When writing my last script (my #6), which is set in a cyberpunk dystopia, I found myself listening to cyberpunk-inspired ambience when outlining, writing, or editing. This view into a world similar to the one I am creating made for some good vibes.
Cyberpunk City under the Rain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwTbdvxASFkThis is my future apartment when I made some decent $$$ selling scripts!
And if you have writer's block, take a walk or… a metro ride!
Night City Cyberpunk Ambience - 4 Hour Metro Ride https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfwe6cqhajk
How do you peek into the world of your script(s) in writing?
1 person likes this
Hey, Michael Dzurak. I listen to music that's in the same genre(s) as my script, look at pictures and videos online, and visualize my story's world.
1 person likes this
Maurice Vaughan, I've also watch game playthroughs if the genre is similar. The interactive style of a good game helps see some choices done in the fictional world.
2 people like this
I love this — using ambience to slip into the world you’re building is one of the most powerful tools we have as writers.
For my own script Jumelles, the world isn’t cyberpunk, but the atmosphere was born from something very similar: a real place that felt slightly unreal.
During my trip to China, I walked through districts filled with tall, silent residential towers, endless windows glowing at night, and narrow alleys where life felt both intimate and anonymous. The repetition of the buildings, the muted colors, the geometry of the city… all of it shaped the emotional architecture of Jumelles.
It wasn’t the neon future of cyberpunk — it was something colder, quieter, almost clinical.
A world where human connection is fragile, where two sisters can feel completely alone even in a city of millions.
Whenever I’m writing, I put on ambience that reminds me of those nights in China: distant traffic, soft rain, the echo of footsteps between concrete walls. Instantly, I’m back inside the world of the film.
For me, that’s how I “peek” into the world of my script:
I return to the places that changed me — through sound, memory, and the atmosphere they left in my mind.
2 people like this
Very interesting, Koby Nguyen. Going with your idea, if I ever write a story in a fantasy kingdom, I would like to first return to Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany. A city with a remarkably well-preserved old town, that's also far off the beaten path. Euro trips often highlight Carcassone in France or Venice in Italy, wonderful places to be sure, but busy and grandiose. I remember it as supremely tranquil and that's why it's stuck with me.
2 people like this
I also enjoy visualizing my worlds. I describe what exists in my mind and let ChatGPT translate it into visual form.
1 person likes this
Please stop writing dystopia.
2 people like this
I’m sorry for my curiosity, but why should we stop writing dystopia? TOM SCHAEFER
2 people like this
Perhaps learning what the word dystopia really means would be a good start. It's not a "style", it's a result.
2 people like this
As I understand it so far, dystopia refers to dark worlds where human well-being is deeply affected. I think it’s a powerful genre that can provoke real change and resistance—whether against misused technology, future alien domination, or possible catastrophes that could threaten humanity’s survival.
I also believe dystopia has strengthened science itself, because it keeps asking difficult questions about the future and its risks. So why should we stop writing it? TOM SCHAEFER
2 people like this
How do you feel dystopia has positively impacted society?
2 people like this
Because dystopian stories imagine and project possible futures for humanity, they can motivate society to act in order to avoid those dark outcomes. For instance, Interstellar depicts a future shaped by environmental collapse, potentially encouraging greater responsibility toward Earth to prevent such a fate.
Many sustainability-driven ideas are born from the fear of planetary collapse and human extinction—and that fear is, in part, cultivated by dystopian storytelling TOM SCHAEFER
3 people like this
Perhaps ... Folks are entitled to their art form ... and it's all subjective. "Opinions are like ... everyone has one" So - it's just my .02 - I just don't need more dystopia than what I am seeing in real life.
As to film's "fear of the future" - "warning" potential - 2001 A Space Odysee, Robocop didn't seem to help ... Terminator didn't seem to help ... I'm not seeing how these epic dystopian narratives somehow immunized society into a brighter future. I am in a bad episode of Sliders where Trump is president and we have gestapo on the streets. "It could happen here" is happening.
It's not entertaining for me sorry.
As the stoics said "as a man thinks so he becomes" ... yeah I'm laying down a bit of accountability to what we produce, but I have seen way too much dystopia that has not in fact bettered society. If it had I would concede your point.
3 people like this
Yes, I understand your perspective now, Thank you very much for your clarification.TOM SCHAEFER
I agree. The impact on society comes from multiple levels—political, economic, and scientific. From that viewpoint, the influence of sci-fi films may seem limited, but they can still serve as cultural awareness tools for sensitive issues such as environmental crises or the risks of technology, especially for audiences who may not have a strong background in these topics.
2 people like this
Thank you - We just need to imagine greater
3 people like this
"It's not a "style", it's a result."
Exactly, TOM SCHAEFER. In these stories, the world is different due to wild result and this allows for interesting story-telling possibilities with fictional technologies and the like. It's more interesting to me than magic and fantasy, so I write it.