Choosing the Genre

Although it has taken a long time to get to this stage (arguably too long), I definitely believe that the time has been well spent. Breaking down and reviewing possible genres has been an insightful  and pivotal part of my research that has informed my final decision. 

Now I can confidently say that I am going to conform to Henry Jenkins' theory and make a hybrid short film, combining the drama and thriller genres. The reason I am excluding the action genre is because I don't feel confident enough in producing an aesthetically choreographed action scene. In addition to this I've noticed that action short films have a tendency to sacrifice characterisation in favour of visual thrills, whereas I would like to create a film with a clear sense of character development and a film that evokes certain ideals. This is why I want to use the drama genre, because its conventions will give my product an emotional epicentre. 

To make my film engaging and suspenseful, I think that the thriller genre will enable me to build a narrative which confronts darker tones and thought-provoking content. A combination of the two is, in my opinion, the perfect option. They are both genres which are grounded in reality, and adopting the thriller conventions will enable me to explore grittier subjects. When I say thriller, I do not mean thriller in the sense of  'Knowing Too much' and 'Guilt', which were a conspiracy thriller and psychological thriller, respectively.  Instead I mean a thriller which taps into the sub-genre of crime. 

Since I am still following my coursework structure post, my next step is to start thinking about my narrative, characters and arc. So in a way, this post officially recognises the start of my planning stage.