Movie Monday: Part I, The Exposition
Intro to Movie Monday
We’re excited to share our new series, Movie Monday! The first film we will explore in the series is the Short Documentary. Films are traditionally guided by a structure called a plot, or a story arc. Story arcs give organization to a story, so that it can be told in a compelling manner. It is called an arc, because the story rises, peaks and falls according to the action and tension. The first part of the story arc is the exposition, which gives the background information to the story. Next, the tension rises as you discover the challenges. The story then peaks with the climax of action. And finally, it ends with a resolution.
Each week on the blog, we'll be breaking down each part of the story arc as it relates to one of our actual client films - the Redstart Residence Short Documentary. Architecture firm Arc Three commisioned us to tell the story of one of their landmark projects. We truly believe in the power of a good story, and through this series, we hope to share how you can use storytelling and film strategically for your business.
What is a Short Documentary?
The Short Documentary explores a particular story more intimately. This film goes in-depth to tell an honest story of your brand, gathering voices from all angles, including customer interviews and team interviews. Have a new feature rollout or product launch? This is a great option to share the story behind this next step for your brand, why it matters to your clients, and the people who made it happen.
What is the Exposition?
Let’s dig into Part 1 - The Exposition. The function of the exposition is to give all of the background information the viewer needs to know before they embark on the story. Most often that includes the characters, setting and tone. Take a look at how we established these three in the Redstart Residence Short Documentary below.
Redstart Residence: Exposition
The film opens with beautiful shots of a midcentury home, along with voiceover talking about design. Immediately we clue the viewer in that this is a film about a home and the process of designing it. The next location we see is the Arc Three office, another important setting in the film as its the architecture firm of our main characters, Bryson & Garrett. From the very beginning, we wanted to set the tone of the film as warm and familial, while also tackling thoughtful themes of good design philosophy and purposeful planning.
When planning the film with Bryson and Garrett, they really wanted to include not only their client, Betsey, but also her sisters who were a big part of the project. I quickly learned that they had a blast designing this home with “the sisters” and that they had a very collaborative and playful working relationship, so we wanted to introduce them into the story in a compelling way that represented their personalities and each of their different roles. A little anecdote from “the boys” (as the sisters affectionately call Bryson and Garrett) was the perfect way to introduce these vital characters. During the introduction of the sisters, we also learn a little more background information about the commissioning of this project - there was an existing home on the property that Betsey wanted to remodel.
Since this is a short film, we need the exposition to be succinct, while also delivering all the pertinent information as well as establishing the tone of the film. Because there is so much to accomplish in so little time, everything included in the exposition of this film was purposefully chosen and woven together. Every single piece of film, dialogue, music and imagery has multiple functions within the film, yet works in harmony with one another in order to tell the story.
Next week, we will dive deeper into the story when we discuss Part 2 - The Conflict. Stay tuned!