Here's a set piece from There's Something About Mary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NdNyi7v0-M Notice how the scene provides, in Truby talk, "the Ghost" for Ted: it's the event from the past that haunts him in the present. I wouldn't consider it to the inciting incident because it is in the past. Nevertheless, it poses the dramatic question: would Ted and Mary been more than just the Prom item had it not been for the zipper? As far as set pieces go, especially with regards to comedy, it's a classic. While it's confined to a small space (the bathroom), it continually builds momentum with laughs upon laughs, characters coming unto the scene and providing different reactions (I've found one of the hallmarks of good comedy is an event in and of itself isn't necessarily funny - it's how people react to it). In a sense, this particular scene has its own microcosm of a three act structure. There's a backstory (what happened directly before). There's an inciting incident - the zipper getting stuck. There's increased dramatic stakes (Ted's manhood, both literally and figuratively). There's a ticking clock - will he make it to the prom? There's a sense of genuine mystery: WHAT exactly does the accident look like that has these people reacting in such ways? There's a payoff to said mystery: we see the close-up. There's a solution - reverse the tracks - with consequences: "we have a bleeder!". By the time we get out of the bathroom, Ted's on a stretcher and we get all sorts of tidbits that keep the laughs rolling. "Franks and Beans!! He was masturbating!" The scene obviously sets up the rest of the movie so, in a sense, one could say the story was structured around this - but it's also fair to say the events were also structured with the characters in mind (meaning, the events feel organic to them and natural). Set pieces in comedy are invaluable because they help to sustain the audience's laughter and if one can do that for a few minutes several times in a story, their chances of finding success are probably going to be a lot higher.

Set pieces area great way to navigate through a complex screenplay, too. I've had something bubbling away for a long time that just wouldn't solidify on the page. So, now I've decide to write the trailer - using the set pieces that have been pinned to the virtual corkboard for years now. Suddenly it's starting to make sense - the pieces are beginning to fit. It's worth a try.

Thanks, Scott (and Bark Bites Back)-this is a tremendous post. Very thoughtful and thorough with a nice mix of resources to help delineate and illustrate the concept and uses of set pieces in different genres.And thanks to Tommy for the question.