: How Much Descriptive Information Is Enough For a Locale In A Screenplay? First out, my question pertains strictly to screenplays. Secondly, it deals with a spec script. Now, there seems to be

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The Director, Cameraman and Location Manager will all participate in finding what's available and works. Writers should describe in impression, like an Impressionist painter. Overly specific location descriptions are without much meaning and mark you as an amateur. Why tell them about the window frames when you can't know what city the show will shoot in?

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Short answer: only as much as you need. Which Usually means "not a whole lot."

Screenwriting is a collaborative effort. The author needs to write enough for the locale to be "suggestive," but not so much as to take away freedom from the producer. The more "generic" the place (New York, Chicago, Paris, etc.) the less you need to write. Only if the place is very specific, e.g. a faraway island on earth, or in space, do you need a detailed description.

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The Power of Common Knowledge

Simply base the amount of description upon how easily you can apply common knowledge.

If your main setting is:

Downtown Chicago

Then, your script reader will understand when you say the character is standing outside of a building. Your reader will assume it is a skyscraper and not additional info is necessary.

SmallTown USA

However, if your setting is Smalltown USA outside of a building that is necessary and specific to your plot -- old barn or horse stable or something, you can probably just add the bit about the barn or horse stable.

Sci-Fi Setting

If, however, the setting is another planet in the future where the aliens have 16 eyes and 4 arms, then the buildings may look a bit different and need to be described specifically.

Main Reason To Make It Short
Directors do not like to be told too many specifics because it :

wastes their time
limits their creative outlet
may offend their intelligence.

All of this is extremely well explained in the very short and fantastically instructive book :
How To Write A Movie In 21 Days by Viki King - amazon link

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