John and Craig debate and defend one of the most-maligned elements of screenwriting: Exposition. How do you tell an audience what they need to know without being labeled a hack? We offer tips for getting viewers up to speed without them realizing they’re getting fed exposition.

We also follow up on screenplay competitions, the psychology of toxic fandom, fridging as a trope, and the market for lesbian love stories.

Links:

* Michael Arndt’s thoughts on Endings (and Beginnings) * Midnight blue typewriter Scriptnotes t-shirts are back on Cotton Bureau for a limited time! * “Fridging” is the trope of violence against women motivating a male protagonist’s plot. * These seven lesbian movies are coming out in 2018. * This exposition scene in Aliens does it right. * American Animals, written and directed by Bart Layton * Isoland 2: Ashes of Time for iOS and Android * The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide! * The USB drives! * John August on Twitter * Craig Mazin on Twitter * John on Instagram * Find past episodes * Outro by Timothy Vajda (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.