Читать книгу The User's Journey - Donna Lichaw - Страница 13

During the exposition, you are introduced to the world of the story, the characters, and some kind of big goal. There is a main character, and that character wants something. Big. The exposition functions not only to set the stage of a story, but also to get the person on the other end—you, the viewer—interested and engaged with the main character or characters and what drives them. At its most powerful, a good exposition will compel you to see yourself in and identify with a character or a set of characters. At the very least, it compels you to empathize with them.

Take for example the 1985 feature film, Back to the Future. In the exposition, you meet Marty McFly, who lives in Hill Valley—any suburb USA. His family isn’t very ambitious, but Marty has plans. He’s going to make something of himself. Marty has a friend, Doc—a mad scientist who built a time machine (see Figure 2.4). All very cool.

FIGURE 2.4 In the exposition to Back to the Future, you are introduced to Marty, Doc, and their time machine.

In a movie like Back to the Future, you’re compelled to empathize with Marty. You don’t have to like him. You just have to understand him, his goals and why he wants to pursue them.