How to Write Dialogue that Hides Exposition (Dialogue Mastery #1)

[@nicolettesaina6210]

James! Nicolette here, from Tornado screenwriting days. This is the first video I have seen of yours on this channel. Had to jump on and say that the camera loves you. You present really well. Also, the production design is nice too. Impressed!

[@heyjameshurst]

So nice to hear from you, Nicolette! I hope you are well and thanks for the very kind words!

[@paulbeck637]

Excellent video! I'm signing up for your course right now!

[@heyjameshurst]

Welcome aboard!

[@drchipmunk3247]

I’m no writer, but this is vid was super interesting. Thanks!

[@heyjameshurst]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ucantSQ]

6:10 isn't that what gives depth to a movie or book and increases rewatchability? I want my movies to be complex, to stress my attention and tax my comprehension abilities. One of my favorite scenes in the Matrix trilogy is when Neo is talking to the Architect. It's basically all exposition, but instead of spoon feeding the audience, they ratchet up the vocabulary making it far more difficult for the average person to understand. I remember watching that scene over and over and over, looking up words I didn't know in an effort to make sense of the scene. Far from making me fumble my jugglings, it encouraged me to engage with the scene at an almost scholastic level. In fact, one of the growing criticisms of media today is it's too simple. They don't challenge the viewer's attention at all (movies produced for the "second screen"). The movies are flat, boring, predictable, forgetable. Memorable media is going to be challenging. If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you; if it doesn't change you, it might as well have not happened. I guess it comes down to: are you trying to make art that people will remember, or produce some pulp fiction that people will stare at while recovering from the soulless drudgery of menial labor?

[@heyjameshurst]

I love movies that challenge the audience and make them consider themes they’ve not considered or see life from another perspective. I think exposition belongs in a different category. Exposition is there to provide context so audiences can understand the plot… but if the exposition itself is challenging they won’t be able to understand the themes or feel the deeper resonances. Exposition is a tool to get the audience to a place where they can be challenged, but I don’t know if exposition itself should be challenging. That’s my view but I’m sure there are exceptions.

[@GarveyToure]

Hey man this is good stuff! Well done. I gotta rewatch

[@heyjameshurst]

Thanks so much!

[@richtoonsTV]

Those are really good tips, James!I'm going to keep those in mind for my explainer videos!

[@heyjameshurst]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you so much for your feedback my friend

[@ucantSQ]

I'm no expert, but one thing I've tried is to hide exposition between interruptions. Say just enough to give the reader a taste -- but then so-and-so shows up talking about whatever, interrupting the exposition mid-sentence. This can allow you to braid expositions, develop the relations between the various characters, and establish who knows what. It provides more friction and tension than a single, straight-forward plot point expo; it feels more lively, jumbled, and complex. It gives the scene surface area and texture. It leaves the reader (perhaps unconsciously) on the upbeat, waiting for... was he going to finish or...?

[@heyjameshurst]

I like the idea of interrupting exposition. That sounds like a fun way to break it up. I really like to make the information difficult for the hero to find out so that they have to earn it. That way you can make the exposition a win for the hero.