Editor’s note: This article contains spoilers for “Wicked: Part 1.”
Returning to the Wizard of Oz after nearly 85 years has never been more exciting. evilThe adaptation of the fourth-longest-running Broadway musical finally hits theaters after an intense development process and numerous production setbacks. Although the musical exceeded expectations, its popularity cannot be fully explained.
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) embarks on a journey of self-discovery, earning the title “Wicked Witch of the West” from the wizard and her companions. Written by stage book writers Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, the film is an incredibly faithful adaptation of the play. It expands the story to include more nuances from the stage play’s source material, Gregory Maguire. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. (Who says adaptations have no value in Hollywood?)
Despite a record-breaking opening weekend, evilThe first part of this two-part saga provided the writers with valuable lessons in world-building.
What is world building?
World-building is a fundamental element of storytelling that is often overlooked and underestimated by many. But it can make or break a whimsical story, e.g. evil.
Some of the best stories take place in a world that is different from our mundane reality. From “The Wizard of Oz” to “Hogwarts” or more realistic stories like the film noir version of “L.A.,” screenwriters can use world building to set the tone, rules and character arcs in the first minute. Help remove doubts from your audience.
Building the story’s world usually happens during the outlining process as a screenwriter attempts to implement story beats in the world. While the world can be built through action, dialogue, and character dynamics, how the world is built is entirely in the hands of the writer.
evil Creators face the unique challenge of building a world on top of a world that many of us are very familiar with. How do you begin to expand on this lovely world that we’ve been seeing for a third of a century? As Holzman said in an interview with ScreenRant, “There are things you can explain and there are things you just have to explain.” [follow]”.
For example, when Galinda (Ariana Grande), Elphaba, and other students arrive at Hinds, they arrive by boat. Holzman believes that the concept of water has gradually become a powerful symbol of the unconscious, and that the flow of water will take you to “the place where your fantasies are.”
In a sense, water is helping us realize that there is more to it than the Yellow Brick Road, the Emerald City, and the very few locations we see within it The Wizard of Oz. The world has expanded, but audiences still need rules for how this newer version of the world works.
“Wicked” (2024)
Create story rules
The story takes viewers back into the Wizard of Oz by showcasing familiar places such as the Wicked Witch of the West’s tower, the Yellow Brick Road, the Emerald City, and the Munchkin Land.
Good-natured Glinda floats in a giant pink bubble and sings with Mrs. Munchkin to announce the witch’s death.
We already know that there was a huge time gap and that there was a land before the Wicked Witch. We don’t see Glinda’s powers, but we know that her preferred mode of transportation is a pink bubble that’s not entirely made of magic. This establishes Glinda’s power, the world’s technology, and the vastness of Oz we’ve never seen before.
Basically, the first few minutes evil Simply reintroducing Oz makes for incredible world-building.
Then, through Glinda’s explanation of why Elphaba is green, we see the world-building in action. The answer is that she was just born. There is no rhyme or reason behind this, the audience can only accept these facts as truth. As Elphaba begins to learn and understand her powers, she not only heals childhood trauma but also helps viewers understand how magic works in the world.
Why is it that the lack of explanation fails to establish the rules of the world? The writers are very confident that the story is enough to hold your attention, and details like why Glinda is in the bubble or why Elphaba is green don’t matter. It’s true!
Exposition can be a screenwriter’s worst enemy, and it’s hard to feel like it’s not needed. But trust your skills as a storyteller to create a story that makes sense of the world in which it lives. Important issues or a lack of consistency in the rules you established early on.
Read more: Three simple ways to write good instructions in your scripts
“Wicked” (2024)
evil Use structure to build the world
You may have given pause when I mentioned how this movie started. Yes, for the uninitiated, where to start? The Wizard of Oz That ends before taking us back to Elphaba’s origins. This structure will hopefully explain to the audience how she became the Wicked Witch of the West and why her death is celebrated.
We have become invested in the world because the story tells us that there is something about the world that we don’t know.
Each moment peels back its layers, revealing the world and story through heart-pounding cinematic moments (like Elphaba bursting into tears on the edge of a cliff after Shiz enrolls). As we explore the world with Elphaba – some shunning him, some embracing him – we discover a powerful reconstruction of the narrative surrounding this misunderstood villain.
Even if the world you’re building isn’t as fantastical as Oz, knowing how to structure your story can help you establish boundaries between your imaginary world and the world that exists within it. You don’t have to give everything in the world to those first few minutes. Instead, let the world expand and breathe as we explore it with the protagonist.
Read more: 8 Sequence Structures: Screenwriting’s Best Kept Secret
“Wicked” (2024)
evil Use audience proxy
In every story, the audience needs someone to make them understand the strangeness of being introduced to a new world. These characters are often surrogates for the audience or characters in the story who serve as stand-ins for the audience.
from beginning to end evil We often see the world through background characters. We know that Elphaba has been disliked from birth because of her father’s reaction to her greenness, seeing her as someone else before we even meet her and complicating the evil of the Wicked Witch. We continue to see Elphaba’s otherness through background characters who point or snicker at her because of her appearance.
The audience already sympathizes with Elphaba, but we learn about her place in the world through the reactions of other characters who reveal that her greenness goes against the world’s traditional acceptance.
In addition to Elphaba’s story, the story also shows how animals – who can talk, teach and perform all the tasks a human can do – can face others like Elphaba. When Elphaba attends Shiz, many animals hide from humans to avoid losing their rights. While Elphaba cares about this, we can see that no one else cares as it doesn’t affect their daily lives until it eventually does (more on that in Evil: Part 2).
Of course, we don’t always agree with the reactions of background characters, but they are an entry point into our understanding of the way the world works and the biases that define it.
Your main character has a journey to follow, so let your background characters help define and flesh out the world for your readers.
“Wicked” (2024)
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Evil: Part One is an amazing movie that transforms Oz into a much bigger place than it already is. This is not only an achievement of the imagination of the world creator, but also teaches the screenwriter how to construct and expand a world through rules, structure and character dynamics.
Exposition and long descriptions can bog down your script. Pay close attention to the nuances of reaction and clever screenwriting, my partner, Ozians, and you will create an exciting world.
Read more: How to Develop and Write a Great Antihero
