Genre – Scriptwriting Secrets

Genre in Scriptwriting: Crafting the Right Style for Your Story

When you sit down to write a script, one of the first decisions you must make is about the genre in scriptwriting. That is because your story’s genre will guide its tone, pacing, and overall style. It’s like choosing a road before setting out on a journey—the route you pick will determine not only how you travel but also the type of experience you offer your audience.

Genres aren’t just labels; they’re expectations. They tell your audience what kind of emotional and thematic experience to expect. That’s why understanding the genre in scriptwriting is essential for keeping your narrative on track and ensuring you deliver a consistent and immersive story.

What exactly is a genre?

In scriptwriting, the genre defines the overall style and thematic category of your story. It’s an extensive system with plenty of room for creativity, but it does require clarity. For example, there’s debate over whether animation is a genre or a medium (spoiler alert: it’s a medium). Despite such nuances, the key takeaway is that genre in scriptwriting refers to the classification that helps guide your creative decisions.

The Three Levels of Genre in Scriptwriting

To break it down, genre can be viewed as a three-level system:

1. Category: Fiction or Nonfiction

This is the most basic level, separating stories into fiction or nonfiction. In fiction, the events and characters are entirely imagined by the writer. Think of thrillers, comedies, or science fiction films. Nonfiction, on the other hand, is based on real events and facts. Examples include documentaries, biographies, and news stories.

Before you begin, ask yourself: Are you telling a made-up story, or are you recounting real-life events? Understanding this distinction is crucial because it informs how you present facts, dialogue, and story arcs.

2. Genre: The Main Types

Once you’ve nailed down whether your script is fiction or nonfiction, you move on to selecting a specific genre. The genre in scriptwriting is likely what most people are familiar with. For fiction, the main genres include:

• Action and Adventure
• Drama
• Comedy
• Crime and Mystery
• Horror
• Fantasy
• Science Fiction
• Romance

For nonfiction, genres often include:

• Documentary
• True Crime
• Biography
• Reality

Your choice here dictates the overall flavor of your script. For example, a comedy will emphasize humorous dialogue and absurd situations, while a thriller will focus on suspense, tension, and high-stakes moments. The genre you pick sets audience expectations, so choose wisely.

3. Subgenre: Adding the Finishing Touches

Here’s where things get more detailed. Subgenres offer a way to fine-tune the type of story you want to tell within a broader genre. This level allows for even more precision in the genre in scriptwriting.

Take comedy as an example. Some popular subgenres include:

• Action Comedy
• Romantic Comedy
• Black Comedy
• Parody
• Satire
• Slapstick
• Situational Comedy

If you’re working within science fiction, your subgenres could include:

• Cyberpunk
• Steampunk
• Space Opera
• Dystopian
• Tech Noir
• Parallel Universe

Each subgenre has its own unique set of expectations, which can help you fine-tune your script’s pacing and style. Think of subgenres as the secret ingredient that gives your script its signature flavor. By choosing the right one, you guide not just the plot but the mood and tone of the story.

Why Genre in Scriptwriting Matters

It’s tempting to mix genres, and many films and shows do this successfully. However, be cautious—blending genres without careful thought can confuse your audience. For instance, if you’re writing a thriller but throw in too much comedy, it can break the suspense and pull viewers out of the story. Ultimately, the audience came for nail-biting tension, not a stand-up routine!

When you write a script, you enter into an unspoken contract with your audience. If they expect an edge-of-the-seat thriller and you give them moments of light-hearted comedy in the wrong places, you risk breaking that contract. Therefore, staying true to your chosen genre in scriptwriting is so important. It helps maintain the emotional and thematic consistency of your story.

Maintaining Genre Consistency

Staying consistent with your genre throughout your script is key to keeping your audience immersed. For example, let’s say you’re deep into writing a dystopian sci-fi drama. Halfway through, one of your characters starts cracking jokes that feel more at home in a romantic comedy. It might be tempting to include them, especially if they add humor and levity, but doing so could confuse your audience. After all, they’ve come for a serious, tense story, and a sudden shift in tone could pull them right out of the immersive experience you’ve worked so hard to create.

That’s not to say you should ignore those funny lines. Instead, keep them in your writer’s toolbox for another project. Just be sure to stay true to the genre in scriptwriting that you’ve committed to for your current project.

Subverting Genre Expectations

There are cases where breaking the rules can work to your advantage. For instance, some writers intentionally subvert genre expectations to surprise or challenge their audience. Take Quentin Tarantino’s films, for example, where violent action and dark humor often mix unexpectedly. Nevertheless, be careful—subverting expectations is a tricky art. In order to do this effectively, you have to understand the rules of the genre first.

If you’re a beginner or intermediate writer, it’s best to stick with the established rules of your chosen genre. Once you master the basics, and as you grow more confident, you can begin to experiment.

Final Thoughts

Deciding on a genre before you begin scriptwriting is more than just a formality—it’s the foundation of your story. Whether you’re writing a 30-second ad or a feature-length film, knowing the genre in scriptwriting will help you make informed creative decisions that ensure your story stays on track.

In the end, your chosen genre will guide everything from the tone of your dialogue to the pacing of your action scenes. So, take the time to think it through, and commit to it. Once you do, you’ll find that every other piece of the scriptwriting puzzle falls into place.

If you found this content interesting, make sure to check out our previous post on the subject: Writing in Format!