Screenwriting : What genre do you prefer to write scripts in? by Nadir Akhmerov

I have only one true comedy screenplay. It's a tough genre. Most of our stuff is drama. We have some thrillers and one horror screenplay. One mystery-thriller. Starting another one. Looks so far to be drama. It has a ghost story though. Still morphing at this point.

Nadir Akhmerov yes it is a journey and I think the genres that are farther out for each of us maybe we eventually aspire to

even though they might seem intimidating or not within reach at first;

also the fact is we can mostly work on one thing at a time, so it's helpful to focus on a genre and maybe write a few screenplays in that home territory,

although it's great to develop the range to move around between genres, but everybody is different. I started with adventure, crime / drama, then dark crime thriller / drama, and I always thought comedy would be impossible, but I found that I loved nurturing some comic relief into the crime stories (as is sort of traditional in some sub-genre styles).

So I am still now finding ways to tiptoe into comedy by telling myself I am writing adventure "with a comic tilt,"

that way there is not too much pressure to be funny, and I can focus on the story but still lean that way.

Also I thought sci-fi would be hugely intimidating,

but last year during quarantine I outlined a five-Act sci-fi epic that I hope to write next year, it's not too much world-building,

mostly within our known solar system and kind of campy or kitschy, not very elevated or lofty, but it's yet another funny adventure and very rococo and kind of wild and crazy,

so when we write new genres or mixed genres, it seems to me that the tone of the story is something that emerges with our unique voice as we do the long-standing work, and to me that is a super-exciting revelation of years upon years that is a massively-rewarding distant horizon.

DARK/BACK/IRREVERENT COMEDY. All the best!

I know drama is a wide genre as everything requires drama. But I tend to write more things in the world of criminals or for people whose world is falling apart.

I have writing something at the moment about a radio announcer as his life falls into chaos in real time on air, it is called “Next Caller”.

That sort of stuff. People also tend to die in stuff I write. Especially people we like. Have to make a death worth something.

Sci-Fi and Thriller mostly.

Craig D. Griffiths. I also like to write about the world of criminals, but among them there must be a person who rethinks his life.

I write a mix of genres. I mainly write Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Comedy, Horror, and Thriller.

It's important that you like your work, Maurice. It is even more important when the producer will contact you.

Predominantly drama.

Coming from a Caribbean culture where bacchanal (general drama) is a big part of everyday life, I'd say I'm somewhat naturally inclined to always try to 'cook up some good bacchanal' in my screenplays.

Nadir Akhmerov No. Not in my world.

I show them an escape route. They don’t take it. Just when when they realise there is a chance of salvation. The moment they realise all the bad things in their life is of their own making. The minute there is a slight glimmer at the end of the tunnel.

I kill them.

Thrillers and Horror.

Nadir, I wish you all the VERY BEST! (And this coming from a person who loves to write comedies!)

Thank you, Jim, and you too

For me, the best films include a little of everything you listed & then some, like the film Birdman, 2014, The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance . .. ?

Currently reworking thriller/horror script :)

I like to say anything with monsters and superheroes, though mostly monsters since superheroes are so IP heavy. This ends up being a mix of horror/SciFi/fantasy, heavy on horror and fantasy. I really like to mix genres as much as possible, sci-fi-horror, fantasy-horror, horror-action, sci-fi-fantasy, fantasy-martial arts, etc. Inspired by classic creature features and anime. I have also written dramedies, most recently a romantic dramedy with speculative fiction elements. Though I wouldn't concentrate on dramedies going forward, the character work and situational humor that is prevalent in dramedies make the genre-heavy work more human.

My writing tends toward up-beat, comedic in the Paranormal and Dramatic genre with a few ventures into others. I absolutely can't stand all the doom-n-gloom stuff that is so common nowadays. No Vampires, Slashers, Horror or senseless violence for me. I'm from a different generation.

Traditional Nudist Western. Six shooters, ten gallon hats, spurs... and nothing else. G rated cowboy movies about cowboys who don't believe in clothes.

William Martell so the chaps can be not only assless but also crotchless? Now that's a long-overdue innovation! I'm seeing hot tubs and yoga retreats, dirty margaritas and an Austin Powers reboot!

WM: Now that's funny. It took me a second to get what you meant by G rated.

I try to do a different genre every time I write a new screenplay but I tend not to get too bogged down by genre definitions. I just write the story I want to tell.

To date I've written:

College Romance with Racial Component

Post Apocalyptic Sci-Fi

Family Drama/Thriller

Family Drama with a focus on Sex Politics

Vampire Teen Horror

Biblical War Adaptation