Praising Great Exposition in Film and TV

Exposition is the backbone of a good story—the glue that holds the narrative together, and the spice that gives it flavor. It’s the information the audience needs to understand the world of the story, the characters, and the plot.

But exposition can also be a double-edged sword. If it’s done poorly, it can feel forced, unnatural, and even boring.

So, what does great exposition actually look like?

I came across this awesome video from Thomas Flight on the topic, and wanted to share it with you all here.

Let’s dive in.

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Great Exposition vs. Bad Exposition 

Exposition is a tool used by writers to explain things to the audience. It can be delivered poorly or, if we’re lucky, with great prose. When it is bad, it can feel clunky and like characters are just telling each other things they already know.

If the exposition feels like it is interrupting the story, then it’s probably bad exposition.

If I’m over explaining my place in the story and who I am in a contrived diatribe, bad exposition looks like:

• Characters telling each other things that they already know. This is lazy writing and it will take the audience out of the story.
• Info dumps. These are long passages of exposition that are delivered all at once. They can be very boring and confusing for the audience.
• Exposition that is not well-integrated into the story.

Good exposition feels natural and reveals information when it makes sense for the characters to be having that conversation.

It all goes back to “show don’t tell” at the end of the day.

There are ways to disguise exposition and make it more interesting. One way is to only reveal information when the audience absolutely needs to know it.

Another way is to dramatize the reveal of the information.

This can make the exposition itself suspenseful. Finally, you can embrace exposition and make it the center of the story, like the movie Goodfellas does in its opening scene.

What does good exposition look like?

• Reveal information at the latest possible moment. This will help to keep the audience engaged and guessing.
• Dramatize the exposition. This will make it more interesting and memorable for the audience.
• Use subtext. This will allow you to reveal information without it feeling forced or unnatural.
• Hook the audience with the most dramatic part of the story first. This will make them want to learn more.
• Use in-world media. This can be a great way to reveal information about the world of the story.
• Embrace storyteller mode. This can be a great way to deliver exposition in a way that is both informative and entertaining.

Mastering the art of exposition is crucial for creating compelling stories that captivate audiences.

It will make you a better writer and make your scenes pop.

Let me know what you think in the comments.