This week: Monuments Edited by: Robert Waltz  
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This monument is going to be built as a symbol.
—Bill Russell
The earliest dated monument yet discovered in Tikal and all of the Maya lowlands, Stela 29, has a Long Count date of 8.12.14.13.15, which translates to A.D. 292.
—David Roberts
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is for the community of San Francisco. And the Brooklyn Bridge, which is one of the most magnificent bridges ever built, is also a monument to the community, you see.
—Santiago Calatrava |
In order to demonstrate the intended setting for a scene, movies and TV shows will often use an establishment shot: a panorama of the place in question, often accompanied by title text with the written location. Sometimes, this is helpful, as not everyone knows what, say, Glasgow looks like.
Other times, though, it's annoying to me. *Shot of Statue of Liberty* "New York City." *Picture of Sydney Opera House* "Sydney, Australia." *Eiffel Tower* "Paris, France." These are annoying because, unless it's a show aimed at kids, it's not like anyone's going to mistake the landmark for something else. I mean, sure, Vegas has copies of two of those monuments, but the background always gives it away.
St. Louis has the Gateway Arch; Rome, the Colosseum; Washington, D.C. has the giant obelisk called the Washington Monument; London is known for Elizabeth Tower; Rio de Janeiro has the huge Jesus statue; San Fransisco has the Golden Gate Bridge, while L.A. sports the Hollywood sign up in the hills. All of these cities, and many more, are instantly recognizable from only these monuments. In ancient times, there was the Colossus (no relation to the Colosseum) of Rhodes, and the Pyramids survive, kind of, to this day, instantly identifying Egypt. Many places even have more than one identifying structure; for instance, in NYC, the Brooklyn Bridge or the Empire State Building can also work.
Point being, if you're creating a fantasy world with cities and such, maybe consider what kind of iconic monument could be a recognizable feature of a place. Perhaps it's a particular castle tower, or a figure carved from the rock of a nearby mountain. It doesn't have to serve a function any more than any other art does, but it can; for instance, the Eiffel Tower has served as a billboard and a broadcast point for radio; Elizabeth Tower tells time and marks the Parliament halls; while the Gateway Arch doesn't do much but sit there and gleam.
Or, you know, in your world, maybe your iconic structure an archwizard's secret lair, or the repository of all history. Maybe it's floating in the air, because it is, after all, Fantasy, and you can do that.
Your story may or may not get picked up by some studio. But if it does, it would be nice to have that establishment shot all ready to go. |
Some Fantasy, landmarks not necessarily included:
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Last time, in "Extraterrestrial" , I talked about aliens.
Just John  : I read your samples and wanted to share something I wrote a long time ago.
Thanks for reading and contributing!
That's it for me for April. See you next month! Until then,
DREAM ON!!!
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Fantasy: April 30, 2025 Issue [#13107]
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