In its simplest term, genre is the type of screenplay you have written: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime (gangster), Drama, Horror, Musical/Dance, Science-Fiction, War, and Westerns. It's important to clearly identify your genre so you can market your script to the right agent, manager, studio, producer, or talent. Example: You would not want to make the mistake of giving your Sci-Fi script to an actor who only does comedy.

This week we will look at five of the most popular feature film genres. Part two will be uploaded on Tuesday, 2/19/2013

Action: Action films are high energy, with physical stunts, chases, battles, fights, escapes, floods, explosions, disasters, fires, etc. It’s the good-guy battling bad guys. Think James Bond, martial arts films. Note: sometimes Action films are confused with adventure films.

A logline is a 30 second elevator pitch. It is one to three sentences summarizing the concept, the premise of your screenplay. A logline is also known as the hook.  It is what you use to pitch your story. When you meet with a producer and he asks, “What is your story about?” He is asking you to give him your logline. It should be short and concise, such as what you see in the TV guide. It tells what the movie is about. It should be written in such a way that it captivates and excites the interest of a producer or agent. When you send a query letter to a producer or agent, you will include your logline.

A great logline can help sell your script. Therefore, it must be enticing. Yet, it should be true and not misleading. Stories are about characters and problems (conflict). Without conflict, there is no story. A logline must show:
1) Who the story is about? (protagonist, hero).
2) What does he/she want? (goal/conflict).
3) What stands in his/her way? (Antagonist or primary obstacle)