Film Genre for the Screenwriter

by Jule Selbo

Film Genre for the Screenwriter is a practical study of how classic film genre components can be used in the construction of a screenplay. Based on Jule Selbo’s popular course, this accessible guide includes an examination of the historical origins of specific film genres, how and why these genres are received and appreciated by film-going audiences, and how the student and professional screenwriter alike can use the knowledge of film genre components in the ideation and execution of a screenplay.

Explaining the defining elements, characteristics and tropes of genres from romantic comedy to slasher horror, and using examples from classic films like Casablanca alongside recent blockbuster franchises like Harry Potter , Selbo offers a compelling and readable analysis of film genre in its written form. The book also offers case studies, talking points and exercises to make its content approachable and applicable to readers and writers across the creative field.

Genres: Writing

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 25, 2014

About the author

SO EXCITED! 6 DAYS, A Dee Rommel Mystery will be available August 5, 2026. It's the fifth in the series. The series begins with 10 DAYS, then comes 9 DAYS, then 8 DAYS (you see the pattern).

Jule Selbo rises an hour before sun-up, likes the fuel of caffeine, and loves to make up stories. She’s an award-winning screenwriter (Disney, Paramount, Universal, and more, including working with George Lucas on Young Indiana Jones Chronicles for five years, penning Ariel’s Beginning (Little Mermaid and Hunchback of Notre Dame Part Deux and more for Disney, tv shows like Melrose Place, Hercules, Space Above and Beyond and HBO’s Women Behind Bars).

She moved to Maine to write novels and short stories – focusing on her favorite genres: crime mystery and historical fiction. 10 DAYS, A Dee Rommel Mystery (2021) is the first of the award-winning series; it is followed by 9 DAYS. 8 DAYS, 7 DAYS and the new 6 DAYS.

Series’ kudos include: Silver Falchion, CIBA Best Series Finalist, nominations for the CLue Award and Foreward Review Award, Kirkus’ Top 5 Mysteries from Small Publishers and more.

Her historical fiction books include biographies of Italy’s John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) and Laura Bassi (first experimental physicist and first female professor at University of Bologna in the late 1700s). Her Find Me In Florence focuses on the country’s Mud Angels; they helped save priceless artwork and books after the 1966 flood.

Short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Magazine and Thriller Magazine.

Jule would love to hear from her readers!