Categories: Paper Team TV Writing

Exposition in TV Writing (PT24)

Alex and Nick take a look at exposition in television writing, from dialogue to prose, action, and meta information.

What should be revealed to the audience? How can you give exposition in an organic and entertaining way? What differentiates good exposition from bad exposition?

The Paper Team shows and tells…

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – What is exposition and what information should you reveal (00:29)
2 – How to do exposition in TV: bad versus good exposition, dialogue, prose, and meta (06:52)
Takeaways and Resources (30:29)

Links

Mr. Exposition (TVTropes)
“Why Fall TV is Choking on Its Own Voice-Over” – IndieWire
“And Maggie Makes Three” (6×13 – The Simpsons)
“Lizard” (1×01 – Man Seeking Woman)
“Pilot” (1×01 – Breaking Bad)
“Top Banana” (1×02 – Arrested Development)
Fringe’s location chyrons
“Through the Looking Glass” (3×22-23 – Lost)
Lost’s flash-fowards
“Premiere” (1×01 – Farscape)

Resources

“Dialogue Secrets” – William Martell
“Escape From (Dull) Exposition” (Video)

Special thanks to Jason J. Cohn for helping us edit this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :)

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex@TVCalling
Nick@_njwatson
If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: ask@paperteam.co

Paper Team
Alex Freedman & Nick Watson

Paper Team is a podcast about television writing and becoming a TV writer.

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