Best Way to Create a Completely Alien Setting

[uncle_al]

In screenwriting, this is sometimes refered to as "less is more." It's wonderful.

It also trusts the audience to have enough intelligence to follow the thread of the narrative in the screenplay, to be able to infer differences in a setting from hints (as opposed to Sir Basil Exposition-type dialogue - and I am indeed opposed to it), and the willingness to be carried along by the skill and will of the storyteller.

'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.

Al Bouchard

[ScriptNurse]

In screenwriting, this is sometimes refered to as "less is more." It's wonderful.

[uncle_al]

Collaterally, there was a line of description in one of Robert A. Heinlein's short stories in Astounding back in the 1940's.  It was just passed off, a throwaway line... but it set the scene admirably, I think.  It read, "The door dilated."

Something of the equivalent of the "blue fruit off the purple sitla tree" example, but showing its validity.

Al Bouchard

[ScriptNurse]

Oringinally posted by MichaelHopcroft on 4-21-2003 7:09 AM:  Best Way to Create a Completely Alien Setting

In the first draft of my script, I ended up spending about the first ten minutes of playing time explaining what the world was all about before the story proper began. This is, I understand, a common failing among beginning science fiction writers.

Now it's obvious I need to begin my script with the story and with action, yet it is also important to "set the stage" by illustrating "yes, we've been in space so long that it's all we know" and so forth.

I don't think I want to use disruptive narrative devices like flashbacks either, so what should I do in this particular case?
Posted by ScriptNurse on 6-11-2003 1:17 AM:

I'd recommend getting hold of some scripts in the genre you're working in and see how tey did it, and duplicate it. See if a copy of the script for TOTAL RECALL is available.
Posted by mbateman on 6-16-2005 3:22 PM:

A good rule of thumb is not to explain or tell what a scene looks like, but to describe it to the reader. For example, instead of saying: the landscape is dotted with purple trees that bear blue fruit, the locals call these trees "sitlas", write something like: Bob reaches up and picks the bright blue fruit from the purple sitla tree.

Just my .02
Posted by ScriptNurse on 6-26-2005 7:17 AM:

Very good example ... and it has the advantage of being short and sweet without forcing the writer to conjure up a complete description of the environment, but rather allows the reader to do it for themselves.