Screenwriting workshop

4. Genre Rules

The rules of genre are important; best achieved by watching films in the appropriate genre. If it is a Romantic Comedy, for example, then the expectation is that there will be a break-up / obstacle in the middle of the film and that the couple will be together by the end (not always, e.g. La La Land). There are also genres that are special to the region, e.g. Bollywood. When writing for foreign audiences it is worth seeing what they watch and what ‘ingredients’ are in their films. The plot may not be that d ifferent, e.g. boys meets girl; the way they get there may well be… There is, however, a general template, based on psychology and audience awareness / expectations.