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Development of a movie concept often involves the selection of film genre. Selecting the genre
first can also drive the concept, or at least make it simpler to define. Some genres have
more "standard" approaches to storytelling than do others--film noir and western, for example.
Certain genres give you more freedom to tell the story you want to tell (see "Altered Universe"
above). Not all writers are good for all genres; interest and ability need to be considered prior
to selection.
What are Film Genres?According to Tim Dirks by at Filmsite.org:"Film genres are various forms or identifiable types, categories, classifications or groups of films that are recurring and have similar, familiar or instantly-recognizable patterns, syntax, filmic techniques or conventions - that include one or more of the following: settings (and props), content and subject matter, themes, mood, period, plot, central narrative events, motifs, styles, structures, situations, recurring icons (e.g., six- guns and ten-gallon hats in Westerns), stock characters (or characterizations), and stars. Many films straddle several film genres." Some of the main film genres include Westerns, comedy, drama, horror, action, adventure, epic, crime/gangster, musical/dance, science fiction, and war/anti-war). Numerous sub-genres of film also exist.
View a few great examples of movies in each major genre, at least those you're considering writing in. Both learning and originality might enter in with a mix-and-match approach to picking, or rather crafting, the genre for your move. How about setting a western on Mars? Or write a musical war movie, the first melodramatic swashbuckler, a religious martial arts movie. The combinations are limited only by your imagination.
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