Set Pieces, Part 2: Emotional Meaning

One of the most valuable pieces of brainstorming a screenwriter can do with regard to a story is conjure up some good set pieces.

A series this week on set pieces: A scene or set of scenes with a big idea, feel and/or scope to them, oftentimes associated with major plot points, and always about entertainment.

Part 2: Emotional Meaning

Set pieces can be all sorts of fun and involve major visuals such as this:

Or this:

Or this:

Set pieces involve characters. Those characters have personal histories. We would not be telling their story unless something compelling was going on in the psychological realm of the narrative. The connection of a character’s emotional life to the events give meaning to the events.

Otherwise, it’s all just noise.

However, when imbued with emotional meaning, we get a set piece like this:

Takeaway: As you brainstorm and develop set pieces, be sure to consider what is or can be going on with the emotional life of the characters involved in the events.

For Part 1: Spin the plot, go here.

Tomorrow: More on set pieces.

What set pieces can you recall that convey emotional meaning in a memorable way?

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