Describing a scene doesn’t need to be hard.
All you have to do is to put enough to set the scene and highlight what is integral because…
White space is key.
Not only does white space on the page give the reader’s eye space to rest, but it also allows space for fellow creatives to envision that world as it pertains to their expertise. This is where actors may write out blocking instructions from the director; it may be where the art department makes notes about various props, etc.
Do not underestimate the power of white space.
This is where the magic happens.
Let’s look at an example
Here is an example from David Hemingson’s The Holdovers:
The cool thing about “December 18, 1970” and “chapel” is that it leaves enough room for production to choose a church pre-dating that era (i.e., one that was built in 1870, 1920, or even 1969), but it constrains the location/architectural choice to not existing past a certain point.
It also goes without saying that the boys and choirmaster are going to be wearing clothes from that era. We don’t know why they’re wearing suit and tie, but we learn later that it’s a rehearsal at a New England prep school. (The date also clues us in; were it the actual concert, then it would probably be December 24 or December 25). Most likely, they’re obeying the dress code.
The only real props that are mentioned are the hymnals and the tree. These help the viewer/reader envision what’s going on, but they’re not devastatingly important to the plot (except that the townies later take the tree, but that’s a small detail).
What I like about this scene is that it gives the minimum.
Ample white space exists for the viewer to draw in the details.