10 Weird Rules That Only Ever Work In TV & Movies
4. Supporting Characters Must Exposit Backstory
It's the responsibility of both the writer and the director to ensure we as audiences not only understand our characters, but the scene in which the story is set. Quite often this is spoon-fed to us through a voiceover narration at the very beginning.
Sometimes, whether it's out of laziness or a lack of creativity, we're forced to endure almost alien-like dialogue that establishes the characters and their relationships with one another.
Too often have characters vomited out exposition to one another with information that not only should these characters already know, but it could have gradually been revealed to us throughout the story.
Filmmakers don't trust that audiences can figure out context, so instead we're presented with sweaty interactions where one character reminds another that they're siblings. Or have known each other a long time. Or are getting married the next day. Or are only in town for one night.
The exchanges are eye-rolling - not just for the characters, but for us as audiences because we've come to realise this is not how people talk to each other.
As Harrison Ford once famously said to George Lucas: "You can type this s**t, but you sure can't say it"