Specifying the setting - must I?

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Re: Specifying the setting - must I?

    Originally posted by SBdeb View Post
    A reader of my most recent script "The Water Tower," suggested that instead of "City in the Southeast" in the slugline, that I name the city (say Charlotte VA, Atlanta GA, or Louisville KY). And, when the protags change locations to a country/rural setting five hours away for most of the film, he suggested that I should state the name of that town as well.

    But, I don't care to name either the city or the rural community. To my mind, the only important thing is that the city and the town be the southeast due to racism experienced by one of the protags in the 1950's. To me, it isn't relevant exactly where the town and/or city is, only that the rural town has a bit of a racist past, like many rural communities in the US. (Yes, I know that 1950's Buffalo NY and Bakersfield CA likely also experienced racism... I don't want to go there. I have decided to set this in the Southeast!)

    It could be Louisville, it could be Charlotte VA, whatever. To my way of thinking, when the setting is vague, readers/viewers might view this as the city he/she lives or have been in. Whoever is lucky enough to buy my fantastic spec script (!) can decide where they want it to be.

    So what is the upside of me specifying a city? Must I? Do you recommend it?

    Thanks all!
    The point is, I'm betting that your story doesn't actually start "in a city." It starts in some particular place -- a street, a house, a particular place in some city in the Southwest.

    If you look at most movies that don't start with a helicopter shot flying over a particular city, but start in close on somebody or some street or something happening somewhere, unless there's a little super identifying the place, we really don't know where it's taking place.

    I just saw Moonlight. Where does that take place? I'm sure that people who are familiar with wherever it takes place could tell you where it took place. I frankly don't know. And I'll tell you something else. I don't care. It's a story that could have unfolded in any number of places.

    What you want is to be specific to the people and the time and their experience. How they live, how they talk, what they eat, how they get around.

    It's at that level of detail that stories come to life and feel real. It doesn't really matter if you pull back and identify the city. If the detail of the character's lives feels real, then the reader/viewer will accept the larger reality.

    NMS

    Comment

    Working...
    X