Exposition is when the writer passes essential information to the audience – not about current action, but about a character’s backstory or history, or the history that exists between characters. It is the most difficult part of storytelling though drama.
Writers who write novels can drop in information about a character’s past more easily by expressing the thoughts and feelings of the character, however it is more difficult for scriptwriters.
Badly Executed Exposition
Examples of badly executed exposition abound, the most obvious cases are when character A tells character B things that that B would already know. E.g. We’ve known each other a long time… we both went to the same school… we went to college together… Or when one sibling mentions to another, "I felt very bad when our parents got divorced ten years ago." Such exposition is unnatural, unbelievable and not dramatic,
Tools for Exposition
Screenwriters or playwrights have three tools that they can use for exposition:
- Dialogue - make the scene realistic, don’t force words into characters mouths. Don’t make characters tell other character things that they would already know.
- Subtext - use subtext, use what is between the lines to convey information. Remember that people don't always say what they mean or what they feel. Allow the audience space to become involved, and to pick up on the meanings behind the words.
- Action & Performance - use actor’s performances, don’t put everything in the dialogue. The character's body language can hold vital clues about relationships.
The task for a writer of drama is to be subtle and intriguing: otherwise they risk holding up the action and alienating the audience with material which doesn’t flow easily within the story.
Information about history and past relationships may be vital to the audience's understanding of the story, but it must never get in the way of the story. A writer must work hard to “craft” the dialogue, coming up with original and engaging ways to allow the past to come bubbling up into the present in a relevant and riveting way.
The important point to remember is that time is short in a screenplay. Every second must count.
Example of Exposition
Related articles contain a well-crafted example of dense exposition which demonstrate the above techniques.
The scene used for demonstration is from the movie “Class Action” with actors Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. The script was written by Carolyn Shelby & Christopher Ames and Samantha Shad.
The first article looks at the full list of points which shows the large amount of information and exposition that might have been on the writer’s wish list for the scene. It then shows the scene itself to see how all the background information was incorporated with the minimum of dialogue.
The next two articles show a line by line analysis of the scene demonstrating how the dialogue and performance is densely packed with information.
Read the complete list of plot exposition points contained in this scene
Read part one of the script analysis
Read part two of the script analysis
Find out more about the basics of writing for stage and screen.
Janice Hally - Janice Hally has written more than 300 broadcast hours of prime-time TV drama in the UK, as well as fiction and non-fiction books.
