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Setting

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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 childs bedroom at bedtime

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Law and Order

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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.

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Consider: Egypt, 1375 B.C. Pearl Harbor in December 1941 Contemporary Louisville Contemporary Paris Los Angeles, 2030

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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, though

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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 seat

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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 characters

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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)

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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

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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 Moon

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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)

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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 audiences acceptance even of a fantastic setting

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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 personality

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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 behaviors

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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 Violence

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Stereotypical settings Common, stylized settings are typical for some genres Western saloon Hospital emergency room Battlefield Haunted house Fraternity house

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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 epilogue

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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