I'm always, let's face it, writing a book.
But this novel is different. See, in this one, a fantasy tale, I'm attempting something totally different-world building. For the first time, ever, I have visualize a place that doesn't exist and make it constant for the reader, as well as myself.
Which means "place" has been on my mind alot lately. I mean, really. Setting is so much more than, "it happened on a dark and stormy night." Of course that homicide did. It was dark, things lurked in the shadows; the rain hid the approaching footsteps.
But what about tales where the 'setting' became part of the presentation? Where the setting could happen there and no place else? I give you these few titles to ponder and view, and think about, where that setting was imperative to telling the stories.
I took some liberty here. One is a book, I'm sorry to say, because, even though there is a film, the book-by FAR-is so much better. I've also took a moment and really had to ponder editing fantasy or science fiction. Understand my reasonings-they're worlds upon themselves and therefore, vital to the presence of the tale. However, I did include it if the location was so unique, it became a character upon itself. Take a look:
5. Dirty Harry and his relationship to San Francisco.
You have to picture that the once mayor of Carmel-By-The-Sea, just driving up the road, doing a sequence for the movie and being home by dinner time with his dogs and wife. It's no wonder why San Francisco was his pick for these actioners. And it's a great choice too. With angled streets and tight small corners, clear skies but mild weather, the picture is, by far, more photogenitic than anything in Los Angeles.
Better, San Francisco has an older charm to it, so it is also born for mystery, like London or such. So of course Dirty Harry Calahan is going to have some issues to solve. Very good stuff.
4. TRON and TRON: Legacy
I had wanted to avoid science fiction, because such settings grow and breathe to the whim of the creators and don't truly take on an ownership of it's own. But, in the world inside of the computer, the realm they exist in is what they're fighting to maintain. it literally becomes why they exist. They are searching for a way to keep their neon world alive and moving. And, due to the novelty, all concepts are off the table. Rain? Light? Wind? Mountains? All are thrown away for a new visual acuity that is mesmerizing.
3. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
THE BOOK. Okay, maybe the movie. I nixed the movie for two reasons. One, Clint is already represented here; two, the movie is nothing like the book. The book is told in the first person, a faceless author who, through the magic of authorship, we become. We experience the world through his eyes. No stiffled romance, just as an observer, opinions and all. As I read the book, however, it went from travelogue (perfect for a blog post about settings!), to crime story without any hint on the front or back cover. It's amazing. And, with it, I learned more about Savannah, Georgia than my hometown. I need to see that place! Check it out.
2. Manhattan
Basically, any Woody Allen movie, even as of late, as he serves up Barcelona and London, works for this. He loves his home city. To the point, I've noticed after time, the humor doesn't work unless you know someone who understands the term, "nebbish." The jokes are not so much in-jokes, but just sophisticated enough that only someone from the Big Apple can get. Romance is stilted, jokes are casual and real, Jewish comedy is pervasive and...oh, the food and the uncomfortable pauses. But, in this movie, you have the shicsha in Diane Keaton, the perfect foil, against his awkwardness in a city that, truly, never sleeps..or sleeps well, when it does. Pay a visit to his other pictures in New York. They are a photographers' dream of the world of the metro.
1. Paris, Je t'adore
Art film, short film, autuer theory and one very beautiful city all collide. However, due to the mix of styles, the presentation is inherently uneven, but, truly, you do get to have an understanding of the City of Light. The filmmakers capture something of the heart in each story, so, we, as an audience, see a city that is basically a place to find romance and some kind of off kilter magic in very turn. Comedy is limited, but sexuality is high in some of the pictures, but it's a great introduction to watch on the plane as you fly into Charles deGaulle airport.
There...some thoughts about settings. Take a look!
Peace,
Roo
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