Into the Fire

Here is Part Two of the discussion tips from Jeff Gerke.

Description, Part 2-The Establishing Shot

This is the second in a four-part series on descriptions. This tip applies to character descriptions as well as descriptions of settings, but I’m thinking mainly of setting descriptions as I write this.
When you watch a movie and you see the skyline of a big city and then a closer shot of someone walking down a city street, you understand it means that this person is walking down a street in that big city you saw a second ago, right?
If you see an aerial shot of snowy mountains and then you see a closer shot of a wizard and a Balrog fighting on a snowy mountainside, you assume that this fight is taking place somewhere in that mountain range you saw in the first shot, right?
If you see a blimp shot of a football stadium and then you see a close shot of a couple huddled together in the stands, you assume they’re at that stadium watching a game, right?
These wide shots are all examples of what are called, in filmmaking, “establishing shots.” They establish for the viewer the wider, macro context of the action we’re going to be watching at a more micro level. They give the reader a sense of where the action is taking place.
Even in movies or shows that pride themselves on not using establishing shots (like the TV series Lost) you still very quickly see the context of where things are happening: beach in the background, jungle all around, cave, hatch, etc.
For the viewer to understand what’s going on, the filmmaker must show him where it’s going on. Two people having a swordfight is interesting, but devoid of context it’s not as interesting (or meaningful) as it could be. Are they on stage? Are they in the middle of a medieval melee? Are they on a crossbeam high above a pirate ship? The establishing shot gives meaning and placement to the action that will follow.
Establishing shots are not for movies only. In fiction, if your reader doesn’t know where the action is taking place she won’t understand what is taking place.
Two people start talking. They’re talking about important matters, but you have no clue where they are. Maybe you find out from the author that the characters are “outside.” Well, what does that mean? Outside in the Bahamas or outside on the tundra of Kazakhstan? Is it night or day? Raining, snowing, cold, hot, windy, or fair? Are other people there or are they alone? Is there traffic nearby? What are the characters wearing? What are they doing? Are they walking or working out or lazing on the grass? Are they at a park or in a dark alley?
One of the things that aggravates me most about some fiction I see is that there is inadequate description of the location in which any given scene is taking place. I hate not knowing where I am or what the people are doing.
As a writer, it is your job to tell the reader what the context is of your scenes.
In film, the viewer gets a huge gestalt of the characters’ setting just by looking at the screen. Even if there is no true establishing shot (like an aerial overview of the location) the viewer can still see behind the character to know a few things about where this is taking place.
In fiction, not so much. The reader can’t see behind your characters to fill in the setting. If you don’t tell her what’s there, it simply isn’t there. Maybe they’re in a spaceship or underwater or in an office building. Maybe the characters are wearing hobo outfits or scuba gear or a Groucho Marx nose. They just don’t know. And that’s the writer’s fault.
In your fiction, whenever you put us in a new location, you must give us a description of what the place looks like, how many people are there, what they’re wearing, what they’re doing, where they are in relation to one another, and anything else the reader needs to understand the moment.
You need to give us an establishing shot.
Otherwise, we’ll be lost. And we’ll start burning you in effigy. (Okay, maybe that’s too harsh, but you get the point.)
You don’t have to be formulaic about it. You don’t have to go, “Okay, first, are they inside or outside? Second, what does it look like? Third…” You don’t have to give these descriptions on the first line of any new scene. Don’t get locked into doing it one way.
But you must, very early in every new setting, tell us what it’s like, who is there, and what they’re doing. This applies even if you move into a new setting in the same scene, like when you go from the car to the garage to the house.
This is a basic skill of fiction. Be sure you’re doing it.
Remember, the reader is completely dependent upon you to furnish this information. If you don’t, the reader will be adrift and you will have frustrated and distanced a reader who had been trying to follow your story closely.
By the time you get halfway down the first page of a new scene you should have included, or at least begun, a paragraph or two of description giving your reader an establishing shot.
There are exceptions to this. Sometimes you want your reader confused about the setting, as when you’re trying to disguise it from the reader in order to conceal someone’s identity or location. But this is exceedingly rare. Most of the time you want your readers to be able to visualize your story, right? Help them out. Add establishing shots to every scene and every new setting in your book.

*Please continue to pray for Kristy Dykes.*

**How is Kristy?**

She woke up not feeling so good Friday morning, but, as usual, she put a smile on her face and a praise in her heart. Thankfully, she began feeling better as the day progressed.