Every script begins with an idea. Once you have that idea, it is up to you to become an enthusiastic genius on the topic of your idea. You don’t need to be a genius in quantum mechanics, astrophysics, algebra or geometry. But you do need to know every single thing there is to know about YOUR movie. How do you do that? By understanding the history of the genre you’re working in. You have to know which movies work, which movies don’t work, and why.

This lesson is designed to immerse you in movies similar to the one you want to make and the one you will eventually pitch to a Hollywood executive. By the time you are through with this lesson, you will understand what it means to set tone, and what tools are necessary to craft an engaging story. You will gain a full understanding of where your movie fits in the context of the genre you’ve chosen.