Alternative Genres.

A genre (noun) is a style or category of art, music or literature.


Blake Synder didn't think so, however. He broke down ten examples of alternative genres. After all, genre is a way of categorising movies.

He wrote that our standard way of looking at genre would suggest that Saving Private Ryan is a war/drama film, and that Dodgeball is a comedy. However, Blake Synder would believe that they are both the same genre. He calls this genre 'The Golden Fleece'.


So, how do you know if a movie is a Golden Fleece?

-Every Golden Fleece has a 'road' - spanning oceans, time or distance. It signifies growth of the characters.

-Every Golden Fleece has a team (or a buddy), who represent the things that the hero doesn't have.

-And every Golden Fleece has a 'prize' at the end.

Some examples of this would be 'Finding Nemo', 'The Hobbit' and 'The Road To El Dorado'.


'Out Of The Bottle' is another genre idea by Synder. In this, there needs to be:

-A 'wish' asked for by the hero or granted by another, and the need to be delivered from the ordinary.

-A 'spell' which has rules.

-A lesson to be learned.

Some examples of an 'out of the bottle' genre would be 'Freaky Friday', 'The Mask' and 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'.


A 'Fool Triumphant' would include:

-A'fool' whose innocence is their strength, and whose gentle manner means they are likely to be ignored.

-The fool encounters an 'establishment' in which they come up against and do not fit into.

-A 'transmutation' in which the fool becomes something new.

Examples would include 'Legally Blonde', 'Forrest Gump' and '40 Year-Old Virgin.'


And lastly, a 'Monster In The House' would have the following rules:

-A 'monster' with evil at its core.

-An enclosed space (A house, for example) which could include a family unit or a town.

-A 'sin'. Someone is guilty of something (like breaking rules/laws), which invites the monster in.

For example, the films 'Jaws', 'Alien' and 'We Need To Talk About Kevin' would fit into this genre.


Some other alternative genres with examples:

Dude With A Problem.

Die Hard, 127 Hours.


Rites of Passage.

Napoleon Dynamite, Stand By Me.


Buddy Love.

Lethal Weapon, Titanic.


Whydunit.

Blade Runner, Momento.


Institutionalised.

Police Academy, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest.


Superhero.

The Lion King, The Matrix.