you subtly reveal exposition through dialogue:

1. Present it in small portions
Don’t overwhelm the reader with too much information at once, break up the exposition into several scenes or among more than one character, such as this scene from Aliens:

BURKE
What’s he scanning for?

GORMAN
PDT’S.  Personal-Data Transmitters. Every adult colonist had one surgically implanted.

HUDSON
If they’re within twenty klicks we’ll read it out here, but so far…zip.

2. Imply the information
Instead of presenting the information directly, imply it.  Implied information engages the reader – actively involving him in the story as he tries to figure out the information.  In the film Escape From Alcatraz, the exposition surrounding Frank Morris’ childhood is implied:

CHARLEY BUTTS
What kind of childhood did you have?

FRANK MORRIS
Short.

3. Surround it with emotion
Camouflage the exposition with emotion. When the audience is emotionally impacted by a scene, they will not notice the exposition.  It can be any emotion: shock, fear, curiosity, anxiety, etc.  In Erin Brockovich, Susannah Grant provides plenty of exposition in this scene, which she surrounds with tension:

GEORGE
Come on. Gimme your number, I’ll call you up proper and ask you out and everything.

ERIN
You want my number?

GEORGE
I do.

ERIN
Which number do you want, George?

GEORGE
You got more than one?

ERIN
Shit, yeah. I got numbers coming out of my ears. Like, for instance, ten.

GEORGE
Ten?

ERIN
Sure. That’s one of my numbers. It’s how many months old my little girl is.

GEORGE
You got a little girl?

ERIN
Yeah. Sexy, huh? And here’s another: five. That’s how old my other daughter is. Seven is my son’s age. Two is how many times I been married and divorced. You getting all this? 16 is the number of dollars in my bank account. 454-3943 is my phone number. And with all the numbers I gave you, I’m guessing zero is the number of times you’re gonna call it.

4. Surround it with conflict or action
Distract the audience with conflict or action. In the Terminator, James Cameron presents a 10-minute scene full of nothing but exposition.  10 minutes of exposition!  But the audience never notices. While Reese is explaining to Sarah – and the audience – all the pertinent background information (where he’s from, why he’s there, what the future holds, what the Terminator is), the two are constantly surrounded by conflict and action (fleeing the police and engaging in a battle with the Terminator.)

5. Feed it to a hungry audience
Wait to reveal information until the audience is begging to know it.  Set up the desire for the reader to know the information by withholding it for as long as possible.  In Chinatown, Robert Towne carefully builds anticipation.  When Evelyn Mulwray’s secret in finally revealed, the audience is eager to hear the information.  Callie Khouri achieves the same effect with the build-up and presentation of Louise’s secret in Thelma and Louise.