GENRE Truby's way Janice Day attended John Truby's genre seminar in London organised by (I didn't attend the 22-step story structure weekend - just the genre seminar.)
form, and usually a combination of two or three. If you want to succeed, you must master one or two of the most popular genres, then write a script that bends the rules.
'Topics covered include: - what each genre really means - three ways to handle genre and which one is best - the crucial question for each story form - key structure points for each genre - the differences between detective stories, crime stories and thrillers - the central theme of each genre - mixing genre: the key strategy for blockbusters - bending the genre rules for originality
'Genres covered include: Action, Comedy, Crime, Detective, Fantasy, Horror, Love, Masterpiece, Myth, Science Fiction and Thriller.' : Warner Bros. : Warner I hoped the course would tell me exactly what Writers resting genre is. I have been to other courses on this GoodFellas subject and the list of film-types that were defined as genre was disappointingly short. By ohn Truby, the Hollywood screenwriting the courses and I gathered e-mail addresses from contrast, Truby's list is substantial, heretically guru who has taught over 20,000 a few. I was hoping for quotes, being the sort of including Science Fiction and Comedy. Other students worldwide and worked as story writer who strings ten quotes together and calls screenwriting gurus will tell you that these are Jconsultant and script doctor for, amongst it an article, but only one replied: Ollie Wicken. not categories of genre. Science Fiction is others, Disney, Sony and Fox, took his place at the 'I thought the course was great,' he wrote. apparently 'setting' and Comedy is 'tone'. front of a room full of excited delegates. 'Truby is a terrific help with the nuts and bolts of Truby explained how he works around this There he stood, fresh and sparkling clean in a script. He's inspiring too in an unusual way. problem of what is and isn't genre by the way that many Americans have (it must be Inspiration usually gives rise to creativity but distinguishing between 'technical' and 'soft' the teeth) and right on time he began to talk … John inspires professionalism, which is what even genres. As I limped home at the end of the day with the most talented writers need if they're going to First, just as other trainers do, he examined my ears ringing, RSI in my writing arm and six succeed with feature scripts.' each genre separately. Here was another thousand words of notes, I raised my fist to the Unlike some courses, the content bore a difference I noticed in Truby's approach from heavens and cursed John Truby long and loud, refreshingly close resemblance to its some other courses where they are treated as if which is not a good idea at 6.30pm on the advertisement. This is how part of the ad they are quite independent of one another, which London underground. appeared in the Raindance e-bulletin: makes them harder to relate to stories in films. When I had finished typing up my notes, 'The first rule of the entertainment business is Instead, Truby picks out the similarities between however, I was grateful. I now have a mine of this: it buys and sells genres. Today's most them. information on genre that money just can't buy. popular movies are always at least one story He takes each of the genres on his list and Well, actually it can, but Truby's software is more expensive than his course and it doesn't tell jokes. Genres are modern myths. Around seventy delegates had signed up to
56 May 2005 with genre Raindance, which followed on from a weekend masterclass in Truby's own 22-Step Story Structure. So is his approach to genre really different?
compares them. He tells us that we can apply his major sub-genres. The most common turn-down from studios simple method of analysis to all of them, which His goal for his one day genre course is to give is that 'the scripts are derivative', so you need makes the whole area of genre easier to the participants enough information to know to hit the genre in an original way. But understand. which genre they are working in and how it can undercutting the genre is limited: you're only I was curious to know how he had gained this be transcended. He explained that we would look giving the opposite. mastery - or to put it less politely - from whence at how to take classical structure and twist it for 3. Transcend the genre. Explore in your story he had pinched his ideas. So I asked him. a certain genre. They had been studying structure why this particular myth is still powerful and 'I'm sure there are many influences on my in the previous two days but he recapped his relevant now. How can it be fresh? Take an thinking. Most importantly was the technique I ideas for the benefit of newcomers and the weary archetypal hero and make them real and learned from Aristotle. When I was learning how brains of everyone else. unique and individual. Put your hero at the to write, there were no courses. So I used the When we went through the genres we centre of the drama. Give him a problem and Aristotelian approach, which was to see as many thought about which of these structure steps need of his own. In regular genre the hero is films as possible and take notes on what worked were particularly highlighted in each. (Not having typically a travelling angel who helps and what didn't. I didn't want to start with a a clue, I kept shouting 'Battle!' until it was the someone else with a problem. Instead of this, theory and impose it on storytelling. I felt there right answer and I could feel good about myself.) have a hero who makes a personal were already too many abstract terms tossed For example, in the Horror genre, the two statement. around in the writing world that didn't mean significant structure steps are 'The Ghost' and anything in practice. 'The Opponent'. He went on to analyse each genre in turn 'Using that approach I identified the 7 Steps, He also summarised each genre in one simple which I do not have permission to reproduce. then the 22 Steps, and finally the various story line, e.g. 'The detective film is about the person Suffice to say that the material was fascinating beats of the major genres and sub-genres. I think who searches for the truth.' He then talked about and helpful. If I have a major criticism of the the major advantage of this approach is that the how to deal with that genre in order to write the course, it's that Truby didn't have time to story elements I found are organic to the stories, best screenplay. illustrate this wisdom with film examples. These not mechanically imposed from outside.' Truby says that there are three major ways to are very important to writers, not just because During his course Truby said that genres are use genre and I paraphrase his advice below: we mostly have a visual learning style (we're modern myths: each has its own unique hero and desire line. Each is set on its own social stage; has The most common turn-down from studios is a specialised opponent; needs a key question to focus the theme; has a unique story-telling that 'the scripts are derivative', so you need strategy and highlights certain structure steps in to hit the genre in an original way. the seven basic structure steps of classical structure. Most importantly, perhaps, each has ten or twelve story beats (meaning actual events 1. Repeat the genre. There is no new thinking bound to have, if you think about it!) but so that rather than structure steps) that need to be involved in this. Each genre contains a we can check out the theories against scripts or present in that genre. mini-philosophy which is carried by that films. I was disappointed that we didn't have time to story form. You can repeat that. He did, however, suggest that we study the look at the individual story beats. The course 2. Undercut the genre: you set up a genre by following masterpieces: How Green Was My was packed with information and cleverly hitting the first two story beats, the audience Valley, Citizen Kane, It's a Wonderful Life, Sunset constructed, but it felt like a taster of what he recognises it, fills in the rest and goes ahead Boulevard, Body & Soul, Cinema Paradiso, The really does have to offer. It's almost like an of you, so you can then trip them up. Attack Usual Suspects, American Beauty, Dances with interactive advertisement for his software and, it the philosophy of that genre and say it's Wolves, The Magnificent Ambersons, Network, has to be said, it works. When challenged on this 100% wrong. You are now writing a more The Seven Samurai and GoodFellas. Truby point, he explained that he doesn't run single personal story and forcing the audience believes that these films go beyond individual genre classes over here. In the States he will to rethink by short-circuiting their main characters to make points about the spend the entire day on one form and look at the expectations. This gives you an immediate society in which they live. sub-genres. Comedy, for instance, has eight advantage. One of the delegates asked how to transcend
May 2005 57 GENRE
The British are putting out scripts which JD: Why don't you teach individual genre classes guarantee that they won't have a film industry over here? JT: There is a smaller audience here. For instance, that can compete on a world market. They How to Write a Thriller would only attract those must stop channelling money to producers people who want to write a Thriller, whereas a class covering all genre guarantees to fill the and directors and put it into development. place. I have to give the public what they want. Europe has this auteur approach that it's all America is bigger; there I can fill a hall with a single genre whereas over here I must throw the about a director's vision. They don't value the net wider and the course necessarily suffers. writer. It's ironic that Europeans, especially JD: So why haven't you written a book? the British, do not value the written word. JT: I have thought of it and have been planning to do so for a long time but haven't got around to it yet. Instead I've spent years developing my the masterpiece. Truby was kind to him. He that can compete on a world market. They must software. smiled and said, 'You can't. That's what stop channelling money to producers and masterpiece means.' directors and put it into development. Europe has JD: Do you do much writing yourself? So who is Truby? I bought him a coffee and this auteur approach that it's all about a JT: I have written screenplays and teleplays but asked some gritty knife-edge questions. I director's vision. They don't value the writer. It's I've been teaching since 1985. I believe in what I discovered that he is childless and unmarried, his ironic that Europeans, especially the British, do do and I'm passionate about what I teach. I care star-sign is Cancer and he lives in Santa Monica. not value the written word. about writers. I want to see them succeed and Then I remembered that this was ScriptWriter There is no reason why the British film give them the tools that can make them the best and not Hello Magazine, so I controlled myself industry could not compete with the American writers they can be. Being a writer is a personal and tried again. one. They both make movies for a worldwide journey. You need to be the person doing the audience because their actors speak English. They creating yourself, not a subject reacting to the JD: What do you think of the British film could do it. But there is an attitude that doesn't outside world. industry? value the script and doesn't value great writing in I want to write what I care about and luckily JT: The British are putting out scripts which the visual medium. That's wrong because it all I'm in a position to do that. Very few writers make guarantee that they won't have a film industry comes down to how good the script is. a good living just writing. It's a mistake to have making money as a primary objective. If you do have to have a job, have one that enables you to write as well. Daddy got commissioned! He is undoubtedly an inspiring teacher and his final words brought tears to my eyes, which, let's face it, no one does better than the Americans. 'The fundamental key to success is this. Choose the genres that are right for your particular story and that are right for your particular skills. Learn the beats that go with that form. Then hit the beats. Transcend that genre form and finally add the elements of drama that lift it out of the ordinary and make it original. Take these tools of transcending genre to write something original. Take control of your creativity and do what you have to do to get your work made. Don't wait. Life is short. Do it.'
John Truby www.truby.com Raindance www.raindance.co.uk
John Truby is the writer-director of : R.K.O All-American Boy, a family drama set in the turbulent times of 1960s America which was nominated for Best Picture at the Hollywood Film Festival.
It's A Wonderful Life It's A Wonderful
58 May 2005