Set Pieces, Part 1: Spin the Plot
One of the most valuable pieces of brainstorming a screenwriter can do with regard to a story is conjure up some good set pieces.
What’s a set piece, you ask? Believe it or not, I posted this about the subject all the way back in July 2008. Here is Wikipedia’s take on the subject:
In film production, a setpiece is a scene or sequence of scenes whose execution requires serious logistical planning and considerable expenditure of money. The term setpiece is often used more broadly to describe any important dramatic or comedic highpoint in a film or story, particularly those that provide some kind of dramatic payoff, resolution, or transition. Thus the term is often used to describe any scenes that are so essential to a film that they cannot be edited out or skipped in the shooting schedule without seriously damaging the integrity of the finished product. Often, screenplays are written around a list of such setpieces, particularly in high-budget “event movies”.
It’s this last point that is particularly relevant to a screenwriter. If we expand the definition to include any big, significant scenes, then even writers working on a small indie drama can think in terms of set pieces around which they can construct a plot.
This is what John August has to say set pieces:
A scene or sequence with escalated stakes and production values, as appropriate to the genre. For instance, in an action film, a set-piece might be a helicopter chase amid skyscrapers. In a musical, a set-piece might be a roller-blade dance number. In a high-concept comedy, a set piece might find the claustrophobic hero on an increasingly crowded bus, until he can’t take it anymore. Done right, set-pieces are moments you remember weeks after seeing a movie.
So this week, I thought I’d do a series on set pieces, focusing each day on one aspect common to them.
Part 1: Spin the Plot.
A set piece doesn’t always have to hook into the plot and shift it in a significant way or new direction, but often they do.
In Apocalypse Now, one of the most memorable set pieces is the “Ride of the Valyries” Huey assault:
Not to be lost amidst the pyrotechnics, the set piece spins the plot in that it ushers Willard [Martin Sheen] into the chaos and insanity of his journey into darkness.
In Psycho, arguably the most famous scene in the movie is the shower set piece:
This represents a major spin in the plot in that it marks the demise of Marion Crane [Janet Leigh] and introduces Norman Bates’ mother.
How about this set piece from E.T.:
Chase scenes make for good set pieces, especially if kids on bikes manage to go airborne, enabling E.T. to — finally — go home.
Sometimes, however, a set piece works just because… well… it’s flat-out entertaining. Take this famous example from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off:
Yes, there is some meaningful dialogue between Cameron [Alan Ruck] and Sloane [Mia Sara], but it’s not like it represents a major shift in the plot, only a slight focusing of perspective. No, this set piece exists to let Ferris [Matthew Broderick] cut loose in a most memorable way.
But generally it’s smart to think of set pieces as they tie into the plot. And why not? Events that spin the plot qualify as plot points, and give a writer a set of significant occurrences to put together the spine of the Plotline. Moreover, set pieces can qualify as trailer moments, big visuals that a studio can cut together for purposes of marketing a movie. Like this:
By the way, set pieces are a great way to assess the potential of any story concept. Let’s say you come up with a promising idea. Challenge yourself to come up with a half-dozen possible set pieces. If you can, you may have something promising. If not, maybe not.
Tomorrow: More on set pieces.
What memorable set pieces can you think of that spin a movie’s plot?
