Research as a navigating tool

<b>Pilegaard, N. H. S. (2025). Research as a Navigating Tool. In M. J. P. Wolf (Ed.), <i>Navigating Imaginary Worlds: Wayfinding and Subcreation.</i> New York: Routledge. <br/></b><br/>When screenwriters embark on the journey of the creation of an ‘imaginary world’ (Wolf, 2012) for a film and television series, they might venture into unfamiliar territories, such as the specific codes of conduct in certain settings or the interior design of particular workplaces. This exploration is not confined to fantastic realms vastly different from our own, like the worlds depicted in the television series Game of Thrones (2011-2019), but also extends to imaginary worlds that closely mirror reality.<br/><br/>In the process of creating an imaginary world, even those that resemble the real world, research often plays a crucial role in the subcreation process. Research can be conducted in various ways and with different levels of detail and forms of systematics. Regardless of how research is applied, research serves as a tool for seeking inspiration, offering new ideas that can be translated into tangible expressions, such as concepts for the imaginary world and its structures (Philipsen &amp; Pilegaard, 2023; Redvall, 2008). In the following essay, I explore how research aids screenwriters in their extradiegetic wayfinding during the subcreation of imaginary worlds for films and television series. I analyze paratextual material (Wolf, 2012) from two Danish case studies: The subcreation of the imaginary world in the Danish short film Climate Warrior by Anna van Deurs, and the subcreation of the imaginary world in the Danish television series The Investigation (2020) by Tobias Lindholm. <br/><br/>I use these two cases to illustrate the ‘Research-based subcreation process’ wherein research functions as a navigating tool for the screenwriters’ own extradiegetic wayfinding. Here, extradiegetic wayfinding is understood more broadly than specific locations and maps leading to these places; it encompasses navigating the extradiegetic material in the subcreation of imaginary worlds.<br/>