favorite What is your favorite genre? Why?

ZOProductions

ZOProductions

In reading recent threads, I've noticed alot of our filmmakers are making horror films, or seem to enjoy them. What is it that you like about the horror genre?

What is your favorite genre and why does it appeal to you?

I'm trying to get a general census on what genre catches the eye of lovers of film, in an effort to determine what category my next film should be in. I've learned that before you start a project, you should target a particular audience and develop your vision of the film based from what they might find appealing.

Comments appreciated.
 
I personally disdain most horror as there isn't much creative freedom you have with the genre. For the most part, you are stuck using the same ideas and techniques that have been done thousands of times before... but when a horror film comes along that truly seems fresh, I'll give it a 10/10... only problem is they all CLAIM to do that these days, which is an outright lie.


My personal favorite is comedy... many reasons why, for example: It can combine with any other genre, action, horror, romance, drama, sci-fi, fantasy, and be either a great satire of that genre, or just a great example of each... I also personally like it when a comedy sets out to make fun of a certain type of movie, and ends up sending it up (Say, Hot Fuzz set out to make fun of cop movies and ended up making, not only a hilarious movie, but a better cop movie than every example they provided.)

I also love the simple comedy, i.e your Adam Sandlers, your Jim Carreys... most people seem to prefer this type of comedy for one reason, they know what they're in for. They know, based on past movies that it will be one laugh after another, because they believe their favorite comedian has enough talent to come up with a whole slew of jokes each film, the majority of which they will laugh at.

Lastly, this is my favorite genre because I myself am a comedian and am constantly studying what makes people laugh... there are many forms of comedy, and some tickle peoples' funny bones and others don't. I believe that it's the most versatile genre out there, making it the best (IMO)
 
ZOProductions said:
In reading recent threads, I've noticed alot of our filmmakers are making horror films, or seem to enjoy them. What is it that you like about the horror genre?
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There plenty of genres to pick and choose from.
The wide and magical world of "indie" filmmaking can kinda be broken down into two major camps: (A) non-Hollywood story with little marketability (not good for stockholders), and (B) low/no budget directors putzin' around at a broad range of skill and equity input, this includes folks who pursue filmmaking as a not-for-profit hobby and those with some aspirations of breaking into 'the biz.'

If a filmmaker was of the latter constitution making money, or return on investment (ROI), becomes a significant factor.
Viewed in this light, some genres are more marketable than others.
http://www.the-numbers.com/market/Genres/

Adventure films have the highest average gross. But audiences want to see money up on the screen and driving & flying cast/crew/equipment to exotic locales sucks up budget PDQ and isn't seen on the screen, so... there's not much indie adventure.

Action films come in at around 2/3 the average gross of adventure films, but action requires dangerous stunts, blowing sh!t up, guns, choregraphed fights and a lot of running around meaning a lot of equipment moving around, all of which means a lot of expense. Not good on a low/no budget.

RomCom films come in third - but - these are hard to pull off successfully for a domestic market and impossible to sell in foreign markets making them impossible to begin any realistic budget and market projections.

And here is where the rubber meets the road: Non-horror film audiences want to 'bond' with one or two or some of the characters on screen.
That means you need to get 'talent'. Marketable, recognizable talent.
That means you're going to have the possibility of an overseas market to presell to begin the real-live budgeting process - except that romcoms don't sell over seas even with marketable talent, and adventure and action films are too expensive even on a minuscule < $4m production budget.

Horror is the ONLY genre where it's specific main audience really doesn't have a need for marketable talent onscreen.
They don't care who it is.
Act good.
Shoot it good.
Have the story be remotely plausible - and the horror audience is good with it.

Put a bunch of excellently acting no-names in a rom com or drama: Pfft! No one gives a sh!t.
Put three no names a third rate ex-TV secondary cast member as the same romantic lead and BAM! You got money.

Crazy.

So, if you wanna do the low/no budget indie film with a rat's chance in Hades of making a return on your investment... horror's the way to go.

Ergo the prevalent interest in this community. :)
 
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1. mob movies
2. war movies
3. social / historical drama
4. I also have a new appreciation for horror films. I've been educated by this board on plenty of occasions in many number of ways :) and for all the reasons Ray mentioned
 
mussonman said:
I personally disdain most horror as there isn't much creative freedom you have with the genre. For the most part, you are stuck using the same ideas and techniques that have been done thousands of times before... but when a horror film comes along that truly seems fresh, I'll give it a 10/10... only problem is they all CLAIM to do that these days, which is an outright lie.


My personal favorite is comedy... many reasons why, for example: It can combine with any other genre, action, horror, romance, drama, sci-fi, fantasy, and be either a great satire of that genre, or just a great example of each... I also personally like it when a comedy sets out to make fun of a certain type of movie, and ends up sending it up (Say, Hot Fuzz set out to make fun of cop movies and ended up making, not only a hilarious movie, but a better cop movie than every example they provided.)

I also love the simple comedy, i.e your Adam Sandlers, your Jim Carreys... most people seem to prefer this type of comedy for one reason, they know what they're in for. They know, based on past movies that it will be one laugh after another, because they believe their favorite comedian has enough talent to come up with a whole slew of jokes each film, the majority of which they will laugh at.

Lastly, this is my favorite genre because I myself am a comedian and am constantly studying what makes people laugh... there are many forms of comedy, and some tickle peoples' funny bones and others don't. I believe that it's the most versatile genre out there, making it the best (IMO)
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Funnily I feel the same way about comedy as you do about horror. The vast majority of directors don't seem to be capable of growing beyond the incredibly trite "lol let's make unfunny jokes about how awkward romantic relationships can be and maybe we'll throw in a love triangle and clash with the parents for good measure aren't we clever" angle.

Horror can be good when it has a plot and sense of direction more than shock value, (one of my favorites of all time is Demon Knight, and probably Dark City though that might be more Sci-Fi.)

I tend to lean towards Sci-Fi the most though. Sci-Fi with horror angles, even better.
 
ClockworkNinja said:
Funnily I feel the same way about comedy as you do about horror. The vast majority of directors don't seem to be capable of growing beyond the incredibly trite "lol let's make unfunny jokes about how awkward romantic relationships can be and maybe we'll throw in a love triangle and clash with the parents for good measure aren't we clever" angle.
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I agree with you on that aspect, there seems to be too much romantic-comedy every year, almost like it's become an unwritten rule that it needs to be that way.... that's why it's so refreshing to see a good one because every time you see a bad comedy you think to yourself "This art form is dying." But it isn't, they just made a bad movie... usually due to studios intervening with the creative process.
 
Rayw, your knowledge and comprehension not only inspires me, but motivates me to aspire to greater things in my pursuit of a good filmmaking career. Thanks for your reply. It was very educational.

I also wanted to ask everyone what they think about the Faith/Spirituality genre and whether they think there is a large enough Christian market to make the creation of a feature in that category a wise investment.

Originally posted by rayw:
Horror is the ONLY genre where it's specific main audience really doesn't have a need for marketable talent onscreen.
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Would not the Faith/Spirituality genre be similar in this same aspect?

mussonman, do you have any comedy material that you have made? I'd like to view your work if you've no objection. :)
 
ZOProductions said:
Rayw, your knowledge and comprehension not only inspires me, but motivates me to aspire to greater things in my pursuit of a good filmmaking career. Thanks for your reply. It was very educational.

I also wanted to ask everyone what they think about the Faith/Spirituality genre and whether they think there is a large enough Christian market to make the creation of a feature in that category a wise investment.



Would not the Faith/Spirituality genre be similar in this same aspect?

mussonman, do you have any comedy material that you have made? I'd like to view your work if you've no objection. :)
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Not really sure what you mean by "Faith/Spirituality" genre, but it doesn't sound like something I'd be inclined to try and tap into if I didn't believe in what I was shooting or otherwise have a very deep understanding of. It sounds to me like the sort of thing that could easily blow up in your face.
 
Classical Science Fiction

I like stories with social value that make you think.

The other genres are empty in comparison.

However, I would be interested in seeing someone turning a comedy into a horror movie for a new twist. There have been horror movies turned in comedies. But, I have yet to see a comedy turned into a horror movie.
 
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I'm more of a Sci-Fi guy myself. Not your typical Sci-Fi, though. I've written quite a few scripts since I started writing, and one thing always rings consistent: it leans drastically towards horror, but it edges itself towards comedy as well. If I were to compare it to anything, it's similar to the way Rod Serling wrote The Twilight Zone. They're mostly dark comedies with speculative elements thrown in.

I also really, really like classical horror. Frankenstein, Dracula, The Invisible Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Wolf Man, The Mummy; all of them. If I had to construct a list of the top 20 film directors ever, James Whale and Tod Browning would probably end up on the list; especially Whale. Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man are all well produced, wonderful films that I think should be required viewing for anyone in filmmaking; especially horror filmmaking.

Slasher films don't really appeal to me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the ones that STARTED the craze: Peeping Tom, Halloween, and Psycho; and I love a few of the A Nightmare on Elm Streets, and, of course, Scream, which I would argue was the best horror picture of the 90s. But the endless sequels that kept "upping the anty," just irritate me to no end.


And I'm always up for a good crime film; no one's a better director than Hitchcock.
 
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I don't have a favorite genre, although there are genres in which I have little interest. I don't care for gross-out comedies. Zombie flicks rarely interest me. Maudlin, pity-pot indies bore me to tears. Films that are bloody and gory just for the sake of the blood and gore do nothing for me.

I will gravitate towards certain genres depending upon my mood. I'll go for a good comedy/RomCom when I'm feeling down, and sometimes a mindless action/adventure or bang-bang-shoot-em-up is just the ticket.

A good film is about people, and interesting characters and/or characters I can care about matter much more than the genre.
 
I tend to like all sorts of things, and will watch anything at least once. However, my favorites tend to be Fantasy, Horror and Sci-fi, in that order. As for why, well, I like other worlds and supernatural. I like metaphor and symbolism. And, more superficially, I like swords, space ships and ghosts!

I also tend not to like comedy, though mixing it with other genres I do like. A good horror-comedy or humor laden sci-fi film I find endlessly rewatchable. But a straight up comedy, if the humor doesn't connect with me, there's nothing left. If a horror film is bad, it's often pretty funny. But as far as comedy, I prefer wordplay to slapstick or gross-out humor. But, again, I'll watch anything once!
 
rayw said:
Put a bunch of excellently acting no-names in a rom com or drama: Pfft! No one gives a sh!t.
Put three no names a third rate ex-TV secondary cast member as the same romantic lead and BAM! You got money.
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There are plenty of examples of indie or foreign films made with no recognizable American actors that have done quite well in the states. People do recognize good tallent, good character, and a good story. I think it's just hard to get all three of those ingredients together into the same, low-budget movie.
 
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