Recommended Screenwriters
Settings That Increase Drama
- December 21, 2010
- Posted by: HalCroasmun
- Category: Articles
One of the elements of every single scene in your script is the setting. If you have 60 scenes, you likely have fifteen or more settings.
How many of those settings make your script more dramatic?
There are plenty of ways to increase the interest level of the settings you use in a scene, but today I'm going to focus on using settings that add drama to your script.
I looked through a recent script that was sent me by a writer. Here is the list of their settings in the 1st Act:
- Kitchen
- Living room
- Car
- Office building
- Lobby
- Cubicle
- Park
- Bedroom
- Back yard
I understand that I've only given you one or two-word explanations of the settings, but again, with those…
…Do you see anything that adds drama?
This is just another of the exciting choices a screenwriter gets to make . . . and some times, it is as important as any other choice.
Consider the movie THE USUAL SUSPECTS. The story is told through the interrogation of Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) who later turns out to be the notorious Keyser Soze. They could have told that story a hundred other ways, but it wouldn't have the same dramatic impact that having the ultimate con man trick the police in their own building has.
Chosen well, setting can bring an enormous amount of meaning and conflict to your scenes and the overall story. And when you get that perfect setting, people just assume that the story couldn't have taken place anywhere else.
Can you imagine MY COUSIN VINNY being set in New York City instead of a small town in Alabama? It would have been a completely different movie…and probably wouldn't have been produced at all.
Like many writers, my early scenes were set in restaurants or cars or offices or homes. The better I got at screenwriting, the more unique and interesting settings started to automatically show up in my scripts.
But now, it's time to make dramatic choices because they have an impact on the reader/audience. We can tailor our settings to improve the story.
Setting can be used to contrast, to darken the mood, to increase the threat, to bring in new elements, to create a crucible, to add mystery, to show a new side to your character, or to demand immediate action.
Here's some questions that can help:
FOR ANY SCENE
- What is the feel I want from this scene?
- What is the main conflict of this scene?
- What setting would provide that feel and/or enhance that conflict?
FOR AN INTRODUCTORY SCENE:
- What are the most important traits of this character?
- What setting would naturally draw out and demonstrate those traits?
TO MAKE A SCENE UNIQUE:
- What is the main thing happening in this scene?
- What setting would that never happen in, but with a little creativity, it could occur?
FOR THE CLIMATIC SCENE:
- What is the protagonist most afraid of?
- What is the primary strength of the antagonist?
- What setting will exploit the fear of the protagonist and fit the primary strength of the antagonist?
Many times, just asking the question of the scene will yield an instant response that you'd never thought of before. Sometimes it will take more thinking. But if it improves your script by even 5%, it's worth doing. As we've seen, sometimes it can make a major difference.
In SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, when Clarice first meets Hannibal Lecter, it's in a dungeon where only the worst offenders are kept. That setting gives us loads of information about the Hannibal character and it terrifies Clarice.
Again, imagine if their first meeting would have been in a Psychologist office or a typical jail cell. Not 1/10th the impact.
MAIN POINT: The setting can play a major part in the drama of the scene.
Selecting the right setting can increase the tension, improve the drama, and elevate the quality. Take advantage of it!
And, while you're at it, pick up some pointers from our Fresh & Edgy Screenwriting Class.