Main genres of hollywood films

 
According to Blake Snyder there are 10 main Hollywood genres of film that He has categorized through his novel 'save the cat.'

Monster in the house

The films consist of two working parts. A monster and a house and when you add people to into that house, desperate to kill the monster, you've got a movie type so primal that it translates to everyone, everywhere. Every ghost story ever told are all examples of this genre. This can even consist of films without paranormal or supernatural elements, for example, panic room. The 'monster' does not have to actually be a monster, this can be a person, an animal, a fictional character, ghost etc. According to Snyder, he insists that the house must be a confined area e.g. beach house, a spaceship etc. Snyder suggests this category has NOT been exhausted. There is always a way to do a new one, whether it be a fresh twist? but you must ultimately break away from cliché. Films that are in this category consist of Jaws, Paranormal, when a stranger calls, the purge,
silent hill, the exorcist.


Golden Fleece
Golden Fleece films usually consist of some form of quest. The name has derived from the myth of Jason and the Argonauts which ultimately is about a hero who goes on 'on the road' in search of one things and winds up discovering something else-himself. A film in this genre is finding Nemo, this animated movie shows a clown fish who's son is taken by scuba divers, travelling to the deepest parts of the ocean in search of his son, through events of meeting sharks, swimming with turtles, being stung by jelly fish, him and his son are finally reunited with one another. Other films in this genre consist of A fish called Wanda, trains planes and automobiles, the pink panther, layer cake, the Italian job,

Dude with a problem

This genre is defined by the phrase: “A ordinary guy finds himself in extraordinary circumstances”  This ultimately means where the character begins an average day and something extraordinary happens which becomes a problem, thus the title “dude with a problem”  Examples of this are; superbad, 2 young boys embark on a normal day where they are met with an invitation to a party which they have to provide alcohol for, this therefore becomes a big problem with catastrophic consequences. Another example is the day after tomorrow, which features a normal day which develops into what is said the end of the world. This genre has 2 working parts- the dude, who is just an every day guy, and the problem
which is this massive thing beyond his control. With this
genre the cooler the guy the bigger the problem. Other
films in this genre consist of  Bill and
Teds excellent adventure, Ferris Bueller's day off etc.

Rites of passage
These are ultimately the tales of pain and torment. These can consist of tales about puberty, mid-life-crisis, old age, romantic break up and grieving stories. An example of this is p.s I love you , this film features the journey of a grieving widow who receives letters from her late husband helping her move on and grow from his passing, this film features sadness, happiness, grieving etc. In the end, these tales are about surrendering, the victory won by giving up to forces stronger than ourselves. Other films in this genre consist of clueless, stand by me and Big.

Out of the bottle
When we think of this genre we think about a genie appearing from a bottle and granting a wish. However, it doesn't have to be magic to be part of this wish-fulfilment genre. A good example that describes this genre is Liar Liar, a young boy wishes for his father to not be able to lie on the day of his big important case in which his tactics are to lie, This leads onto a journey in which shows Carrey he must change his ways. In the end Jim Carrey not only wins the case without lying but receives the respect of both his son and his wife. Other films featured in this genre include Freaky Friday, Big, and Groundhog day.  

Buddy Love 

The secret with this genre is that it is actually a love story in disguise. This genre features 2 people in a love/hate relationship where you can expect the obvious finale of love for each other. Usually the pair begins hating each other however through their journey they come to the realisation that they actually have a need and love for each other. Films featured in this genre are Due date, this comedy features 2 men with no connection to each other on a road trip after being removed from the plane, A typical comedy where one friend brings nothing but trouble and annoyance to the other that ends in a fight that seems impossible to repair, however a change of heart or realisation brings them close together and they
then realise their love and need for one another. Other
films featured in this genre include; how to lose a guy in
10 days, the bucket list, finding nemo, are we there yet etc.


Whydunit

who cares who, its why that counts. Most classic whydunit's are about the audience discovering something about the human nature that they did not think was possible before the 'crime' was committed. These films take the audience to a dark side, the element of social drama allows us to detect and investigate the story throughout. We have a surrogate onscreen to represent us, whether this be the detective of the case etc. An example of a film in this certain genre is Kiss the girls, Morgan Freeman plays a detective who's niece has been abducted by a man known as Casanova, who imprisons and kills his victims. On his quest he is left more clues and a
 deeper knowledge of the story, we as the audience therefore try and
investigate the ending of the film due to his findings and conclusions
along the way. Other films in this genre consist of; I Robot, The Third
man, The insider, All presidents men, China town etc..


The fool triumphant
The 'fool' has been around in cinematography and the film industry for many years, We always have the perception of the fool being the village idiot however he is then unmasked to be of somewhat an extraordinary being. This initial perception of the 'fool' really makes the character shine once uncovering his true talent. There is always some sort of 'bully' in these films in which once defeated by the 'fool' really allows us to appreciate the character and gives us all hope, it also pokes fun at the structures in modern society. A film in this genre is forest Gump. Forest is a typical portrail of a 'fool', he has leg braces which limit his availability to run however, when running away from bully's he abandons these leg braces and masters this talent for sprinting. He then tells his stories of his life for example joining the army, meeting the president, having a shrimping
business, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour for his
heroism, becomes a professional champion in the game
of ping pong, which indeed shows him to be quite an
exceptional person. Other films in this genre are;
I am Sam, mrs.doubtfire, Jerry Maguire, Coming
to America, Bridget Jones' diary etc.

Institutionalized
This genre tells stories of families/groups. Often movies in this genre are told by a newcomer to the group, who has been brought in by someone more experienced. Films in this genre all come down to one question, 'Who's crazier me or them?' A film that explains this genre is the help. This is about the divide in race in the 1950's period. One girl, skeeter writes a book of the stories of the treatment of the black help at this time which reveals the shock of how poorly these women are treated, it brings together a family, which is therefore why it fits in this genre of film. Other films in this genre are; The Godfather, Anchorman, Dangerous Liaisons, M.A.S.H and crash.


Superhero
This genre is completely how it sounds in this title. It can be explained through the quote 'An extraordinary person finds himself in an ordinary world.' This genre can go the marvel world,
 marvel world, or the DC comics characters. Most films in this genre show this extraordinary being faced in a mediocre world, with ordinary people around them. A film that best describes this is spider-man, an ordinary boy is bit by a spider which gives his life like spider qualities, he uses these to fight the bad and protect society and the world. Other films in this genre consist of Superman, 
Harry potter, Batman, Brave heart, The blind side, Antz, Shreck etc.