Lately I’ve been driving through some small towns here and there while on break. And while I’ve been doing so, I’ve noticed something: Small towns have so much character! I’ve been working on some longer scripts lately, and I really want to write something that takes place in Smalltown America somewhere.
It usually helps to be in the passenger seat of a car when driving through a small town. When you’re driving you end up paying attention to the road, thus missing out on the cool stuff on the side of the street. I personally notice family owned restaurants and bars and think about what kinds of meetings go on in there. I start to piece together scenes that could happen. I imagine my drive past there as the drive two characters might have taken. And each of these small businesses has a uniqueness that you can’t easily find in bigger cities.
I have family in a small town like the ones I’ve described so far. The small town community is so interesting and tightly knit. Everyone knows everyone, and the whole thing about the front door being open is totally true. Whenever I visit them people really do swing by just to say hi, chat in the living room, and then head back out. I think that kind of interaction would play well in a scene or story.
And think about how fun it would be to make a movie in a small town! I find those towns so relaxing and friendly. In my experience in them so far, it’s much easier to get the permits to film there too. I once filmed a movie in a small town where we got access to a cop uniform, police car, and various locations in City Hall for free all because everyone in charge was so friendly!
On the other hand, I’ve run into a lot of trouble getting permits for outdoor locations and having to pay huge fees to get said permits in bigger cities. It would definitely take a lot of the stress out of the filming process.
That said, here’s the problem. I don’t have an idea for a story yet! I jot down ideas whenever I think of them, but so far nothing that takes place in a small town setting. But since I have a few weeks to myself, maybe I’ll think of something. But whatever I end up writing, I look forward to it!