Keys to Handling Exposition
Take my 1-week online class to learn ways to make exposition entertaining.
“Nothing can bore readers more than the delivery of setting, information, data and backstory. Yet every script, play or story you write requires you to include exposition. What to do?”
Take my 1-week online class to learn ways to make exposition entertaining.
In Hollywood, there is a saying: “Exposition = Death.” Why? Check out these comments:
Taylor Sheridan (“Hell or High Water”) said he learned how to write by taking note of what didn’t work. And he confessed, as a former actor, that he had plenty of practice working through bad material.
“I spent most of my time on TV shows kind of spewing exposition,” he said. “When I write I almost never use dialogue to move the plot forward because I understand painfully the traps. I try to have the lines tell you something about the character.”
The “traps” to which Sheridan refers are, I suspect, largely about the fact that nothing can slow down a story or cause a script reader’s eyes to glaze over more than reading a scene or scenes chock full of exposition: setting, information, data, backstory. I am reminded of David Mamet’s infamous memo to his writing staff on the TV series ‘The Unit’:
THERE IS NO MAGIC FAIRY DUST WHICH WILL MAKE A BORING, USELESS, REDUNDANT, OR MERELY INFORMATIVE SCENE AFTER IT LEAVES YOUR TYPEWRITER. YOU THE WRITERS, ARE IN CHARGE OF MAKING SURE EVERY SCENE IS DRAMATIC.
THIS MEANS ALL THE “LITTLE” EXPOSITIONAL SCENES OF TWO PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT A THIRD. THIS BUSHWAH (AND WE ALL TEND TO WRITE IT ON THE FIRST DRAFT) IS LESS THAN USELESS, SHOULD IT FINALLY, GOD FORBID, GET FILMED.
IF THE SCENE BORES YOU WHEN YOU READ IT, REST ASSURED IT WILL BORE THE ACTORS, AND WILL, THEN, BORE THE AUDIENCE, AND WE’RE ALL GOING TO BE BACK IN THE BREADLINE.
Nothing can bore readers more than the delivery of setting, information, data and backstory. Yet every script, play or story you write requires you to include exposition. What to do?
That’s why I created the Screenwriting Master Class course Handling Exposition. In this unique 1-week online class, we will break down exposition into various types, then by analyzing numerous examples from well known movies, delve into six key principles and techniques on how to best handle it:
- Exposition as Fascination
- Exposition as Mystery
- Exposition as Revelation
- Exposition as Conflict
- Exposition as Action
- Exposition as Humor
Plus 7 insider tips on working with exposition.
In addition, you can workshop exposition in your own stories using the principles and tips you learn in the course.
And the always popular Logline Workshop.
Thanks a million, Scott, for being there for us inspiring writers and for the practical, real and valuable learning experience that was hands down the best writing class I have ever taken. I was blown away by the creative and practical tools imparted from you in the Exposition Craft Class.
— Katalin Szonyi
This class definitely expanded my ability to deal with exposition in ways that I hadn’t considered before. The lectures, along with the accompanying examples, are a fantastic resource if you either struggle with exposition or are just looking for a new perspective.
— Calvin Starnes
The class consists of:
Seven lectures written by Scott Myers
Special insider tips
Daily forum Q&As
Workshop writing exercises with instructor and class feedback
A 90-minute live teleconference between instructor and class members
Trust me, you need to know how to handle exposition. That’s why I created this course. And this is the only time I’ll be teaching it in 2019!
That’s right, I’m offering this class just once this year.
So join me beginning Monday, February 4 for Handling Exposition, a 1-week immersion in this critical aspect of the screenwriting craft.
Enroll here!
Or have access to all 10 Craft Classes for nearly 60% off the regular price in The Craft Package.
Here is the schedule of upcoming Screenwriting Master Class courses and workshops:
February 4, 2019 — Craft: Handling Exposition
presented by Scott Myers
February 11, 2019 — Pages II: Rewrite Your Script
presented by Tom Benedek
February 11, 2019 — Craft TV: Pilots, Season Arcs, Series Bibles
presented by Tom Benedek
February 18, 2019 — Craft: Scene Description Spotlight
presented by Scott Myers
February 25, 2109 — Craft: Writing the Character-Driven Script
presented by Tom Benedek
March 4, 2019 — Craft: Character Development Keys
presented by Scott Myers
March 11, 2019 — Pages I: Writing First Draft
presented by Tom Benedek
March 18, 2019 — Craft: Create a Compelling Protagonist
presented by Scott Myers
March 25, 2019 — Craft: Creating the Web Series
presented by Tom Benedek
April 1, 2019 — Craft: Write a Worthy Nemesis
presented by Scott Myers
April 8, 2019, 2019 — Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Tom Benedek
April 15, 2019 — Craft: Scene-Writing Workshop
presented by Scott Myers
April 22, 2019 — Network Hollywood
presented by Tom Benedek
April 29, 2019 — Craft: Dialogue-Writing Workshop
presented by Scott Myers
May 6, 2019 — Pages II: Rewrite Your Script
presented by Tom Benedek
May 13, 2019 — Craft: The Coen Brothers and the Craft of Storytelling
presented by Scott Myers
May 20, 2019 — Craft: Scene Writing Tarantino Style
presented by Tom Benedek
May 27, 2019 — Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Scott Myers
June 10, 2019 — Pages I: Writing First Draft
presented by Scott Myers
June 17, 2019 — Craft: Writing the Low Budget Script
presented by Tom Benedek
June 24, 2019 — Craft: Creating Characters
presented by Tom Benedek
July 8, 2019 — Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Scott Myers
“There’s a reason I wanted Scott to be the official screenwriting blogger for the Black List. He’s the best there is. Period.”
~ Franklin Leonard, founder, The Black List
“Tom Benedek is a teacher, writer and coach who puts in the extra time and effort to make sure that every story he mentors serves a necessary purpose. His expertise with characters and stories is transcended by how he goes out of his way to make sure that scripts provide the emotional punch that reminds us why we became screenwriters in the first place.”
~ Max Lance, Winner 2017 Academy Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting
“Scott is one of those rare finds as a teacher — someone whose tireless passion for instructing and helping others realize their potential never wanes and falters. It truly fulfills him to see his students do well — which is no doubt why he has so many avid fans and long-term relationships with his graduates in Hollywood. He has a knack for seeing a writer — and giving them feedback — even if the script needs a lot of work — that builds up the writer instead of breaking them down — allowing them to return to the page and begin again — getting better each time.”
~ Lisa Joy, screenwriter and TV writer-producer, Pushing Daisies (ABC), Burn Notice (USA), Westworld (HBO), 2014 Black List script “Reminiscence”
“Thank you for running such an excellent workshop. I learned so much, and it was a really great environment for trying out new ideas and getting honest, supportive feedback.”
~ Erin O’Connor, screenwriter — Miss Virginia (2018) with Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black)
Tom is great to work with — — a wonderful screen and TV writer. He understands how series television is built on the page and knows how to talk about it with students and professionals.
~Josh Brand TV Writer-Producer — The Americans, Northern Exposure, Amazing Stories
“I’ve known Scott for a number of years, going back to my first discovery of his excellent Go Into the Story blog, an invaluable resource for writers of both film and television. Since then I’ve known him to be an incredibly talented, knowledgeable and generous teacher and champion of writers. In a business with no shortage of hucksters, he is a true force for good.”
~ Mickey Fisher, creator and executive producer, Extant (CBS), Reverie (NBC), and Mars (National Geographic)
“Tom has a very incisive understanding of all the ingredients that make a great screenplay. He’s also a first rate writer and a wonderful teacher.”
~ Producer Michael Shamberg — Erin Brockovich, Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty
To learn more about Screenwriting Master Class, go here.