The Story Vault Blog
THE FALLACY OF GENRE (ROMANCING THE CHARACTER)
Many years ago a story circulated about the making of “Romancing the Stone.” When producers read Diane Thomas’s screenplay they liked it, but asked “But what is it? You can have romance and comedy or adventure and comedy or romance and adventure, but you can’t have three things.” And so the screenplay was banished to purgatory in a studio vault. And then “Raiders of the Lost Ark” became a huge box office success — a movie that was a combination of action, comedy and romance. Three years later “Romancing the Stone” was released, became a hit, and spawned a sequel (“Jewel of the Nile”).
When “Star Wars” exploded on to the big screen in 1977 the idea that audiences wanted epic sci-fi fantasy became widespread. Yet, almost all attempts to duplicate the success of “Star Wars” ended in red ink and disappointment.
In recent years, it became generally accepted that audiences wanted superhero movies with elaborate CGI. But increasingly many, if not most, of these big-budget productions have been unable to recoup their cost.
And then there are films like “Parasite” that seem to come out of nowhere…distinct from mainstream fare, but attracting acclaim and devoted fans.
What is the thread that connects all of these?
It’s simply this:
Genre doesn’t matter.
Audiences do not go to see a movie based on its genre. They go to see a movie because the characters resonate with them.
The ground breaking special effects and John William’s amazing score for “Star Wars” certainly contributed to its success, but people came out…and came back again…to go on a journey with Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. The plot of “Star Wars” is very simple. It’s nothing terribly original. Ambitious young man seeks fortune and adventure, sets out on a mission to rescue a princess. Princess is in rebellion against an evil king. A selfish, mercenary character reluctantly joins forces with the young man and princess and is transformed in the process. It’s pretty basic. (That’s not a criticism.) What pulls us in is the desire to live an experience through these characters. We can see ourselves in the adventure- seeking young man, the strong, rebellious princess, the outsider who is just trying to survive in a world not of his making. And we connect with their desire to be free of tyranny and oppression.
Their emotional character arcs resonate with us (in a way that genre doesn’t).
It doesn’t matter if your story is simple or complex, if it belongs to a single genre or is a mash-up. What matters is having characters that movie-goers want to go with on a journey.
Ultimately, movies are not about things, movies are about people: people we care about, people we want to be, even people we fear. The human experience is what draws us. Genre and plot are just the frame through which we experience that which is reflects our dreams, hopes, desires, insecurities — and encourages us to believe we can achieve…or overcome.
What will Hollywood determine the popular new genre to be? I can tell you: it will be a movie with compelling characters that we find ourselves thinking about when we go to bed at night.