Rules of Exposition
Most beginning screenplay writers know that exposition should be minimal. Many readers will measure a screenplay’s exposition, expecting no more than a quarter page total. Unfortunately, exposition is often several pages.
Why should exposition be minimal? When a writer conveys back story (such as history of the characters or previous incidents) he often loses his audience if the exposition delivers long, drawn out explanations. The audience no longer discovers the story through character actions. Instead the action is stopped while the characters recite history -- talking to the audience and explaining the story. When this happens, empathy with the characters disappears.
So, how does a writer deal with exposition? Most exposition is in the first ten pages. Ten pages! That sounds formulaic but makes sense since the audience is just discovering the characters and the plot line. It is also the time when most readers will add the script to the reject pile. Professional readers first notice the length of the screenplay, which is expected to be around 120 pages. They often flip through the screenplay to determine the balance between dialogue and action lines. Amateur writers usually have too much dialogue, hence a non-visual story. An aspect of exposition exists at this stage -- it often takes a lot of dialogue to ineffectively tell the back-story. Another unsuccessful method of telling the back story is by flashbacks. Only a few films, such as Sophie’s Choice, usefully employ back story. Flashbacks usually indicate story problems. If you must, integrate sparse exposition in the dialogue with motivated action so the reader’s interest is maintained. Most professional readers will judge the writer at 10 pages. If the writer is somewhat confident, then exposition is often the final determinant.
Many elementary writing books recommend exposition by having characters argue about history that occurred prior to the film’s storyline. This provides an emotional motivation to move the story forward. Most often, this appears as a tool to disguise poor story telling. What is a great example of exposition? The Godfather is an excellent example. The opening includes a scene where the funeral undertaker, Bonasera, asks for justice from the Godfather regarding some men who attacked his daughter. In this scene, we get a microcosmic view of the Godfather and his world. No one announces that this is a mafia leader and this is how the mafia functions. Bonasera simply tells his story and Don Corleone responds how Bonasera hasn’t tried to be his friend but now comes for help. Bonasera whispers into Don Corleone’s ear the kind of revenge he desires. Obviously he wants the Don to kill the men who harmed his daughter. But he insults the Don by asking how much he needs to pay. Finally, Bonasera bows his head and asks the Don to “be my friend.” That was what the Don was waiting to hear. Don Corleone tells him “some day, and that day may never come, I would like to call upon you to do me a service in return.” With this brief exposition, we get a clear idea of who Don Corleone is and how he functions. The story (and history) unveils itself naturally. No excess details are added, and only the bare history necessary to follow the story is included. Early on we see FBI agents walking around the parked cars and writing down license numbers at Don Corleone’s daughter’s wedding. This explains Corleone’s relationship to the law without the audience being told.
Another great example of exposition is Tootsie. It opens with the main character, which we later learn is Michael Dorsey, applying makeup. Then we see him in various auditions. Each scene ends with the casting person indicating that they are looking for someone a little younger or a little older or a little taller. Then we see Michael leading an acting class. All of this is action revealing who Michael is and what has happened to him. It prepares us for his decision of auditioning for the role of Tootsie.
Why is flashback usually exposition? Most of the time it is simply a device to explain what happened to the characters in the past without moving the plot forward. Instead, the story comes to a halt. Professional readers are very savvy to the use of flashbacks and that is often the immediate cause of a script being rejected. Besides flashbacks, beware of simplistic techniques of adding exposition such as having characters argue. As the characters argue and ask each other questions, more and more explanation is added. Many script-writing books have suggested this method as a way of camouflaging exposition but it is often poorly used.
One of the best ways of learning how to effectively use exposition is to study outstanding scripts. Carefully look for the little pieces of exposition that are dropped into the script throughout the story. Appropriate use of exposition is generally a sign of a well-developed storyline.