Screenwriting : Are You Genre Specific; and if so, why? by Phillip E. Hardy, Prolifique

for me, I like to write what i like. when i try to write other genres, my heart is not into the piece. my own Bullshit detector rings in my head & heart but it's good to learn new skills, genres. that's being a professional. sometimes u gotta do what u gotta do. hammer away like a Pro on assignment and move on to the next gig. :)

I have written screenplays a lot of different genres and budgets. It didn't take me very long to figure out that not all producers were looking for the same thing. Nowadays I write what other people want me to write if I think the project is good and I like the story.

It's a marketing tactic for some and for others it's because that's the genre they gravitate to. Sometimes it's a mixture of both. But the thought behind specializing for professional writers is that they end up being packaged that way to studios or known as the go-to for that specific genre. Doesn't hold true as much for indie film. And of course, there are always examples of where this isn't true (because nothing is true for every single instance or person.) I think many great screenwriters find that they are able to write across a multitude of genres but at the same time Tarantino is never going to write a rom-com though I bet it would be a kick-ass rom com.

@Dan M: Good post and I can tell you've been around the block a few times.

"Jack of all trades, master of none"

@Dan G: I've had varying degrees of success. I've walked away from several "producers" that I believed had their heads firmly planted up their own posteriors. In January, I banged out a complete script for someone that I have an excellent working relationship with; but we couldn't agree on what I did with his concept. I finished the script and filed it under incomplete pass. But this same producer is about to push my Bukowski script because of our ongoing track record together. @JL: A Tarantino romcom is an intriguing idea @Jim: I like your style!

@Mark Few of us are Stephen Kings. Keep plugging away.

tarantino has polished many rom-com scripts. uncredited. he's one (maybe top) highest paid script doctors in la la land, next to A. Sorkin. QT is doing broadway next, Pulp Fiction musical with RZA doing lyrics and DJ Quik doing beats

You need someone to operate on a brain - would you rather hire a brain surgeon or a GP?

@William: I'd rather have a talented writer. He can create a good prognosis.

"I need a brain operation like I need a hole in my head." (Steve Allen) "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobatomy." (Tom Waits)

I don't want to be a screenwrite that can write anything, that's not what I'm about. I don't want to work for the producers or production company, where they assign me work on the whim. I want to write something that sparked my imagination that they can't resist, that they'd invest time, money and resources in because it's exceptional, groundbreaking, novel, entertaining and makes a difference. I want them to value my creativinty not my labor.

I write movies with action in them, I really enjoy writing shoot-outs and fight sequences.

@Bill C. So true.

At a conference last year I met an agent who reps a writer who had just sold a 1-hour drama to a major network. The first thing he told the group of us he was meeting with was that we had to have some idea of our career path and then he could tell us the best way for us to get there. I like writing whatever pops into my head, and I told him that. His warning to me was that if I wanted to achieve something with his help, the best way he knew to get me there was as a writer with a solid basis in a single genre. He said I wouldn't have to stay there, but to get started (again, with his help) I would need a foundation he could sell.

Aray: I’m currently working on a new gangster script that takes place in Spanish Harlem during the 60’s and early 70’s. It has some salsa dancing sequences in the story. I know zip about Salsa dancing. Last night, I wrote a hot dancing scene with the lead character and his future wife. To prepare for it, I studied photos of the Palladium ballroom in New York, Tito Puente’s band and then watched an instructional Salsa video, so that I could better describe the dance moves. You don’t need to be a dancer to write about it. Anyone who says otherwise doesn’t understand how to utilize the two most important elements, research and imagination.

@Andre Good post.

Yes, I think I’m pretty genre specific – to a point. I don’t take anything or anyone seriously (self included.) Everything I write tends to fall in the wry comedic genre even though it’s a paranormal, an action, a drama, coming-of-age script or whatever – even my Hitchcockian style thriller. I believe that each and every writer will automatically gravitate a to some position and once you’ve settled into your own comfort zone, your writing skills will expand exponentially. And that’s the basis of both creative and financial rewards.

JL - I think 'True Romance' is hysterical! A 'true rom-com' in my book. LOL I think I made a mistake by trying to write my next screenplay in the same genre as my current screenplay just because I'd heard that one should have several scripts in the same genre ready to pitch. I have written in several genres and have a few new stories I would prefer pursuing regardless of genre. I think that's what I must do.

With six feature scripts in my proverbial drawer, I've been moving through the genres. My current writing partner and I just completed a horror script. It is a genre that neither of us are interested in as viewers, but we dove into wholeheartedly as writers. We have already written a slice of life dysfunctional family story, and a character driven black comedy about a retired hitman. On our hit list is steampunk, romantic comedy, political thriller, and a fresh take on the western genre. So, yes, I agree: why limit yourself? Yes, Sydney Lumet makes great NY cop films, but look at how Scorsese started branching out, or how Ron Howard has always jumped from genre to genre, and successfully so. I think to be a writer, you have to be a bit of a chameleon. And when you write characters, you have to be method in your approach. Otherwise, everything and everyone will just be variations on the same theme.

Hi Phillip :) I actually enjoy writing drama & thrillers (with a twist of crime as well)...whenever I write (whether it is a novella series or a script) it usually turns out in either one, two or (sometimes) all 3 genres. I don't view it as a safety net or comfort zone...but I guess you can view it this: Chances are that you'll probably never ever see Q. Taratino making a Disney movie either and why you may ask? Because it isn't his style of writing...same with me

@Sue What you are doing is working for you and that is a beautiful thing.

I think Sue makes a great point about the difference between style and genre! We bring our style to the genre not the other way around.

Robert: I absolutely agree that as writers, we will bring our style to our writing, just as a musician brings his style to the music he plays. Last week, I read a script by Stage 32's own award winning writer Philip Parker. This was the second script I've read by him and though they are different genres, they both reflect his very distinctive story telling style. And we all know Mister Tarantino definitely has own style, which is often heavy on the witty repartee.

royal with cheese..... mmm...

Vincent: Want some bacon? Jules: No man, I don't eat pork. Vincent: Are you Jewish? Jules: Nah, I ain't Jewish, I just don't dig on swine, that's all. Vincent: Why not? Jules: Pigs are filthy animals. I don't eat filthy animals. Vincent: Bacon tastes gooood. Pork chops taste gooood. Jules: Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I'd never know 'cause I wouldn't eat the filthy motherf%ker. Pigs sleep and root in shit. That's a filthy animal. I ain't eat nothin' that ain't got sense enough to disregard its own feces. Vincent: How about a dog? Dogs eats its own feces. Jules: I don't eat dog either. Vincent: Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? Jules: I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy but they're definitely dirty. But, a dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way. Vincent: Ah, so by that rationale, if a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal. Is that true? Jules: Well we'd have to be talkin' about one charming motherf%kin' pig. I mean he'd have to be ten times more charmin' than that Arnold on Green Acres, you know what I'm sayin'?

^^^ that s how u win an oscar!

We are writers. We write. Genre Specific? I don't need to be stinking genre specific! and also Badges, We don't need no stinking badges(for those who dont know the line-- "Treasure of the Sierra Madre"

I think that your writing style generally reflects your views on life and the world around you.

Eh...I don't really know about that on all levels. Last time I checked I didn't throw a hot pan of boiling water on a naked man I kidnapped and tied to a chair because he was responsible for killing my kid (in one of my scripts) LOL

@Sue What do they say? When you write, draw from your personal experiences.

To an extent perhaps...but (I feel) imagination and creativity goes a great deal further as well. Again...examine Q. Tarantino style and his movies...look at M. Shamaylan (probably misspelled his name sorry LOL). Those are only 2 incredible artists who are world famous for their style of creativity and imagination. Looks at Kelley Armstrong (author of Bitten series booked which was actually turned into a tv series). Creativity and imagination will always out play everyday life.

I don't mean to, but I am just drawn t comedy. It's what i like to write. I have done comedy slash genres though. I have comedy/crime, comedy/horror, comedy/sci-fi. It's not about limiting. It's about enjoyment.

I’m with you Cherie. With WELL over half a century of life behind me, I’ve witnessed and experienced much – from the most exhilarating joys to the darkest tragedies; from euphoric success to devastating failures. Through all, it’s been my comedic outlook and nature that has kept me afloat. Every script I write becomes a comedy/something-or-other. I recently tried writing a real horror script (Stephen King kind of stuff.) All my old-folk peers thought it was one of the funniest things they’ve ever read; my teenage grandkids and their friends thought it was terrifying. Go figure. My advice to screenwriters is stay comfortable and develop your own style - Works for me.

I've written a few different genre scripts however they all (unintentionally) centre around a relationship between two people.

Robert - no Quentin is VERY funny but what i meant is that he's never going to have the style of a Jennifer Aniston/Kate Hudson/Reese Witherspoon Rom Com film. Which puts me in total agreement with Sue. IMO deciding who you will be as a screenwriter it mixes with what your goals are and things are never a straight line, right? My pov is based purely on a screenwriter trying to market their scripts to production companies/agents/studios bc that's what I am surrounded by. Too many agents/producers I've interviewed say the same thing they got a great thriller/horror/whatever writer and their follow-up script was a rom-com/teen drama/something that was completely different and they had no idea what to do with it. Many times what you've written influences opinions on what writing assignments you get. Again, everyone's experience is different. And there is no right way to do things. Esp not in this industry (well, besides being respectful and behaving with a level of common sense, but even then most people...:). What works for one might not work for another. I've seen people get success with both approaches.