World-building is something usually only talked about in fantasy spaces. If you've ever tried to craft your own world for a fantasy novel or a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, you're probably familiar with the act of creating a space for your characters to inhabit. However, if you're a screenwriter who mostly dabbles in contemporary settings, you've probably practiced a bit of world-building too.
When writing a screenplay (or any work of fiction for that matter), you as the writer must invent a home for your characters. Every story has a setting, and while non-fantasy settings can often fade into the background, it's important for writers to put some thought into their worlds.
Robert McKee in his book Story advises screenwriters to be specific about where their films take place. Even if you haven't specifically named the location, have a good idea of where it could be.
Is your main character's home town based off your own? Imagining that your story could take place there or in a city like that can help you understand your characters better and give the story a sense of realism. The specific location of the story informs climate, social stakes, and many other aspects of your film.
Even films with more loose settings require some amount of world-building. For example, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid films are intended to exist in an average town in the American suburbs, somewhere in time between the '90s and early 2010s.
This generalized style of world-building is meant to make the stories relatable to a very wide audience. Still, screenwriters Jackie Filgo, Jeff Filgo, and Gabe Sachs, as well as author Jeff Kinney, had to build this world. They put some thought into where to shoot this series to emulate that suburban feel, and they chose to keep the often cartoonish logic of the books.
While not obvious, both of these choices go into world-building. Other tasks such as giving your characters backstories or families, friends, and loved ones also contribute to world-building.
So, now that you know what world-building looks like, how do you do it?
Try not to overcomplicate things. Your first instinct might be to go big or go home. Remember: you still have a story to write! When world building for story purposes, focus on items you will need, or at least ideas that will inform how you write the characters and the actions they take. A random passerby’s occupation and entire family life probably will never come up on the page, but knowing that your main character's sister is getting over a break-up might tell you how to write her dialogue.
Even if it seems like a bit of a hassle, coming up with your own specific space for your story is vital. A well-crafted world should elevate the story, whereas a bland one may distract from it.
