Setting & Location

Often overlooked as the backdrop or décor of a scene, a film’s setting contributes so much more. Learn how filmmakers use setting and location to lay the groundwork for their stories to unfold.

Story Structure

Character

How to Write Openings & Endings

Plot Devices

Dialogue

The Art of Adaptations

Setting & Location

Theme

Symbolism & Motifs

Screenwriter Talks

Nuts & Bolts of Screenwriting

Story Analysis: Case Studies

Setting As Character

How Once Upon A Time In America Was Shaped By Its Setting

By Jack's Movie Reviews

The Coen Brothers: Setting as Character

By Bryce Keaton

Tangerine: Why it Matters | Video Essay

By Karsten Runquist

City of God - The Open World Movie

By Channel Criswell

Bambi (1942): How Disney Plays with Nature

City of God Analysis - Characters, Worldbuilding & Themes

By Jack's Movie Reviews

Ghost In The Shell: Identity in Space

Why Tekkonkinkreet is an Amazing Movie

By Super Eyepatch Wolf

Framing the Picture: David Lynch’s Hollywood, Pt. 1 - Mulholland Drive

By FramingthePicture

1927: How Metropolis Changed the Way We See the Future

By One Hundred Years of Cinema

Alfred Hitchcock: Utilizing Materials To The Fullest

By American Film Institute

How Directors Use Locations

Heat vs. Collateral | Michael Mann and the City of L.A.

By A Matter of Film

How Antonioni Uses Locations

By The Discarded Image

Columbus – The Architecture of Authenticity

Alfred Hitchcock: Utilizing Materials To The Fullest

By American Film Institute

Hitch20 - Locations That Become Part of the Story

By Borgus Network

How Oshii Uses Location

By AnimeEveryday

Jeff Nichols' Image of The American South

By Thomas Flight

Kelly Reichardt: Going Nowhere

By Jessica McGoff

Life’s Work: The Films of Roman Polanski - SPACES

By Steven Santos

Location Scout Bradbury Building

Locations In Film: Enhancing Story, Character, and Journey

Setting in Genre Films

It Came from the Suburbs! | Renegade Cut

By Renegade Cut

The Evolution of Batman's Gotham City

The Hidden Beauty Behind Star Wars Planets

Film Essay- The Role of Landscape, Nature and Environment in War Films

By Adam DJ Laity

John Wick: The Great Modern New York Movies

By Patrick (H) Willems

Romance in the Record Store

San Francisco: The Perfect Setting For Film Noir

The Concept of Community in Horror Movies

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - The Art of Implication and Exploiting Empathy

By Fool Fantastic

Why is Hong Kong the Perfect Setting for Cyberpunk?

By jaq of thoughts.

The Single Location

Anatomy of Horror - Claustrophobia

By Cinema Scares

How “Carnage” can help ?

By Yoann CASALS

John Carpenter: How to Master Single Location Filmmaking

Why The Best 'Breaking Bad' Episode Is The Most Hated | The Art Of Film