I am working on a dystopian sci-fi idea that requires a fair amount of exposition and setup in order for the audience to fully understand what is going on in my story world. I am struggling to determine if/when it is better to front-load all of that setup or to embed it within the plot as mysteries/payoffs.
For example, Star Wars and the first LotR movie open with a brief explanation and overview of the situation and important past events before getting to the main action. Other movies like Terminator, The Matrix, and Inception thrust the audience into the world with no explanation before gradually explaining what is happening.
How can a writer determine when it is ideal to just dump the info on the audience right away, or when it's better to tease it out slowly? Also, what are some notable movies and stories that accomplish this effectively?
For example, Star Wars and the first LotR movie open with a brief explanation and overview of the situation and important past events before getting to the main action. Other movies like Terminator, The Matrix, and Inception thrust the audience into the world with no explanation before gradually explaining what is happening.
How can a writer determine when it is ideal to just dump the info on the audience right away, or when it's better to tease it out slowly? Also, what are some notable movies and stories that accomplish this effectively?
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