genre

Modern Horror: Mining Fear From The Everyday (exclusive member ebook)

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The horror genre is undergoing a renaissance. After the awkwardly-named ‘elevated horror’ trend that followed on from 2018’s HEREDITARY, the distinction between mainstream horror and its more highbrow cousin started …

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Genre-Blending: The Art of Mixing Storytelling Styles

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Genre-Blending
Genre-blending is an exciting way to tell stories. It combines multiple genres to create something fresh. Filmmakers use this technique to craft unique narratives. Some of the best Hollywood films mix genres seamlessly. Science fiction, fantasy, and mystery often merge to tell compelling stories. This technique makes movies stand out. It also helps attract a wider audience. By breaking genre boundaries, storytellers explore creative possibilities. Films like Inception mix sci-fi with heist elements—Blade Runner 2049 fuses cyberpunk with noir storytelling.

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Suspenseful Movies: QUICK Tricks for Writing Suspense

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Dunkirk Suspenseful Movies
No film technique elicits the fear of the unknown more effectively than writing suspense. As humans, we’d rather know something bad is coming, than be in the unknown. This is why suspenseful movies grab us. “The oldest and strongest kind of fear, is fear of the unknown” H.P. Lovecraft So how do we write suspenseful movies and write suspense as a Jedi mind-power that triggers this visceral emotion? Let’s explore. Table of ContentsWhat is Suspense?How to Write Suspenseful Movies1. High

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What is Magical Realism? The KEY Steps to Using it in Screenwriting

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Birdman Magical Realism
Table of ContentsWhat is Magical Realism?The History of Magical RealismOriginsMagical Realism in LiteratureMagical Realism in FilmFantasy Versus Magical Realism Three Key Elements of a Magical Realism Film1. The Real-World Setting How Does the Setting Reflect the Story and its Themes?2. Mythology, Folklore and or Historical Influence How Do Myths and Folktales Inform Magical Realism?3. Underlying Social or Political CommentaryHow Does the Underlying Social and Political Commentary Impact Films?The Six Key Steps to Writing the Magical Realism Genre1. Read and Research Current

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How to BEGIN Writing a Fantasy Script: 7 Great Ways into the Fantasy Genre

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Fantasy Genre - Fantasy Script, Game of Thrones
At some point, we have all delved into the fantasy genre, whether that is through books, TV shows or movies. It’s a genre with a wealth of scope, opportunities and precedents. So much so that beginning a fantasy script can seem like a gargantuan task involving world-building, unique character work and vast imagination overall. Typically, the fantasy genre is associated with dragons, wizards and quests to fight evil. Though this does relate to the fantasy genre, there is so much

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Writing Tension in Screenplays: Learn from 10 NAIL-BITING Scenes

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Writing Tension, Mission Impossible
Table of ContentsWriting Tension: The Difference Between Shock and Suspense 1. The Farmhouse Interrogation (Inglorious Bastards) Instability to Create TensionDramatic Irony to Create Tension2. The T-Rex Escapes (Jurassic Park)3. Buffalo Bill’s Basement (The Silence of the Lambs) 4. The Underwater Heist (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation) Heightening the Stakes 5. Battle of the Bastards (Game of Thrones)6. The Coin Flip (No Country for Old Men) Applying Pressure with the Antagonist 7. The Ferry Climax (The Dark Knight) The Rules of the

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Political Thrillers vs Political Dramas: What Are the KEY Differences?

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Bodyguard Political Thriller
While shows such as The Crown and House of Cards have been recent hits, political thrillers and political dramas have been around since the dawn of storytelling. After all, Shakespeare set many of his greatest plays amongst the halls of the politically powerful. Audiences have always been fascinated with gaining an insight into the world of politics. From stories set inside the White House, a Royal Court or the CIA. These stories get to the heart of conflict and to

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Genre Mashup: 10 Vital Steps to Nailing a Mix of Genres in Your Screenplay

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Brazil Genre Mashup
Genre mashups, also known as cross-genres or hybrid genres, are commonly found in many art forms – film, music or literature. It’s when an artist combines two or more genres in which elements from each are blended into a cohesive piece. Star Wars, Parasite, The Blues Brothers, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, 13 Going on 30. What do these very different movies have in common? They’re all genre mashups. From romantic comedies to sci-fi adventure, the technique of combining genres has

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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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Looking to the Future: How Video Game Logic Can Enhance Your Screenplay

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Source Code - Video Game Logic
This article will delve into the dynamic world of video games and video game logic. Many video games have been translated on-screen into video game movies, and the line between the two is blurring all the time. But there’s also a style to them that can be applied to other genres, a so called video game logic. The Key Aspects Of This Article Are: Films which look like video games and adopt video game tendencies.Video games which have been adapted

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How To Write a Captivating Love Triangle: The ULTIMATE Guide

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Hunger Games Love Triangle
How To Write a Love Triangle This article will offer some key pointers on that most time-trodden (and wildly successful) cinematic device – the love triangle – and hopefully assist those looking to craft an original and effective one. Using a few films which incorporate love triangles into their narratives, we will discuss the key aspects to a successful and interesting love triangle.We will highlight how love triangles are typically a plot device for romance films. Many of these are romantic-comedies,

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