It can be easy to take for granted the importance of setting in a scene. Setting, however, is one opportunity of many to deepen the overall story. Here are a few useful pointers to keep this setting from being boring on paper and onscreen.
WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE SCENE? WHO IS IN IT?
Action and plot come first if you're undecided on a setting for your scene, or the setting you currently have just isn't working. Let your eventual setting choice accommodate those first, of course, before deciding on the multitude of factors below.
For Rick Dalton to simply be told what kind of character he's playing on Lancer would be boring.
In the show's hair and makeup trailer, however, he's confronted with the aesthetic aspects of
his villainous character as well as those of the currently-popular stars of 1969,
driving home just how "out of time" he truly feels.
WHAT IS THE SPACE?
Is it wide open? Claustrophobic? Old, decrepit? Or new with the plasticky smell still present? What are the sounds? If your scene takes place indoors during the summer, it's likely the A/C will be heard in the background. Outside, you'll likely hear birds and passing cars. Is it a setting that's loose and laid-back? Or uptight and solemn?
Lex Luthor repurposes an abandoned subway station into his lair, which is large and grand
in nature, but still possesses his means of villainy and "hiding in plain sight".
WHAT PROPS WILL BE THERE?
No props would be fine if your scene in question is about two characters merely verbally sparring, but especially in comedies, it's important to remember that props can be your friend. After all, a character's stern point can be undercut by a considerably sillier prop.
This would not be an example of the above.
HOW WILL THEY INFORM YOUR CHARACTERS (AND VICE VERSA)?
ARE THERE PARALLELS OR THEMATIC CONNECTIONS?
Similar to the above, the room in question can be indicative of a character's personality, past, present, and future. Is it as stifling as their nature? Open and barren? Or just there because the character is barely in there to begin with?
Is the setting intrusive enough to affect the characters' conversation? Or so deadly quiet that they feel exceptionally nervous and self-conscious? It may not even influence their conversation directly, but perhaps it's not as secure as they think. Like props, let the room be your friend.
The claustrophobic, bustling courthouse press room in The Front Page (1974) influences
Hildy Johnson's tension in hiding Earl Williams from his fellow press men.
ARE THERE PARALLELS OR THEMATIC CONNECTIONS?
Similar to the above, the room in question can be indicative of a character's personality, past, present, and future. Is it as stifling as their nature? Open and barren? Or just there because the character is barely in there to begin with?
Despite being one of the smaller spaces in Luthor's lair, this map room is spacious, with plenty of room
for Luthor's various computers (because 1978), furniture, and distance between him and
Miss Teschmacher, signifying their opulent, but emotionally cold dynamic.
ARE THEY REAL? FICTIONAL?
Real locations can be enhanced with regional and other details (see in my "Screenwriting" tag), but a fictional setting can still parody a real one to hilarious effect. What are its further surroundings? Is the larger setting the Mojave desert? Or Churchill, Manitoba with polar bears?
Three words that strike fear into the hearts of animal lovers
and lovesick old folks alike.
Copyright © Chynna Moore
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