Screenwriting Genre
Research and Pitch
Writing
You should by now have a good understanding of the
conventions of a short film. To this research you are now
going to add an analysis of genre conventions.
When choosing the genre of your screenplay, do remember that
you need to complete a digital storyboard to accompany your
screenplay. These must be photos you have digitally shot
yourself. So, if you are planning a Sci-Fi romp, this might
prove more challenging in terms of presenting the setting or
mise-en-scene in your digital storyboard.
Why is genre so important? Click the speaker…
Choosing a Genre
Task 1
What genre do you feel you know best?
What genre could you replicate well in your production?
What genre do you feel you might use for your coursework.
Task 2
What are the typical conventions of your chosen genre? (Do
this from your own knowledge, then follow up with research to
answer each of the below sections in detail.)
Setting – what settings are used in this genre?
Themes – what are the typical themes or messages conveyed
in this genre?
Characters – what types of characters are there in this
genre?
Props – what props do you expect to be found in this
genre?
Narrative – what typical story is told, how does the film
unfold, what typical events happen?
Aesthetics – what aesthetic styles are used in this
genre? (Comment on the typical film form used including
cinematography, editing, mise-en-scene an sound.)
Task 3
Look at the 4 briefs below: Which do you feel would work best with
your genre? (Circle the one you feel would work well)
A narrative twist
A narrative twist which beings with an enigma
A narrative which establishes and develops a single character
A narrative which portrays a conflict between two central characters
Why do you feel this works best for your chosen genre?
Task 4
1. List the films you have seen in your chosen genre.
2. From your list of films assign a different film to the 4 briefs
that you feel best incorporates that specific element. So, for each
brief you should have a different film that you feel best fits that
briefs description. Then explain why you feel that film fits that
brief in detail by answering the questions assigned to that brief
(see next slides). Consider discussing genre conventions and film
form aspects as well. I have an example on the slide after the
‘Questions for briefs’.
Narrative twist – how does the narrative
begin, what narrative structures do they
use, how and when is the twist introduced?
Questions for Briefs
Narrative beginning with an enigma – how
does the film establish an enigma, what is
the enigma and what questions do we have as
a spectator? How does the enigma unfold?
Questions for Briefs
Narrative establishing and developing a
character – how is the character first
introduced? How do they look, act, respond
to others, what are they like, do we like
them? Does the character change, how / why?
Questions for Briefs
Narrative portraying conflict between two
central characters – how are the characters
introduced? How do they look, act, respond
to others, what are they like, do we like
them? Does the character change, how/why?
How is the conflict established? Is the
conflict resolved?
Questions for Briefs
Scream (Craven, 1996) opens with an enigma as we don’t
know who the character is, where exactly the film is set,
what her background is etc. The film opens with a black
screen and non-diegetic ringing telephone, we then have an
ECU of the phone and the diegetic ringing. The camera pans
up the woman’s body until we have a close up of her face.
This is an unusual exposition for a film as we typically
have an establishing shot so we know the location of where
the film is set, we have detail about the key characters
and themes of the film and establish the genre
conventions.
Example
Click on the image for the first 5 minutes of Scream.
If it doesn’t work here’s the link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3lSvJ5RXKA
Task 5
Consider your list of films, note down key aspects of the
films you like, or could take influence from for your own
production and explain why. You must discuss the following:
the setting, themes, characters, props, narrative, film form
and aesthetics.
Example on next slide.
I like that in Scream (Craven, 1996) the camera cuts from
inside the house to the outside of the property showing a long
shot of the garden and a tree swing. This immediately tells the
audience it is a horror with the conventions of a setting that
is isolated and away from civilisation and help. It is also set
at night making it difficult to see and positions the audience
outside the property which makes them feel unsafe and worry
about the safety of the girl inside, particularly as there is
no wind blowing. It is a still evening, however the tree swing
is moving back and forth to suggest someone was there. I would
like to try and use this in my coursework in order to make
audience feel that same level of fear using typical horror
conventions, but more so to indicate that someone is watching
my character. Although I want to challenge this convention as
in my coursework the audience discovers that it is all in the
character’s head and mental state to provide a narrative twist.
Example
Task 6
Pick your favourite film from the list you created earlier,
watch the opening and answer the following questions:
1. What key characters are we introduced to, what are they like
(consider costume, dialogue, how they interact with others,
if you like them (why / why not)?
2. What key themes are introduced in the opening?
3. What genre codes and conventions can be found in the
opening?
4. What film form (cinematography, editing, mise-en-scene and
sound) techniques do they use to create meaning?
5. What narrative structure and theory can be applied to this
film as a whole?
Generating Ideas
You have now explored genre in some detail. Now you
have a better idea of genre and the genre you might
want to write in you can begin generating more ideas
for your production.
What If?
This is a simple but effective way to generate some story
ideas. Often, you come up with scenarios you would otherwise
never have considered.
Use the question stem, ‘What if…’ and then finish the
sentence.
For example:
What if plants could talk?
What if the Matrix is real?
What if we could clone a dinosaur?
Give it a go. Aim for 30!
Five Finger Pitch
You should be able to summarise and express your initial ideas
in a few short sentences, incorporating what or who the story
is about.
For example this is a teen drama about a student being bullied
and in the climactic sequence faces up to their bully.
Five Finger Pitch
Create a ‘Five Finger Pitch’
which incorporates:
Genre
Protagonist
Goal
Obstacle
Why the story is important
Pitch a few story ideas to your family / friends and get
feedback on which one sounds best.
Synopsis Writing
Write a synopsis. This can be an extension on your 5
finger pitch to add more detail.
Example
This is a teen drama about a sixteen year old runaway who
flees her group home in Brighton to hitchhike to Aberdeen to
find the father she’s never met.
She’s convinced she’ll find him but all she has to go on is
an old picture, she doesn’t even know his name.
Gives a voice to kids that no one seems to care about.
After al the years of group homes and fostering she just
wants to find someone, somewhere, anyone who might ground her
and give her a home for the very first time.
Writing Character – Consider writing or drawing your
characters in depth to include:
I will be asking you to do lots of character work in
later lessons but for now try this activity to start
you off.
• Gender
• Age
• Appearance
• Family
• Personal life
• Professional life
• Key relationships
• Goals
• External desire (e.g. Mia in La La Land on the
surface narrative desires to be famous)
• Internal desire (e.g. Mia in La La Land’s uncovered
and realised by the end of the character’s journey
desire is a desire to be happy.
Proposed Ideas for Production
This is now your opportunity to pull together all your
research and explain your idea for your coursework. It
is very important that you email me
([email protected])this proposal by
completing a full pitch. See the sections on the
following slides to complete this.
Pitch
You must include:
• A synopsis of the film as a whole and how your short film
will need.
• The brief you intend to incorporate and how you intend to
show this.
• The genre with notes on how you will incorporate the
conventions of your chosen genre.
• Details about key characters.
• Themes / messages you want to include in your narrative or
you want your audience to take away with them.
• Style – what film form / aesthetics you will include to
reflect the genre and brief.
• Anything on the underpinning narrative theory or structure
you will use.
Finally
Answer the following questions. This will help you when
writing your evaluation as well as when you are
constructing your screenplay.
1. Who is your film aimed at (target audience)? E.g. Age,
gender, ethnicity / sexuality (if relevant)
Pearl and Dean is an excellent resource for explaining target
audiences of specific films. See the link below.
https://business.pearlanddean.com/insight/
2. How will your film appeal to them? Give examples of what
you are going to do that will appeal to them.
3. What short films and other films have influenced some of
your choices and why?
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