Screenwriting : Make Up Locations for Your Scripts by Maurice Vaughan

The city of angels

Los Angeles, Nicholas P? Or an actual city of angels?

This is what I do by default Maurice Vaughan, I make up all the locations so I'm not beholden to existing ones/real world rules.

Los Angeles Maurice Vaughan I just call it that it is where there’s good and bad

That's great, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh! What's one of the locations you made up/one of the rules you came up with?

How would you make Los Angeles unique in a story, Nicholas P?

I go back to the 1920s and make the 6th street viaduct bridge one of the scenes. Along with the east la being the past homeland for my main character Maurice Vaughan

I like those ideas, Nicholas P.

Thank you Maurice Vaughan it’s also origins of each character

You're welcome, Nicholas P. You could also change things about LA, like where things are and how things operate in the city.

I honestly didn’t believe I could change anything Maurice Vaughan

Great tip Maurice Vaughan!

For the exercise:

A chrome castle sits atop a hill between two active volcanoes, both spewing blue lava into the air. Above it hangs a thick orange cumulonimbus cloud, unmoving for weeks, as large black snowflakes the size of birds fall from the sky. The closer one approaches the castle, the larger the flakes become, shattering like glass when they strike the ground. The air is filled with the sound of boiling water and violent splashes, while the smell of burning firewood drifts through the scene, oddly pleasant, like a freshly lit barbecue, a strange comfort against the surrounding devastation.

The path leading upward begins at a small, swamp-like well known as the Fountain of Death, where travelers must soak their bodies before crossing into the Border of Ashes, the land where the castle resides. Only sequoia trees survive here, towering hundreds of feet high, their thick pink leaves untouched by the heat. They form a natural corridor that leads to a blue lava river, at the edge of black sand ground, a towering golden wall, and finally a thin golden bridge suspended over molten fire. Crossing it brings you at last to the chrome castle’s reflective doors.

Yeah, Nicholas P. It's your story. You can change what you want.

Thanks, Dwayne Williams 2. That's a unique location! I've never seen/heard of a chrome castle or blue lava.

This is the fun part. it gives you the freedom to create something that doesn’t exist yet. Imagine inventing a place so iconic that it inspires someone in the real world to actually build it one day.

it can also be incredibly helpful for character development or for creating unexpected moments. I love when atmosphere actively helps unfold the story.

You're right, Judith Pajer. Writers can also use locations to create obstacles and opportunities for characters. And a character can use a location as a weapon/defense.

That's a great tip!

Most times, locations in my script are a bit unpredictable. It can range from a foggy dockyard to cinema lobby or tech lab.

I'll apply this more in my other upcoming scripts. Thanks.

You're welcome, P. Oken. Thanks. Unpredictable is great. It makes it easy to set up traps for characters and twists.

Thanks Maurice Vaughan! I’ve made up several restaurants in particular that show up in several of my works (Johnny Valentine’s is a main one, and it has several subsidiaries!), as well as clothing brands and drinks. One rule I’ve come up with across the board is that anything and anyone I didn’t make up that exists in the real world has to earn the name drop in my works; so far the only person who has (other than Jesus) is Bob Ross.

You're welcome, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh. That's a great idea! I've made up restaurants, but I've never thought to have them show up in different scripts. Thanks for the idea. I make up brands too, but I haven't made up a drink yet. Thanks.

I like that rule. Some of the rules I come up with have to do with how society, companies, organizations, and monsters/etc. operate.

No worries Maurice Vaughan, I like to think of it as my own form of globalisation lol since it's my world. Coming up with drinks is fun, I'm thinking of also designing the labels just in case they ever become real xD

Those are fun, too~ I've decided in my stories featuring a graduation everyone signs the verses of "Land of Hope and Glory" (the actual name of the graduation song haha) like an anthem. Haven't come up with many other similar rules yet, I guess besides calling the wife of a doctor "Mrs Dr <name>" has never fallen out of fashion in my world lol

If an item is really important to your story, you could get it made and use it to help pitch your script, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh. Like on one of those promotional products websites or hire someone to make it.

Please, I don't want to be impolite, but since I have spent time directing and producing no-budget films, I hope everyone understands the practical constraints. If a location is unusual, you must be sure that actors and others who will read your screenplay understand wha each place looks like. And a location must also be within reach of the filmmaker who uses your screenplay. So when I write, I use locations which are easy to find.

Thanks for the insights, Göran Johansson. This post isn't just about micro-budget scripts. It's about low-budget, mid-budget, and big-budget scripts too.

Yes, I understand that some have far more money that I have had for my no-budget projects. But still there may be problems. Actors may have a phobia against spiders. Pentagon may not answer if you phone them and ask them for some photos of their most secret places so you can recreate the locations in your studio. And if somebody told me they had the budget to film onboard a space station, I would try to remind them about the fact that multiple astronauts have suffered from space sickness, including vomiting, which has caused problems in weightlessness.

Filmmakers will be able to work around those issues in my opinion, Göran Johansson. And a writer can describe the location so directors, actors, etc. will understand what it looks like.

With film budgets cut to the bone right now, I think of “Contained” locations. Eg Walk in restaurant freezer. Protagonist locked in during power cut, & 24 hours until electricity resumes.

That's great, Debbie Croysdale. I do the same thing with most of my short scripts and feature scripts. Writers can come up with unique locations for Contained scripts, like a grocery store for aliens. And writers can pick areas inside locations that aren't usually shown in movies and shows, like setting a script in a pantry.

A popular idea in film is "cast against type". Can be done also for location. For example, take a courtroom drama. People who arrive at the court are told that due to some problem, the court can't be used. But the judge is involved in an NGO in her spare time, so she has borrowed their big place. So everyone goes to that place, and it sure doesn't look like a court, but there is room fore everyone.

That's a great idea, Göran Johansson! I'll have to try that. Thanks for the idea.

Nice that you liked my suggestion, Maurice. Good luck. And perhaps some who drive to the new location make some mistake so they go to the wrong address, or are delayed, giving some reversal. Or perhaps a hitchhiker tells them something when they ask for direction.

Those are great ideas too, Göran Johansson! Thanks.