ABSTRACT
The setup serves several important functions: the first is to tell the viewer what they need to know to get the story started and introduces the type of story. A second function is to elicit emotion in the viewer; to get them to identify with the plight of the characters. A setup has three components: to provide enough information to orient the viewer to what is happening, to introduce the inciting incident that forces the main character to take action, and to raise the central question that must be answered by the end of the story. The setup begins with an opening image. These are visuals that give a strong sense of where the story takes place. Inciting incidents traditionally take place in the setup, near the end of Act 1, but can really take place anywhere in the Act I setup.
