LESSON 1
NAME YOUR GENRE
What’s your favorite type of movie? The one where the brawny hero leaps into his sleek sports car and races the heinous villain down a treacherous mountain road? Or perhaps it’s an old-fashioned Dodge City standoff between two gun-slinging cowboys battling over stolen gold? Or maybe you prefer a lighthearted chick flick where the clumsy boy pursues the dreamy girl, and captures her heart in the end? Clearly, all of these movies are distinctly different, and that’s because they belong to different genres.
Genre is the artistic category of a film defined by its style, content, and form.
Consider a story about a jewel heist. It could be a thriller, or an action/adventure film, or even a broad comedy. It all depends on the writer’s approach to the subject matter. You need to figure out in which genre (or genres) you would like to write, and this is usually determined by the kinds of movies you like to see. There are numerous genres recognized in the world of cinema. The main ones are as follows:
1) DRAMA: True to life stories of a serious nature. They are realistic and rely on genuine character relationships and intense emotional involvement. Some may be biographical (Lincoln), political (All the President’s Men), or historical (Schindler’s List) in their premise. But all should touch the hearts of the viewers, and even bring out the hankies to dry their eyes. Other examples of dramas include Nebraska, The King’s Speech, Cool Hand Luke, The Shawshank Redemption.
2) SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY: These movies are usually set in a future timeframe (Star Trek) or in an imaginary world (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone). The characters often include nonhumans, and the writer establishes the rules of what they can and cannot do. All rules, no matter how unreal in our contemporary world (“Beam me aboard, Scotty!”) must be presented in a credible manner. These films are a total escape from reality, but that’s exactly why we go to the movies—real life is boring. Other examples include The Matrix, Alien, The Princess Bride, The Wizard of Oz.
3) COMEDY: Stories in this category approach a subject using humor. The audience better be laughing, or at least chuckling, when watching your movie. Otherwise, your comedy becomes a tragedy. Since there are many types of comedy, we can divide them into subgenres:
a) Romantic Comedy: Love stories that put a smile on your face. (Pretty Woman, The Wedding Singer, Annie Hall, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Sleepless in Seattle)
b) Black Comedy: Serious matter dealt with in a comedic way. (The War of the Roses, Eating Raoul, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Harold and Maude, Throw Momma from the Train)
c) Teen Comedy: Appeals to teenagers and involves school, dating, pimples, proms, and the issues that affect today’s youth. (American Pie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Superbad, Clueless, Mean Girls)
d) Broad Comedy: Very unrealistic and revolves around slapstick jokes and physical humor more than character development or believable plots. (Airplane!, The Hangover, Animal House, Blazing Saddles, Monty Python and the Holy Grail)
e) Action Comedy: A serious story, often crime-related, but with lots of physical humor and dialogue played for laughs. (Beverly Hills Cop, 21 Jump Street, Rush Hour, Ghostbusters)
4) ACTION ADVENTURE: These stories present characters who tackle dangerous events with lots of physical action. There may be brief moments of humor, but the characters are on a serious mission with dire consequences. Examples include Die Hard, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Dark Knight, Mission: Impossible, Goldfinger.
5) THRILLER: Suspense and mystery abounds in these films. The audience should be on the edge of their seats as they follow the protagonist’s journey. Examples here include Chinatown, Se7en, North by Northwest, The Silence of the Lambs, The Fugitive.
6) FAMILY: Stories that are suited for kids and, if done well, also tolerable for their parents. They may be live action (Beethoven), animated (Toy Story), or a musical (Mary Poppins). Other examples include Frozen, E.T., Babe, Finding Nemo.
7) HORROR: These movies usually contain graphic content, meant to scare viewers out of their seats. The good ones have clever stories and work from a psychological perspective (The Exorcist). Today, however, we often equate horror movies with slasher films (Nightmare on Elm Street). Other examples include Rosemary’s Baby, Night of the Living Dead, Friday the 13th, Halloween, The Evil Dead.
8) WESTERN: Films in this category deal with the emerging frontier. Think cowboys, horses, saloons, and lots of gunfire. Examples are Unforgiven, High Noon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Wild Bunch, True Grit.
9) DOCUMENTARY: These are unscripted stories about real people and events. But just because there’s no script, it doesn’t mean the movie is void of structure. A narrative needs to be laid out and the dots need to be connected. However, the bulk of the writing is done in the editing room and not on the page. Examples include Roger & Me, The Last Waltz, Amy, Woodstock, Hoop Dreams.
Some writers work strictly in comedy, others science fiction. Some writers have no preference and can write any genre. Naturally, the more versatile you are, the better chances you have to get hired for a writing assignment. The main thing is to be comfortable writing in whatever genre you choose to tackle.
One thing to be aware of—many films fit into more than a single genre. For instance, Star Wars may be science fiction, but it is also an action adventure movie. Little Miss Sunshine is a drama, but it is also a comedy (or dramedy as it’s commonly called). Being able to combine genres is a positive thing. It increases the potential audience for your movie, which means a bigger box office for the company producing it. In a business driven by revenue, this may make the difference in getting your film made.
Don’t, however, try to force a crossover genre into your story simply in hopes of attracting a financier or a larger audience. Years ago, I wrote a very witty feature comedy for Universal Studios based on the ’60s TV show McHale’s Navy. Unfortunately, the producers decided it should also be an action adventure movie, so they had the script rewritten, sacrificing a lot of the humor for some physical, and expensive, set pieces. Despite my protests, I was just the writer—one notch below craft services on the feature film totem pole. There was nothing I could do about it except bang my head on the wall and cry. The end result was a film with neither enough laughs nor enough action to be successful in either genre, and the wrath of the critics, along with the empty seats in the theaters, let the producers know just that.
Think about the movies you like and identify what genre they belong to. If they all fit into the same category, that’s clearly your favorite genre and probably the one in which you should be writing.
Copyright © 2018 by Andy Rose
