Exposition Small Group Project #1

The Big Picture… With a very broad introduction to some of the most basic dramatic concepts, it is time that we begin to develop our understanding… through application. Today, we begin preliminary work on our large group productions.

The Big Picture… Illustrated As you know, this course culminates in a large, student-developed group production. Each production is very tightly structured so as to maximize dramatic effectiveness. This structure also doubles as the grading rubric. There are ten components each production will be required to cover.

Component #1: Exposition Effective exposition is a fundamental component of the narrative. Exposition essentially serves as the introduction to everything. Just like the back story, it serves give the audience all of the background information they will need, only exposition delivers this information organically, within the confines of the scene/story.

Necessary Exposition An effective exposition will clearly introduce the following three things: (most) all of the main characters of the story through multiple uses of an identifier (name) the primary setting/settings of the story setting includes time, place, and mood the central conflict of the story even if only in its beginning stages

Effective Exposition Meeting the requirements for necessary exposition is the minimum – what will be required to pass the assignment. Effective exposition will determine those scores between the A – C range. Effective exposition must be subtle enough to not be obvious with what it is trying to be accomplished, but at the same time interesting enough so as not to be boring.

Let’s Look at Some Film Examples…

On Groupings You will be placed into groups of 6-8 today. And you will work with this group for the duration of the exposition preparation. You will be graded both individually and as a group. These groups have been assigned randomly, so as to get you working with as many different people as possible – this should enable you to better select group members for the large productions.

Groups – Period 2 Group 1 (Tuesday – 24th) Group 2 (Wednesday – 25th) Sierra, Rachamin, Milan, Emmanuel, Brianna, Joshua Group 2 (Wednesday – 25th) Michael, Kyaliah, Makeda, Avona, Nashya, Caleb, Breyana Group 3 (Thursday – 26th) Broadus, Christian, Martasha, Grace, Sean, David, Camryn

Groups – Period 8 Group 1 (Monday – 23rd) Group 2 (Tuesday – 24th) Ama, Kenneth, Juan, Johnny, Katherine, Chelsea, Demetrious Group 2 (Tuesday – 24th) Allen-Michael, London, Corbett, Alexis, Samuel, Destini Group 3 (Wednesday – 25th) Timothy, Trystan, Amir, Mahkelia, Ifasoke, Henry Group 4 (Thursday – 26th) Nina, Morgyn, Wilfred, Christopher, Anthony, Naz, Ryan

The Assignment Your group will be writing and performing extended micro-minis – through the lens of exposition. Your goal will be two-fold: to successfully complete all of the requirements of a micro-mini scene to successfully create an effective exposition for a story we’d really like to see

Formatting/Grading Each student is responsible for writing and submitting his or her own micro-mini. Ultimately, each group will select two (of the best) scenes to perform. Those two writers become two directors who will cast their parts from the remaining members of the group. These sub-groups will then receive a group grade for their overall performance. Each performance should be approximately 5-10 minutes in length. Performances will be done Monday-Thursday of next week.

The Draft – Part 1 (The Prompt) The story revolves around a romantic relationship between two people. If other parties are involved, they are not privy to the romance between the two characters when the scene begins. The setting is professional – so much so that the conducting of anything personal is highly inappropriate. Required dialogue: Character #1: “You hurt me.” Character #2: “I’m sorry.”

The Draft – Part 2 (The Backstory) Write a very brief back story describing: 1) who each character is and where we are when the scene opens 2) the relationship between all of the characters 3) the important moments that occurred just before the scene begins 4) any other pertinent information we need to know to understand the scene

The Draft – Part 3 (The Dialogue) Now use the scenario and the characters to create a dramatic scene through the use of dialogue. Remember, the key to drama is internal conflict. And to achieve internal conflict, one character must grapple with two opposing demands/impulses. I will not limit your word count here, but remember that your actors will not have time to memorize your lines, rather, they will do an improvised interpretation of them. If you have a very clear vision of how the scene should play out, indicate and execute that through stage direction.

The Draft – Part 4 (The Stage Business) This is where the scene comes alive, so put a lot of thought into this. Do not have characters doing boring things. Remember, if you can have the stage business match the dialogue or match a theme of the scene – that’s quality writing! For each character that appears in the scene, write a short paragraph describing what he or she is doing at each moment. Be mindful that he or she will not be doing the same thing for a scene of this length.

The Draft – Part 5 (The Blocking) Now determine the spatial relationships of the characters – both to themselves and to the set. Draw a bird’s-eye view of the blocking for your scene. Begin by illustrating the placement of the set pieces of the space (e.g., doors, furniture, key props, et cetera). Then draw in the characters as they will appear to the audience when the scene begins. Lastly, use numbered arrows to indicate important movements that are integral to the scene. Use multiple slides, if necessary.

The Draft – Part 6 (The Revision) Now that you have written the micro-mini, go back through your scene and make sure that you have designed an effective exposition. Double-check: Do you adequately introduce all of the main characters of the story through multiple uses of an identifier (name, idiosyncrasy, identifying item, etc.)? Do you thoroughly present the primary setting of the story, including its time, place, and mood? Do you pose the central conflict of the story – even if only in its beginning stages – in a clear manner?

The Pitch At this point in the process, each student will provide a brief, two-minute elevator pitch to the rest of the group. On a piece of notebook paper, after each pitch, grade the scene on a scale from 1-5. Each writer will also grade his or her own play. After all of the plays have been read. We will calculate the final scores and then select, as a group, the two plays to be performed. Afterwards, scenes will be cast, and roles will be determined.