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.
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.
Adventure: Adventure films are usually exciting stories with exotic locations. The plots are normally about lost continents, jungles, and desert settings. The heroes are courageous as they fight formidable tyrants. Think Robin Hood, Indiana Jones, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Adventure films are similar to epic and historical films, but are mistaken for action films.
Comedy: Comedies are light-hearted plots designed to make the audience laugh. It may consist of slapstick, screwball, spoofs, parodies, jokes, and one-liners, all exaggerated by situations, actions, and characters. Think Tyler Perry’s Madea films. Romantic comedies, dark satirical comedy, and other comedies come up under this genre.
Crime (gangster) films: Crime films focuses on criminal activity. A great number of crime films are centered on the lives of real-life criminals. Crime films normally glorify these villains. Think Gang of New York, Godfather, etc.
Drama: Dramas are the largest genre of the film industry. Dramas are normally serious, plot-driven stories portraying intense conflict on the main characters, putting them under one crisis after another to a painful resolution. Think Terms of Endearment, Kramer vs. Kramer, etc.
Comedy: Comedies are light-hearted plots designed to make the audience laugh. It may consist of slapstick, screwball, spoofs, parodies, jokes, and one-liners, all exaggerated by situations, actions, and characters. Think Tyler Perry’s Madea films. Romantic comedies, dark satirical comedy, and other comedies come up under this genre.
Crime (gangster) films: Crime films focuses on criminal activity. A great number of crime films are centered on the lives of real-life criminals. Crime films normally glorify these villains. Think Gang of New York, Godfather, etc.
Drama: Dramas are the largest genre of the film industry. Dramas are normally serious, plot-driven stories portraying intense conflict on the main characters, putting them under one crisis after another to a painful resolution. Think Terms of Endearment, Kramer vs. Kramer, etc.