I Get It.

via GIPHY

Be warned, if you read this post you'll will be made aware of something that will pull you out of just about every genre movie and TV show you presently know and love. It doesn't pull you out far, it's not the end of cinema, it's barely worth mentioning. And yet…

Imagine a screenwriter gets a producer's note, saying that the script needs to make absolutely clear that Veronica is afraid that marrying Cody will destroy Veronica's relationship with her dying father, Claus. But don't be "on the nose"! Don't just have Veronica say, "I'm afraid, Cody, that marrying you will destroy my relationship with my dying father, Claus!" First of all, Veronica and Cody both know that Claus is Veronica's father. Why would Veronica clarify that, you hack!?

So how does the screenwriter shoehorn in this magical clarity without Veronica having to say her feelings on the nose?

                                                                         CODY
            Look Veronica, I get it. You're afraid

            that marrying me will destroy your

            relationship with Claus. But you can't

            live for Claus. You have to live for you.

"I get it."

Those are the three magic words that screenwriters use over and over to either fix the dreaded clarity issue without forcing a character to be on the nose, or to at least subtly apologize for a big spoonful of exposition.

Here's a fun game: Go find any genre script, copy/paste it into word, and search for "i get it". I'll start with, let's say, THE LEGO MOVIE.

                                            EMMET
            I know. You want to control everything. 

            I get it. But if you succeed, in the end, 

            all you’ll ever have is what you’ve got.

That was fun! Let's try another: TED.

                                                                    TANYA
            Yeah, we were dating for eight months,

            and I was really in love with him, and 
            then he was deported back to Iran. So, 
            I get it.

But that's not all.

                                             REX
            Alright, alright, I get it. I don’t

            blame you. When you think about it, it 
            was actually really unfair of him to 
            embarrass you like that.

One more movie? How about BRIDESMAIDS?

                                                                     ANNIE (reading)

            Bill... Cozbi’s?

                            RHODES
            With a “z”. Different guy. Don’t

            mention the whole Bill Cosby thing to him, 

            it drives him nuts. I mean it.

                            ANNIE
            Ok, I get it. Thanks.

Hmmm… That one doesn't seem to really fall into my description of exposition shoehorning. I guess BRIDESMAIDS doesn't--

                                                                   MEGAN
            No carry on? I noticed you didn’t

            put anything in the overhead bin. I get it. 

            Protect and serve ...

                        (leaning in)
            ... Air Marshal style.

Ah. Yes, that one IS hanging a lantern on some exposition. But the exposition is a joke. I don't think BRIDESMAIDS falls into this--

                                                                   ANNIE 

            Lill, I’m fine.

                           LILLIAN
            No, you’re not fine Annie. We need

            things to just flow smoothly from 

            now on and Helen knows how to do this 

            kind of stuff. She does it all the time. 

            She’s good at it and she likes doing it. 

            This way you don’t have to plan any more 

            lunches or trips. You don’t have to do 

            anything you don’t want to do.

                           ANNIE 

            I get it.

Well. Yes. That one, and only that one, count--

                                                                  RHODES
            Come on. I know you haven’t done it

            a while, but it will be great. Don’t 

            be silly, just get into it. You’re so 

            good at it.

Annie is uncomfortable. She stares at him.

                                  RHODES (CONT’D)
            Alright I get it, it was a bit of a

            curve ball.

Jeez!!!!

Look, screenwriters, I get it. Sometimes, you're just putting those three shouty words next to an exposition point just to make sure the readers don't miss it, and you fully intend to take it out on the shoot day, only you forget, or you're banned from the set because you argued too much that the exposition point was perfectly clear already.

And to those using those three shouty words in a script right now, I get it. I'm using them too. Because I don't want the reader to miss something, and I can always take it out on the shoot day. What? Me be banned? I'm collaborative, not argumentative!

But let's all be clear: That viral montage video of dozens of "I get it" lines from movies and TV is coming any day now, after which we'll have to find a different way to point out exposition. Agreed?

And to whomever actually does this video, link this post! Credit where it's due!