The Screenwriter's Path

3Genre

Movies fall into different genres, and understanding those genres—and what the audience expects when going to a film in a certain genre—is extremely important. If mom and dad bring their 5- and 7-year-olds to your film called Fun with Woodland Creatures expecting a romp in the woods with furry squirrels and quizzical owls and instead they find a group of unsuspecting college kids on a camping trip battling the bloody undead, and various bug-eyed zombies, well, that family is not going to be too happy. We go to films with expectations. We’re ‘in the mood’ for a romantic comedy or we’re in the mood for a fast-paced thriller—and if we go to one expecting the other, we won’t be as satisfied. And if I want to spend an afternoon seeing great ...