Screenwriting 101: Lesson 8
Worldbuilding
Worldbuilding
Worldbuilding refers to creating the world in which your story takes place. Some stories—such as epic fantasies or sci-fi—may require extensive world building. Others—such as modern day dramas—may require much less. However, all stories require some level of world building.
Physical World
Given that the term ‘worldbuilding’ literally includes the word ‘building,’ one of the first things you’re likely to think about is the physical world of your story. In other words, where is your story set.
This could be somewhere familiar…or somewhere that exists only in your mind.
It includes the story’s setting on a large scale…as well the story’s setting on a small scale.
And also includes when the story is set in time.
Is your story set in a corner convenience store in 1960s New York City? Or is it set in a colony on Mars in the distant future? Or confined within the walls of a house in modern midwestern suburbia? Or requires a trek across a vast mystical world full of magic…and dragons…and medieval era technology?
Settings that are similar to our current world require less active worldbuilding. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t require any at all! Even if your story takes place in a real location and a modern day timeframe, the micro world your characters inhabit still requires creating. What does their room look like? What is their work environment like? What areas do they choose to frequent in their spare time? (For example, consider the series Seinfeld. Would you expect Kramer’s apartment to look like Jerry’s?)
The more removed the world of your story is from our own, the more active world building you’ll need to do as the writer. You may need to create cities or towns from the ground up. Or develop a map of the world. Or design your own weather systems. Or even consider what type of housing or jobs your world requires.
Sociology of Your World
The sociology of your world is equally as important as the physical characteristics. This includes considerations such as political structure, gender roles, customs and culture, religion, arts and literature, laws, ethnic groups, etc.
In other words, how do the people in your world cope with the environment…their circumstances…and each other?
The World as a Character
Sometimes the world is so ingrained with the story that it functions almost like an actual character where the world ‘takes on a life of it’s own’ and shapes the course of the narrative.
This can be a direct impact such as being the reason two characters cross paths…or a more subtle impact such as the world’s general atmosphere impacting a character’s mood/mental state.
Occasionally the world can even act as the antagonist in your story!
Micro Worlds
Within your greater world, there are numerous individual settings which function as micro worlds. These can be a certain town…a specific house…even a single room within a house! These micro worlds may be quite similar to your greater story world…or they may be quite different.
Consider Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. You have an entire magical community hidden behind the streets of modern day London. And the bustling streets of the magic shops aren’t the only micro world here! You’ll find the sinister Knockturn Alley tucked within Diagon Alley’s shadows.
One super common micro world to consider is your character’s living space (house or bedroom). Living spaces tend to reflect the people that live within them…and this can be a great opportunity to reinforce your character’s individual traits (especially if they differ from those around them!).
Worldbuilding as Part of the Story
Good worldbuilding requires considerable thought, consideration, and care. After putting in all that work, it’s only natural to want to share the results with your audience. BUT…the truth is, most of your worldbuilding will never make it to the screen. And that’s okay!
The goal of worldbuilding is to create a rich and textured environment for your characters to inhabit. While all that information is required to flesh out the world…most of it is not required for the audience to understand what is happening in the story.
When writing the script, it is important to only include as much worldbuilding as necessary for the story to make sense.
For some stories, the audience needs extensive information to understand what is happening. For example, the trademark scrolling text intros for Star Wars movies. The world has a complex history with many different factions in play…and it’s important that the audience know where the story opens in relation to all this.
Other stories need little context to understand what is going on. For example, Flow offers us no explanation about what happened to the people, why the flood is occurring, or what the strange whale-like creatures are. And we don’t actually need to know any of this information to follow along and become invested in the story of the cat’s search for safety…and companionship.
Information about your world can be delivered in a variety of ways. Through visuals…through dialogue…and even through text (e.g., supers, scrolling text, etc).
Audiences are Like Detectives…
…they like to figure things out on their own.
This means that you don’t have to explain every single detail about your world, even if it is important information for the story. Audiences will take the clues you have provided and piece them together—no explanation necessary.
Audio dramas are a great example of this! A few simple audio cues (such as footsteps…or the creak of a door…or breaking glass) are often all it takes to allow the audience to create vivid scenes in their own mind.
The World is Not Your Story!
No matter how impressive your story world is, it is only a shell which contains a story within. It can impact, inform, and influence your plot, but the world is not a story on its own. (Now might be a good time to review Lesson 6: Plot.)
Recommended Reading/Viewing
5 Keys to Building the World of Your Screenplay by Brianne Hogan (free)
3 Steps to Successful Worldbuilding by Amy Suto (free)
A Worldbuilding Template for Filmmakers by Jason Hellerman (free)
How to Write a Fantasy World Based on Your Experiences by Eric Owusu (free)
Setting as a Character by Ariana Skeeland (free)
How to World-Build Like a Wachowski by Cole Haddon (free)
‘Wicked’ is World Building at it’s Best by Alyssa Miller (free)
Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions by Patricia C. Wrede (free)
Worldbuilding in Immersive Theatre and the Punchdrunk Style by Emily Short (free)
Approaching Audio Drama as Playwright by Andrew Siañez-De La O [Writing for the Mind’s Ear] (free)
4 Crucial Guidelines for Writing Compelling Audio Drama by Barry Richert [Employ Sound Effects to Set the Scene] (free)
Assignments:
Read 1 full length TV or movie script (from Script Slug or the BBC Script Library)
In the script you’re reading this lesson:
Consider the world in which the story takes place. Did the script require extensive or minimal world building?
How is the story’s world similar to our own? How is it different?
Identify a place in the script where you learned something about the world by being shown.
Identify a place in the script where you learned something about the world by being told (through dialogue).
Does the script utilize text (supers, etc) to convey information about the world?
Identify at least one micro world that is connected to a specific character. How does this micro world reinforce (or contrast) the character’s traits?
Consider how the world and the story interact. How do physical and/or sociological aspects of the world impact the plot? Could this same story take place in a completely different setting?
Write a short script (no more than 10 pages) in which your characters are transported from one world into another. (for example: from a historical time period to the future, from under the ocean into outer space, from the quiet countryside into a congested city, etc.)