film genre

Tips For Writing Horror: 6 KEY Lessons From Genre Masters

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Us Tips For Writing Horror

Tales of evil spirits and witches existed long before the invention of the written word, let alone the invention of cinema. Horror is a well-tread genre, with strong antecedents in …

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Existential Cinema: How Do You Write an Existential Film?

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For the most part, cinema is a form of entertainment. But this is not to say that films cannot and should not concern themselves with some of the more serious aspects of life. It doesn’t get much more serious than existentialism. And an existential film, whilst often tricky to define, can be one of the most powerful ways to get an audience to muse on themes of life, death and existence. So how do you begin to filter such a

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The Comedy Horror Movie: The KEYS to Both Laughs and Scares

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Write a Comedy Horror Movie
Washington Irving’s short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been cited as “the first great comedy horror story”, as readers were made to “laugh one moment and scream the next”. This is, in essence, what comedy horror movies are all about. We’ve all been in that situation where our friend is describing something awful…and yet our first instinct is to laugh. Is that because we’re horrible people? No! We tried not to laugh, after all. So why do we?

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The 10 ESSENTIAL Elements of a Historical Fiction Script

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Table of ContentsWhat is Historical Fiction?The 10 Key Elements of a Historical Fiction Script1. Pick a Moment in History and Explore Surrounding Events2. Plant Verbal and Visual Seeds3. Create Convincing Characters4. Explore Complex Relationships5. Pay Attention to Manners of Speech6. Get a Feel For How People Lived7. Cast Your Net Wide8. Utilize the Power of Setting9. Explore Contrasting Perspectives10. Consider Alternate HistoriesHistorical Fiction: In Conclusion, A Match Made in Heaven What is Historical Fiction? At face value, the definition of

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How to Write a Gangster Movie: The Expectations of the Genre

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Scarface Gangster Movie
Table of ContentsWhat is a Gangster Movie? 10 Key Elements of a Great Gangster Movie1. A Street-Smart Protagonist2. The Law Enforcer Eliot Ness in The UntouchablesBill Parker in Gangster SquadJoseph Pistone in Donnie Brasco3. The MafiaThe Inclusion of The Mafia:4. The Location5. RivalryWho is the Rival?6. Guns, Money and Drugs Violence or Substance:7. Family TiesGangster Families:8. Gangland ChiefWho’s the Boss?9. A Revenge PlotPast and Present:10. The Violent ClimaxGoing Out With a Bang: What is a Gangster Movie? The gangster movie

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What Makes A Great Action And Adventure Movie Script?

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Temple of Doom Action
The action and adventure movie genre is one that often sits at the top of the box office. It’s a genre that can have a wide reach across many different audiences and captivate with its mix of engaging characters, thrilling set-pieces and general sense of escapism. But how do you approach writing what is such a formidable and large scale genre? And what exactly are the elements that make up an action and adventure movie in the first place? We

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How To Write Great Dramedy: The KEY Elements of a Dramedy Script

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The Favourite Dramedy
Genre mashups, also known as genre hybrids, are a tricky business to get right. The balance between the genres will need to be spot on for it to be successful. A dramedy is no different and perhaps the most difficult of all genre hybrids to balance. Taking a serious topic and injecting comedy into it is an art form. And if it’s not done carefully it can go really wrong. There are different ways to go about writing a script

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How to Write a Modern Western: The New Wild West

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Logan Modern Western
The Western was one of the earliest cinematic genres and it has had a number of resurgences and reinventions over the last one hundred years. It’s a genre that through its popularity has continued to grow. But what does a modern Western look like? Contemporary Westerns are typically genre hybrids. In this article we will use five different films that combine genres to form modern Western films. No Country For Old Men is a modern Western crime thriller.Hell or High

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