I know that action films and horror films and comedies all tend to have set pieces, or those great scenes that you usually see in the commercial - but do dramas have set pieces?  What I'm getting at, is usually set pieces are based around some kind of physical action - so do dramas with things like internal conflict ever have set pieces?

If I understand what you're referring to, they would have those great scenes, but since dramas do center around internal conflict as opposed to high action, those pieces would be the most dramatic, tear-jerking scene in the film, usually captializing on the plot points and usually showing the climax without the resolution.

These are those "cue the violins" type of scenes where there is that low voiceover in a super calm tone giving you all the good movie review cliches...
"The most powerful film of the year"
"A must see raves TV Guide"
"The one film this year you MUST see"
This usually is followed by that scene where the woman is crying and pleading with the man about something while he remains completely passive.
"This Sunday on Lifetime...Rose Petals for Mom"

Or I might have completely miusunderstood.

That's exactly it.  The scene they always show in the commercials - but how do you NOT make a dramatic set piece like an annoying Lifetime original?

Well, that the trouble with set pieces...genres always drop into specific scenes.

The key to drama is interpersonal conflict, so the set piece will have interpersonal conflict.

Slashers will have a girl being chased by a slow moving, knife wielding maniac.

Thrillers will have a piece of that one conversation where no one smiles.

Action will show lots of, well, action.

Adventure will shows lots of landscapes in a grandiose manner and people moving through them.

Sci-Fi will shows space travel and alien encounters.

You pick your genre, you gotta have your set pieces.

Good point.  Thanks, George.

I agree with George about the set piece idea, Though, a set piece in drama is actually the main scene of the movie, which optimizes the internal conflict. More like the protagonists realization of what they are really after. It's the catalyst to their desire or should I say , the revelation as to what they NEED to do to resolve their problem.This usually occurs around page sixty, if you follow the screenwriting paradigm.

A set piece can be understated and it should be.It doesn't have to be the, " I wish I knew how to quit you." type.That example is a great set piece though, as it defined the whole meaning of  the story.

So what I'm trying to say is that the set piece in drama is actually the scene that your character realizes the purpose of their plight and a way to resolve it or maybe just a way to begin the resolution.

It's the center.

I was watching A History of Violence the other night and it got me thinking about set pieces. To me some movies are seamless and the story just flows. But other times the structure of a film really stands out. I reckon A History of Violence is one such film.

SPOILER WARNING*************************************************

First the protagonist (supposedly a regular family man) kills a couple of armed robbers in his cafe and as a result he ends up on the news. A few days later some gangsters come calling saying that he's actually not who he claims to be, they know who he really is and they have unfinished business; that's plot point one. Then a few incidental things bubble along and then the protagonist ends up being forced to face off against the gangsters and whilst doing so we find out he really is some gangster who has been masquerading as a regular guy; that's plot point two.

While this is happening we have the sub plot of the 'teenage son unfolding. He's just trying to be a regular kid, but he keeps getting hassled by a school bully. This comes to a head when he snaps and beats the shit out of the bully, 'obviously' reinforcing that the father is a bad ass because his kid has the bad ass gene.  On top of this we have the regulation romantic interest, with the protagonist’s marriage being threatened because his wife feels betrayed by her husband, because he never told her who he really was.  

Then finally the resolution. The protagonists’ gangster brother rings up and wants to see him. The protagonist has it out with him and kills the gangster brother and his goons. Thus erasing his past. He goes home and his family are sitting around the dinner table, everybody is silent as the protagonist sits down, but his little girl gets up and sets a place at the table for him and his wife allows it, allowing resolution of the second sub plot's conflict. All loose ends are now neatly tied up and the movie ends.

Now I thought the structure of this film stood out like dog's balls..... on a budgie. It was like the writer had a bunch of predetermined set pieces and then just tried to link them, because the scenes between the set pieces felt more like filler than an equal parts of the story and the story's structure felt very formula. It felt very much like writing by numbers

What do you guys think about constructing a story by coming up with predetermined set pieces and then trying to write a story around them, in order to connect them? I usually come up with a premise first and the set up pieces surface during the writing process.