Setting Each story will have a macrosetting the space and time covered by the entire story This can be centuries and wide ranges of solar systems galaxies etc Microsettings Individual scenes episodes etc occur within much more limited time and space constraints ID: 259723
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SettingSlide2
Setting
Each story will have a macro-setting, the space and time covered by the entire story
This can be centuries and wide ranges of solar systems, galaxies, etc.
Micro-settings: Individual scenes, episodes, etc. occur within much more limited time and space constraints
A given evening at an office
A crime scene
A child’s bedroom at bedtimeSlide3Slide4Slide5
Law and OrderSlide6
Conditions
Audience members
expect certain things to be true
about
the narrative context
when they are made aware of the setting
Time and place determine weather, technology, social structure, culture, major events,
social etiquette, etc.Slide7
Consider:
Egypt, 1375 B.C.
Pearl Harbor in December 1941
Contemporary Louisville
Contemporary Paris
Los Angeles, 2030Slide8
Realistic v. fantastic settings
Realistic settings either are, or follow the rules of, actual physical places and times where real people could be found
Historical events may be a significant part of the narrative
Characters may not be realistic, thoughSlide9Slide10Slide11Slide12Slide13
Realistic settings
The depth of detail provided and the
accuracy of
that detail
affects the
audience experience of realism
Some directors/art directors are obsessed with providing realistic presentations of historic or contemporary settings
1945 Japanese submarine toilet seatSlide14
Exotic settings
Real
places
far removed from audience experience can seem fantastic
Rwanda
Middle Ages
Audiences
must learn the crucial rules of the setting to understand the plot and
charactersSlide15Slide16Slide17
Fantastic settings
Fantastic settings are those that do not follow the laws of physics, etc. as we understand them
They are often, but not always, inhabited by fantastic characters
Magic
Science unknown to us (future advances)Slide18Slide19Slide20
Rules for fantastic settings
Even if magic is possible, dragons exist, etc. there must be rules that define how events can happen, what characters exist, etc.
The rules cannot be contradictory to each other
Once set, the narrative is bound by the rules
Fantastic settings, carefully drawn and with compelling rules, can seem ‘realistic’Slide21Slide22
Setting and exposition
The more psychologically ‘distant’ from the audience the setting is, the more exposition will be needed to allow the audience member to follow the narrative
Germany during the Dark Ages may well
demand more exposition
for
a contemporary audience than
does the
surface of the MoonSlide23
Setting and plot
“a setting delimits the possible
actions
in a narrative. As such, the setting is connected to the
plot
”
(
Talib, Narrative Theory)
Actions and events that generate protagonist motivations (plague outbreak)
Available choices to satisfy motivations (no
guns)
Consequences of various actions (explosion breaks dike)
Chance factors (tornadoes, traffic accidents)Slide24
The most significant requirement is that
rules must be consistent
Magic must have limits and magical powers must
follow
rules
Too much magic, fantasy, etc. will strain the audience’s acceptance even of a fantastic settingSlide25
Setting and character
Certain characters are appropriate for certain settings
Character types that are ‘naturally’ found in one setting would be out of place in another
Behavior that is appropriate in one setting would be unacceptable in another
Features of the setting may provide clues to the
character personalitySlide26
Social rules of custom and ethics determine what the characters can do and say without social sanction
Victorian novels often are based on class conflicts and appropriate behaviorsSlide27
Settings may determine the tone of the narrative
CSI, CSI: New York, CSI: Miami
Metropolis v. Gotham City
The Shining
Gladiator
Heroes
Brothers and Sisters
ER
A History of ViolenceSlide28
Stereotypical settings
Common, stylized settings are typical for some genres
Western saloon
Hospital emergency room
Battlefield
Haunted house
Fraternity houseSlide29
Time and space
Characters exist in, and move through, time and space
Discourse time and space v. story time and space
Time and place prior to, and after, the main narrative
Flashbacks and flashforwards
Backstory and epilogueSlide30
Representing time and space
Setting information is conveyed both visually and aurally
Establishing shot
VO Narration
Dialogue
Discourse time is usually much shorter than story time so conventions must be used to indicate time passage to the audience
When locations change, means to indicate new locations must be provided to the audience