Last week it was non-verbal 'dialogue', this week it was terrible exposition. How about we continue the theme and do Good Exposition next week? Personally, I've learned a lot these two weeks so I would happily see more on the same topic. Here are a couple of examples of what I consider a good way of handling exposition: The Apartment (1960) Written by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond. His voice trails off. There is something familiar about the cracked mirror of the compact -- and the fleur-de-lis pattern on the case confirms his suspicion. Fran notices the peculiar expression on his face. FRAN: What is it? BUD (with difficulty): The mirror -- it's broken. FRAN: I know. I like it this way -- makes me look the way I feel. http://movieclips.com/d9Uqz-the-apartment-movie-broken-mirror/ Why is this good? This is information that we the audience know already. Bud is the one that has to put two and two together and Wilder and Diamond handle this brilliantly. Road To Perdition (2002) Written by Max Allan Collins, Richard Piers Rayner and David Self. http://movieclips.com/VhTa-road-to-perdition-movie-kill-sullivan-and-all-debts-are-paid/ “Kill Sullivan and all debts are paid.” This film has several scenes that could have been part of the Terrible Exposition week, but this particular scene I think is handled nicely. A bad way of doing this scene would have been to have the guys pull their guns on each other and then have a standoff where the bad guy explains everything. We've seen similar scenarios in many films and it is almost always bad.

More Good Exposition: Here are two scenes from The Ghost Writer (2010) Screenplay by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski, based on the book “The Ghost” by Robert Harris. This whole film is a great study in how to handle exposition (and just about every other aspect of filmmaking as well.) Polanski does this often; if he has to give us information, he doesn't dwell on it. He gives it to us quickly and then moves on. First example: http://movieclips.com/4Gtz-the-ghost-writer-movie-publishers-meeting/ Consider the first exchange in the elevator. INT. RHINEHART PUBLISHING HQ. ELEVATOR – DAY QUIGLEY presses his security card to the elevator control panel and presses the button for the top floor. QUIGLEY: I must be honest. I don't think you're the right man for this assignment. GHOST: Then it's a good job it's not your decision, Roy. Five seconds. And he sets up a conflict and shows both characters attitude towards each other and the upcoming meeting. Roy Quigley delivers his line looking away. Kinda stuck-up as he explains his feeling about the Ghost. The Ghost looks straight at him, not afraid of a challenge or voicing his opinion. Super-efficient and it doesn't feel like it was for the audience's benefit. Second example from the same film: http://movieclips.com/LDFq-the-ghost-writer-movie-the-interview-begins/ Here we need to know that the manuscript is locked away, which plays a big part in the story later on. Polanski shows us that a key card is needed to access the safe, that the manuscript is contained on a USB drive, and with minimal dialogue explains the rules. The clever thing is that as soon as we hear this exposition, he creates a diversion by having The Prime Minister ask a question and we focus on his reaction instead. Some might argue that this isn't a good example, but I think it's again very efficient and keeps the plot moving along at a great pace.

I like that: good exposition. A great way to drive home some ways to use exposition in a positive, entertaining way in our writing. Why don't we go with that as a theme for next week?

Good exposition is hard because when it's good it's not as easy to notice. Or find clips. Here's an article on Ten Great Film Exposition Scenes. As mentioned in a daily dialog post this week, Terminator "It will not stop." Casino voice-over scene everybody-watches-everybody. Memento Leonard's condition. The Pelican Brief Darby explains the brief. The Matrix what is real? (The Matrix clip also has an interactive transcript.) Gattaca De-gene-erate. And my personal favorite: The Zero Effect "The case of the man with the mismatched shoelaces". I think good exposition always backs up the characters first and the plot second. I like these examples because they're dynamic, intelligent, and sharp.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) directed by Stanley Kubrick screenplay by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke BBC Interviewer: The sixth member of the Discovery crew was not concerned about the problems of hibernation, for he was the latest result in machine intelligence: The H.-A.-L. 9000 computer, which can reproduce, though some experts still prefer to use the word mimic, most of the activities of the human brain, and with incalculably greater speed and reliability. We next spoke with the H.-A.-L. 9000 computer, whom we learned one addresses as "Hal." BBC Interviewer: Good afternoon, HAL. How's everything going? HAL: Good afternoon, Mr. Amor. Everything is going extremely well. BBC Interviewer: HAL, you have an enormous responsibility on this mission, in many ways perhaps the greatest responsibility of any single mission element. You're the brain and central nervous system of the ship, and your responsibilities include watching over the men in hibernation. Does this ever cause you any lack of confidence? HAL: Let me put it this way, Mr. Amor. The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error. BBC Interviewer: HAL, despite your enormous intellect, are you ever frustrated by your dependence on people to carry out actions? HAL: Not in the slightest bit. I enjoy working with people. I have a stimulating relationship with Dr. Poole and Dr. Bowman. My mission responsibilities range over the entire operation of the ship, so I am constantly occupied. I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do. BBC Interviewer: Dr. Poole, what's it like living for the better part of a year in such close proximity with Hal? Frank: Well it's pretty close to what you said about him earlier, he is just like a sixth member of the crew. [You] very quickly get adjusted to the idea that he talks, and you think of him, uh, really just as another person. BBC Interviewer: In talking to the computer, one gets the sense that he is capable of emotional responses, for example, when I asked him about his abilities, I sensed a certain pride in his answer about his accuracy and perfection. Do you believe that Hal has genuine emotions? Dave: Well, he acts like he has genuine emotions. Um, of course we've programmed that way to make it easier for us to talk to him, but as to whether or not he has real feelings is something I don't think anyone can truthfully answer.

Ugh sorry about the formatting!

Don't worry about the formatting, Deaf Ears. I'll fix that for the post.