Article / Describing Space

When describing spaces, keep it as minimal as possible, if at all, and make sure it is appropriate for the character and / or the action that will utilize the space. Remember, film is a visual art, so write visually.

The above photo might be described as …

INT. APARTMENT – DAY

Colorful and contemporary.

… which is plenty of information for the the set designer to interpret your description, based on budget and the action that needs to take place. If something in the room is key to the story, write it in bold.

INT. APARTMENT – DAY

Colorful and contemporary. A DESK sits under a window. On it dated letters lay scattered.

This is all you need to one, paint a picture of the space, and two, draw attention to what is important for the scene / action.

Also, a charater’s living or work space needs to reflect that character’s personality or the mood or situation in which you want to put that character / action.

For example, what kind of person lives in the space pictured below? What kind of action might take place here?

I would use this environment for a student, and write it as follows …

INT. STUDENT’S DORM – DAY

Cluttered with clothes and bike parts. A LAPTOP peeks out from under the rumpled bedding.

I highlighted LAPTOP as if either a paniced student or a thief were looking for it. It would be the important THING in the room, while the cluttered mess is used to enhance character attributes.

From this brief description, the set designer will put it together with appropriate props. Your job as a writer is to give the most amount of pertinent information in the least amount of words, and still reflect purpose.

Let’s say we are writing a scene about a student who is chronicly late. With the space above in mind, the whole scene might play out like this;

INT. STUDENT’S DORM – DAY

Cluttered with clothes and bike parts. A LAPTOP peeks out from under the rumpled bedding. Josh rushes in, rifles through the room, finds his laptop, then exits.

You can add ‘a paniced Josh’ or toss in some relevant attitude or dialogue to enhance the scene, and your job is done. From here, it’s up to the Director and the Actors to interpret the scene, and bring it to life. It may or may not end up exactly how you envisioned it, but that’s the beauty of collabrotive work.

Something I like to do when writing a brief descripton about a space, is to find a picture that closely resembles what I envision, then try to describe in as few words as possible.

Not all screenplays and/or scenes include space descriptions. This from L.A.. confidential for example, goes right to the action. You’ll find many screenplays void of specific descriptions.

INT. HANCOCK PARK MANSION – BALLROOM – NIGHT

The MAYOR yanks a cloth to reveal a MODEL of L.A. criss-crossed by an elaborate FREEWAY SYSTEM. The CROWD oohs. A COUNCILMAN claps. A SOCIETY MATRON nods her approval.

The following is from Reindeer Games. Minimal description.

INT. HALLWAY – NIGHT

Dark, rustic wood, an office with broken windows and whistling winter beyond. A second BODY in a Santa Claus suit lies dead in the doorway.

With little exception, a prison cell is a prison cell. Don’t waste precious space giving a description of it UNLESS there is something unique and pertinent, as in Silence of the Lambs, or a period piece such as Shawshank Redemtion, to name a few . In the following excerpt from Raindeer Games, note attention is only drawn to something personal in the the cell, in this case ‘paper-cut snowflakes’.

INT. PRISON CELL – DAY

Rudy Duncan lies in his top bunk, staring at his ceiling — where a handful of paper-cut snowflakes have been pasted.

In comparison, the following is from Shawshank Redemption.

INT — CELLBLOCK FIVE — NIGHT (1947) 17

Three tiers to a side, concrete and steel, gray and imposing.
Andy and the others are marched in, still naked, carrying
their clothes and Bibles. The CONS in their cells greet them
with TAUNTS, JEERS, and LAUGHTER. One by one, the new men are
shown to their cells and locked in with a CLANG OF STEEL.

Followed by …

INT — ANDY’S CELL — NIGHT (1947) 18

The bars slam home. Andy is alone in his cell, clutching his
clothes. He gazes around at his new surroundings, taking it
in. He slowly begins to dress himself…

Note that many space descriptions are followed by action in the same narrative, not separately. This makes for smooth readings. Another example from Shawshank shows this.

INT — MAIN BUILDING — STORAGE ROOMS — DAY (1949) 89

A series of bleak rooms stacked high with unused filing
cabinets, desks, paint supplies, etc. Andy enters. He hears a
FLUTTER OF WINGS. An adult crow lands on a filing cabinet and
struts back and forth, checking him out. Andy smiles.

Description and action are together.

For the sake of comparison, this from Silence of the lambs …

DR. LECTER’S CELL

is coming slowly INTO VIEW… Behind its barred front wall
is a second barrier of stout nylon net… Sparse, bolted-
down furniture, many softcover books and papers. On the walls,
extraordinarily detailed, skillful drawings, mostly European
cityscapes, in charcoal or crayon.