Hi, A thought struck me this morning that everything I write is set in the US, I never even thought about this when I started writing it just happened subconsciously. Of course the reasons why are obvious, not just the fact that US culture has been ingrained on the Western world and we all no doubt grew up feasting on US TV and movies. The fact remains that for the majority of us the best chance of us "making it" lies in that little valley in southern California so it makes perfect sense to write for the market.

It made me think though of how other people approach this, I have spent plenty of time in the US over the years but only the west, LA, San Fran, Vegas etc... But never been to the East and yet I am writing a story set in New York. I was wondering how people decide where to set their stories? Do you tend to stick to places you have visited? Does anyone write US based scripts and yet has never been to the states?

Also to any Aussies on here (i know there is a few) I now live in Australia (nearly a year now) and I would say there is a very good chance I will settle here (until I sell my first feature for $5m of course and move to Beverly Hills) Have you written anything set in Australia? I would love to read anything that you have done.

Anyones feedback would be interesting.

I'm a US based writer, but I need to ask if your story is required to take place in NY.  Is there anything you have there that won't work in a different setting, like somebody jumping off the statue of liberty or something?

Not really Shelton, although it was the size that appealed to me and the proximity to other large population centers. It is a person who is hiding and chose New York to hide in because of the size, he also needs to move quickly to other areas so have chosen New Jersey and Boston.

As a non-US'er, I would just like to say that I write the kind of movies I wanna see. And the movies I wanna see usually takes place in the US or in space (one doesn't exclude the other).

Also, 90% of Danish movies suck. They're all the same - it's always some drawn out psychological drama that leaves you less than chirpy when finished (there are some exeptions of course).

Another thing is budget. Love it or hate it, Hollywood has the dough and the clout.

Hey Murphy, I'm in OZ too. Where you at?  I'm in Melbourne. Like you, I'm a transplant here - been here since 2001.  I have one feature that is set in Australia but I tend to write about the US.  However, this is because I am originally from the US and it is familiar to me.

I was born and raised in Australia. I base pretty much all of my stuff here, unless there is some specific reason not to. All of the locations I write about take place in or are based on places I know.


Matt.

Danish too. I can't write in Danish (I mean I can spell, but I think in English), so I don't set any of my scripts in Denmark. Primarily I set them in the US or Canada, because I write in American English and that's the slang, idioms and culture I'm most familiar with.

I've been to NY for two weeks and DC for a few days in 2000, but that's it. So naturally I set most of my scripts in Oregon or New Jersey.

Though I'm moving it to East Texas for a feature I'm working on.

I have never set my stuff in Mexico. I planned to once, but it fell through. I just feel that when it comes to entertainment, you can relate to the American culture more so than your own because it is so dominant in cinema and television and because of this, people are never confused when the story is set in the U.S.

If I wrote a script based on my own culture when it is not relevant to the plot, I think some people might not "get" a few things, especially if I am planning on showing it to people outside of Mexico. So, the U.S is the default location for most of what I have written. This might also be enforced by the fact that my town is located near the Rio Bravo/Grande border, so I can visit the U.S daily and I have grown to like it over the years. I've only gone as far as San Antonio and Dallas, though. I have never gotten the chance to visit LA, San Francisco, etc.
    
It is a sad fact though, that many people of different cultures tend to stereotype one another (all Germans are Nazis, all Americans are fat and eat at McDonald's, all Mexicans are either Charros or thugs/illegal immigrants, etc.) and I think the fear of this is what prevents us from writing.

So I always set my stories on a U.S-based environment, but I never specify the location. It's usually either never mentioned or just some old town made up by me.

My two cents.

--Julio



  

I like to read local color in scripts. It adds flavor to the story that is unique to the writer and thier experience other than the generic Anytown, USA...

It's interesting ain't it?, don't they say "write what you know" guess it throws that theory out the window - The guy who wrote Collateral was an Aussie, that was just a spec script I think - set in New York before Michael Mann moved it to LA I guess he might have moved to LA by now!.

Even more interesting is all these people on here who I just assumed were from the US, turns out it is quite a global site this.

mcornetto I am in sunny Brisbane (well not exactly at the moment, my first Christmas in Australia was a week of torrential rain on the Gold Coast). I assumed you were in America too, I came over from the UK last year after a job offer I couldn't refuse. I doubt we will be going back.

Chism, I will have a hunt for some of your scripts, will be interesting to read something set over here.

Cheers guys

Quoted from Murphy Chism, I will have a hunt for some of your scripts, will be interesting to read something set over here.

I don't have anything posted online right now, so your hunt would be somewhat pointless I'm afraid.  


Matt.

I guess it's what ever you feel comfortable with. I'm from England and I would probably go along with what Gomez said about using an imaginary place or a place that isn't mentioned.
Peter Jackson's early films come to mind, all set in NZ on low budgets and then he gets picked up by LA to film in NZ with a huge budget.
If you're a good enough writer then location doesn't matter in my view.

I'm from New York and both of my features take place here.  A couple of my short scripts take place here.  I use New York because I'm familiar with the geography and the people.  Going elsewhere would just mean a lot of research to get things right (and I'm not just talking geography).


Phil

I'm constantly write things noy only in Ohio, but in the town I live in, Amelia. It's just more comfortable.

~Zack~

Quoted from Murphy It is a person who is hiding and chose New York to hide in because of the size

If you're looking for a different setting, outside the US, to challenge yourself out of your element and practice your researching skills for a story, a couple years ago I did some researching and asked some people (who know how to make a person disappear) and they said the best place in the world to hide and disappear is to get a tan, learn some Brazilian Portuguese and pony on over to Brazil.

Not only are there 185,000,000 people to disappear into, as opposed to only around 20,000,000 people in New York, (Brazil's Sao Paulo has 19 million people compared to New York City's 7 million people) but I heard the crooked government over there doesn't care or check a new citizens credentials and is very very reluctant to let another country snoop around or conduct searches for any wayward souls.