Can a Smell in a Script Make it to the Screen? – An Opinion on Writing for Cinema

MZed EducationOpinion

by Mascha DeikovaToday

Is it okay to include smells in a script? I stumbled upon such a discussion on Reddit, and it got me thinking. Of course, the classic screenwriting convention states, that if you can’t see or hear something in a scene, you don’t describe it in an action line. But aren’t rules here to break them? And if so, why would you add a smell to a script? Can it then also make it to the screen? And if so, how? Let’s try to find some answers.

But first, a short disclaimer: In this article, we don’t touch on Smell-O-Vision and similar modern systems, such as 4DX, or MX4D. Such systems are able to release odor during the film projection and implement it into the storytelling, enhancing the overall viewer’s experience. However, that’s a separate topic, which deserves more space another time.

The classic approach to a smell in a script

If you studied film, visited a filmmaking course, read a textbook on screenwriting, or even watched a theoretical course on the topic, then you have already heard the subsequent convention: Show, don’t tell. It is a powerful tool in all kinds of creative writing, yet in film scripts it becomes essential. Why? Because when our audience sits in the dark theatre, they can only absorb two types of sensory information: visual, and sonic.

Since your screenplay is supposed to replicate the experience of a movie, it follows that your script should only convey what is seen and heard. (…) What about the other senses? Smell, taste, touch? You don’t include those in a screenplay because you can’t see smell. Or taste. Or touch. You can’t hear them either. However, you can see and hear a character’s reaction to these stimuli.

John Glenn from Gotham Writers

In other words, the classical approach to screenwriting suggests, that we only keep the essentials on the page and get rid of all the details, that cannot be seen or heard. Let’s admit it: That makes total sense. Firstly, we can still describe the character’s physical reaction to a scent or taste in an action line. Secondly, the goal of the script is to be turned into a movie. And those, who decide whether it is worth becoming one, usually don’t have time to read through detailed sensory descriptions. The abundance of negative space is a great feature of a good script.

However, I can’t help but wonder. What if? What if we dismiss this convention and take a different path?

Sensual experience enhances immersion

Seasoned writer and director Seth Worley is known for his short films and YouTube content for major clients like Bad Robot Productions, Red Giant, and Film Riot. In his MZed course “Writing 201,” he jokingly reveals “a dirty secret of a scene action.”: No one really reads it. Most people would skip the action lines in film scripts and browse only through the dialogue. That’s why Seth sees it as a fun challenge. He intends to write screenplays, that will make you want to read every single word.

Basically, if I feel myself getting bored as the writer, I know the reader is going to be bored, too.

Seth Worley, a quote from his course

I don’t want to be a boring writer. I don’t want to develop dry, meticulously constructed scripts without a whiff of magic. In one of my past articles, we already talked about the importance of creating effective images instead of beautiful ones. Why don’t we talk about creating effective lines? That’s where a smell in a script could become useful.

In prose, authors know, how important it is to activate the bodily reactions of the readers. Once you let them feel the freezing wind grating the skin on their cheeks, taste a piece of soft dark chocolate with a citrus note, or smell a dozen rotten eggs, they are here, on your hook. Suddenly, they are present, immersed in the story, and can’t put it down. Isn’t that exactly what we aim for when writing a script?

After all, the screenwriter’s ultimate goal is to play a film in a reader’s head, be it a director, executive, or actor. To see it, hear it, feel it, smell it. So, why not engage all of their senses to achieve this goal?

A smell in a script instead of acting notes

Some answers in the initial Reddit discussion, that I mentioned above, pointed out another important aspect, the acting. In scripts, we should describe the actions of the characters, and not their inner monologues or feelings. That’s true. However, when the directions become too precise, there is a danger of blocking the creative flow of actors. Imagine you have a scene in a perfectly clean room, where all the characters catch a stench of a decaying animal. Surely, you can write, how they suddenly pinch their noses. Alternatively, try precisely naming the smell in your script and let the cast act according to their actor’s intuition. I believe, such an approach can correctly inform the performance while preserving creative freedom.

If we were to take it further: Imagine a film about scents (for instance, “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer”), and try writing the script without naming a single odor, only basing it on the protagonist’s actions and reactions. Why would you do it? Of course, there is no need to overwhelm your readers with non-visual details and insufficient descriptions. But when they make sense and are important to the story, why avoid them? Only because the convention says so?

Smells in production design

It goes even further. Sure, we as viewers can’t actually smell what the characters are smelling in a scene. However, by seeing the source of the smell and the character’s reaction to it, we engage a part of our brain responsible for imagining a scent. Have you ever felt like throwing up while watching a particularly disgusting scene? Well, you can thank your brain for that.

The more genuine reaction the actors convey, the better. Thus, some films use scents on sets and locations while filming. An Oscar-winning production designer Dean Tavoularis (known, above all, for „Apocalypse Now,” and “The Godfather” trilogy) sees it as an important aspect of his work. As he explains in this interview, the sense of smell does not show up on the screen, and yet scent is important in playing a scene. In his opinion, a production designer is responsible for helping actors to be immersed in the world they are creating.

In the grocery store scene of “The Brinks Job”, we built the set and spent the whole night dressing it to look right for the camera. Then, just before principal photography began, we crushed sprigs of garlic, oregano, and paprika around the set so the context would feel right to the players in that setting.

Dean Tavoularis, a quote from the interview to Production Designers Collective

I’m a huge believer in practical effects and letting the actors experience things. That’s why I was so fascinated by the approach the creators of “The Substance” chose. If you haven’t seen their behind-the-scenes featurette, check it out. It’s a huge joy to watch what creative wonders come to life when every detail matters. And let’s be honest: If you watched the movie, you surely could smell the blood in the final scenes, couldn’t you?

Conclusion

So, yes, a smell description in a script can’t directly reach the viewer in a cinema. (Neither do the scents used by set dressers to craft a particular atmosphere while filming). Yet I believe, under the right circumstances and when fitting, it can make it to the screen. We feel it in the genuine performance of actors; we sense it in a physical reaction of our brain; and we let it engage our imagination while reading a script. And regarding the scriptwriting rules, I believe it’s important to know and respect them. They provide solid guidance, and sticking to the rules is not a bad thing, especially when just starting out as a screenwriter. However, art and creativity should not have to suffer under them.

Full disclosure: MZed is owned by CineD.
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Feature image source: a film still from “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” by Tom Tykwer, 2006.

What is your opinion? Do you include smells in a script? When is it okay, and when writers should stick to audial and visual information? How else can a described scent make it to the screen? Let’s continue this discussion in the comments section below!