Text and the city: the teaching and practice of scripting cities for the screen

ABSTRACT Much has been written about screen cities, and within this literature it is suggested that the city itself becomes screen language with its light, colour, and architecture. But there are fewer, if any, scholarly explorations on the practice of screenwriting the city, whereby this language must first be realised in words. Moreover, traditional screenwriting models emphasise the importance of plot, but not necessarily the creation of those worlds into which viewers so readily enter. This paper draws from the author's own practice and pedagogy to discuss experiments in using the city – and the screen world more broadly – as a starting point for screen stories. It makes particular reference to the script development process of a Melbourne-set screenplay, and the development and delivery of an undergraduate media studio, one that used the location-as-inspiration approach suggested by Kathryn Millard's invitation to ‘write for place’ (2014). In presenting the attendant discoveries, this paper aims to open a conversation around writing the city and the ways in which notions of ‘world’ impact upon, or intersect with, other aspects of screenwriting practice. It is hoped that this leads to practical ways, in learning, teaching and script development environments, to approach a story's world.