Scenery Porn

"Geographic conditions indicate an aesthetically pleasing view nearby. Organic lifeforms may wish to take note."

—Hammerhead's V.I. Mass Effect 2, Project Overlord DLC

Scenery porn is the emphasis on luscious backgrounds with great detail, lovely lighting or both. It means that the makers put in extra effort for something that might not have direct influence on the Plot. Of course, there are extra points to be earned when the scenery actually enhances the Plot in some sort of symbolic fashion.

In live-action movies, scenery porn is in effect when extra effort is put into emphasizing a beautiful surrounding, usually wide-open landscapes. Stage productions can have copious amounts of this trope with elaborate sets and backdrops. A main characteristic is that the scenery is almost treated as a character in its own right, either as a passive onlooker or with a more active role, depending on the setting of the show (if the scenery is literally a character with a mind of its own, then it's a Genius Loci). Bonus Points when Awesome Music is added.

In Literature, scenery porn manifests itself as long paragraphs that go into more detail about the setting than necessary, such as describing at length the mountains of the Swiss countryside, or name-dropping all the streets in Chicago as the character turns on them. It's the author's way of proving that he's from the area in question or did the research, and while it's a great bonus for people who know the area, it can be seen as Filler to just about everyone else. On the extreme end of this, some works are popular entirely because they are nothing but Scenery Porn.

Often used to show that The World Is Just Awesome. Compare Shoot the Money. This can be distracting in Video Games when part of an Empty Room Psych. Silent Scenery Panel has a high chance being this. Scenery Gorn is when Scenery Porn goes bad. Also compare Costume Porn, Gun Porn, and its Super-Trope, Awesome Art. Not to be confused with when someone "knows" the scenery.

Compare Real Place Background.

Examples of Scenery Porn are listed on these subpages: