TEXT A Everyone is familiar with
the cry of the director who is about to shoot a scene for a new movie. "Quiet on
the set!" is the command. When all is ready, the next order is "Action!" Then
the actors begin to play their roles in the setting that has been made for
them. Before they have gotten this far, however, great pains
have been taken to set the scene just the way the director wants it. The reason
such care is taken to set a scene is that the setting must do a great deal for
the viewers when the movie is completed. Think for a moment
about a movie or television show you have seen recently. As soon as the show
begins, you get some very distinct impressions. From the way people dress, the
way they live, and the vehicles they ride in, you know at once where you are and
if the story takes place in the present or in the past. If it’s a bright, sunny
day in a park, you will tend to feel bright and sunny yourself. But if clouds
are lowering darkly over a cemetery, you will probably squat down and get set
for a good scare. If you are shown a mansion in Texas, you will begin to think
about what it’s like to be rich. If the setting is a city slum, you will begin
to think about the problems of the poor. So the setting does a
number of things. It prepares a scene that allows you to believe you are really
viewing a certain place at a certain time. The setting prepares you for the
action that will take place. And because it makes you feel a certain way, the
setting helps put you in the proper mood to appreciate that action. Setting also
starts you thinking about important ideas that are presented through the
movie; The setting will NOT give the audience any idea about