ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the three layers of Genre, but the rest of the taxonomy expands the ideas in both broader and more narrow definitions. There's no official Governing Board of Genre. Genres have been created using a crowd-sourced approach. Atmosphere, Character, and Story—these are the fundamentals of Genre. A Genre's Character also has three defining elements: Character Types; Character Goals and Stock Characters. Atmosphere, Character, and Story are the building blocks of Genre, allowing screenwriters to understand the basic expectations of their audience. Like the Fantasy Genre, Science Fiction often takes the audience into an intensely visual world. The Visceral Expectations of this genre naturally tend to lean toward fantastic locations and special effects, battles with epic stakes and fun and unusual characters. While the Sports Genre is perhaps the easiest to recognize, it is frequently misidentified. The War Genre has a lot in common with both Horror and Sports Genres.
