10 Great Setting Scenes

Where are we? What’s this place like? Who are these people? Setting is crucial in the engineering of a great film. If a setting scene is done well, we can be clued into the environment and the characters within it quickly, and then focus on what actually happens in this new setting. The following scenes are superb examples of delivering setting information in a concise, clear, and intriguing way.

10.  The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

The opening scene demonstrates the kind of family dynamics we’ll be dealing with for the rest of the film. We see that the Tenenbaums live in a flat that, inside, is rich in amber hues and candles: a strange environment for children. Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) sits across a long table from his three children, explaining that he and their mother are getting a divorce. The children ask why their parents are divorcing, and he replies, “Let’s just drop it.” We’re clued in to their communication skills and the desire for their parents to be together. Already, the setting of the Tenenbaum family is being illustrated.            

9. Big Fish (2003)

Ed Bloom (Ewan McGregor) is telling his son a story of the scariest witch in Alabama. We see a group of five young kids trudging through the swamp to find the witch’s home. It’s dark and their flashlights illuminate the bushes. They whisper about how the witch has “one glass eye that is said to contain mystical powers.” The numinous, foreboding setting is brought to life as the children crouch behind the gate to the witch’s mansion.

8. Signs (2002)

In the opening scene of the film, Reverend Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) jolts out of bed in the morning and while brushing his teeth, hears a scream coming from the cornfields. He and his brother run through the stalks, which rise above their heads, and find Hess’s young daughter and son nestled between the maze of corn. His son is entranced by something and remarks “God did it” as he takes his father’s face and points it towards the massive circle of cleared corn stalks. The camera zooms out to illustrate the strange pattern that has peculiarly been carved into the normality of both Hess’ cornfields and his life. The setting is unworldly mysterious from the get go.

7. Gladiator (2000)

The first time Maximus (Russell Crowe) and his fellow gladiators enter the Coliseum, ready to fight, the massive size of the crowd overwhelms them. As the stadium circles around and encloses the band of men, we realize just how many people have come to cheer for their death. The crowd chants, “Caesar!“ as the gladiators are introduced as the barbarian horde. This scene is crucial in understanding both the popularity of brutality in the Roman Empire and the place where the Gladiators must conquer death.

6. The Shining (1980)

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) has agreed to be the caretaker over the winter for a massive, isolated resort, The Stanley Hotel, in the mountains. The first time his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duval), is given a tour of the hotel by it’s owners is key to understanding the setting of the film. As the group walks the empty lobby, workers clearing away furniture and cleaning, she remarks, “This hotel is one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever seen!” The owners tell her of The Stanley’s reputable reputation and that movie stars, presidents and royalty have been guests at the hotel. The vaulted ceilings, deep hues of the floors and walls, and looming windows provide a foreboding background for the future events of The Shining.

5. The Outsiders (1983)

One of the first scenes in the film where we’re still getting to know Dallas (Matt Dillon), Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell) and Johnny (Ralph Maccio), provides us with a concise, yet revealing look at the setting. The trio strides through the gravel parking lot lined with sharp-looking cars. Cigarettes hanging from their mouths, they join a band of kids hanging out who immediately start a fight. Switchblades are flicked open only for a few seconds before the cops show up. Within this one scene, we find out crucial information: these boys like a good fight, switchblades are the weapons of choice, cars are the prizes, and cops are the enemy.

4. The Ring (2002)

The opening scene is a great example of illustrating the setting of a horror film. Becca (Rachael Bella) and Katie (Amber Tamblyn) are home alone, it’s late at night, storming outside and there’s a mysterious videotape in town. Becca describes the danger of the tape and that if you watch it, you will die in 7 days after receiving a fatal phone call. Katie pretends that she has watched it and fakes a death. The girls giggle at the silly idea…then the phone rings. Could it be true? The girls slowly walk down the stairs towards the phone and Becca answers it, but it’s just Katie’s mom. Then the TV suddenly turns on. The following scenes continue to alarm us and The Ring has begun. The first scene, though, completely informs us on the setting of the film: a suburban town with normal people enduring horrifying events.

3. American Beauty (1999)

Lester (Kevin Spacey) brings us into the setting of his story with the opening scene where he spies on his wife, Caroline (Annette Benning), from their house window. She is outside trimming the rose bushes, making sure they’re perfect, and talking cheerily to their gay neighbors. Lester remarks, “See the way that handle matches the gardening clogs, that’s not an accident.”  “Man, I get exhausted just watching her…we used to be happy,” Lester says through the window. We know something very important already: Caroline and Lester are married, they live in a neighborhood very concerned with appearance, and they are slowly growing apart; something that will pose serious problems with their relationship.

2. Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Aspiring writer, Christian (Ewan McGregor), has just moved to Paris in 1900 and is neighbor to the infamous club Moulin Rouge. His first visit to the nightclub is crucial to understanding the backdrop of his future saga of a romance. The doors open and invite us into the world of Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent) and his Diamond Dogs: beautiful, erotic can-can dancers. The setting is splashed with ruffled, richly colored skirts, painted faces and sparkling lights. Through the laughter and singing of the crowd, we see Christian has entered a completely different world, a hidden gem, the Moulin Rouge!.

1. Edward Scissorhands (1980)

In order to truly grasp how different Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp) is from the community around him, the scene where we first see the town is very important. The homes are pastel colored; a man mows one of many perfectly trimmed lawns, which another woman waters. Peg (Dianne Weist) knocks on one of her neighbors’ doors and attempts to sell her Avon makeup products. She’s eerily joyful, like most of the town and continues to try to sell her makeup despite her neighbor’s disinterest. This scene clues us in on what kind of community and characters we’ll be dealing with: they all probably know each other too well and Edward will serve as a dark, mysterious outsider.