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And So It Began...

© Cassandra A. Goduti

Ex•po•si•tion
Pronunciation: "ek-sp&-'zi-sh&n Function: noun
1 : a setting forth of the meaning or purpose (as of a writing) - ex•po•si•tion•al /-'zish-n&l, -'zi-sh&-n&l/ adjective
Every project or task must have a beginning and an end, just like life, and so thus does a story. The beginning or exposition sets the stage for everything that is to happen in the whole story. The exposition lays the ground work by:
1. In some cases the background history to the story The background story is oftentimes the story behind the story. Examples:
Bruce Wayne and his past, and how Batman was created. His story is often played out with him already playing the part of the masked crusader. When they talk about what made him become Batman, when his parents were killed in an alley, this is the background. This is what made him what he is today in the story. In Pirates of the Caribbean: The search for the Black Pearl, the background story is the discovery of the boy Will Turner when he was a boy and comes to meet Elizabeth Swann. These are moments in time, where we don't see them really growing up but we see glimpses of their life, the way it used to be. Not what there life is at the present.
2. Where the story takes place, time, etc. Where the story takes places can cover a variety of information that can effect or be effected by whatever is transcending upon the characters. This information can also be in-depth of vary shallow in explanation.
When Lara Croft goes off to find some piece of treasure that stops utter destruction, she travels to where the clues lead her, just as Indiana Jones does. In The Tomb of Life, Lara Croft traveled to Hong Kong, Kenya, Tasmania, Greece and the Great Wall of China. Only certain parts of their environment become important because she was always working to solve a puzzle. In this movie, the time is what the writer made it, and the environment surrounded the character because she was always on the go traveling.
In the television series Smallville, the setting is most of the time, Smallville, Kansas, a small farming town. The popular coffee shop is the Talon. The teenagers attend Smallville High School. The local paper is the Smallville Ledger.
3. The main characters: Who they are and what they are like This is a constant for the audience, learning about the characters. Usually their most amorous characteristics are first and foremost. Like, for example, Nancy Drew, the girl detective; the integrity of who she is shines through. The integrity of the character is for the character to take certain actions or in-actions. If this happens you expect this character to act in this way. Characters have integrity which keeps them on track on their goals, which leads to....

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