Combined genre

I recently started watching "Firefly", Joss Whedon's cult-classic sci-fi/western hybrid, and I was taken aback by how well the two genres mixed. It's not the same sci-fi/western that "Star Wars" was, which had far more emphasis on sci-fi; it is far better described as a western in the future. Much like "Cowboy Bebop", the series features all the stereotypical western signifiers: civil war, train heists and shoot-outs; as well as subtly mixing in other western aspects; there is scene where the cargo bay is filled with cattle, a nod to the western stereotype of cattle ranches.

After seeing this brilliant combination of genre work so well, I realised that there are thousands of things writers could be doing with genre, instead of recycling the same generic plots over and over. However, judging from the cancellation of "Firefly", it looks like companies are afraid of taking any risks. Fox Networks didn't think that the genre would fit in with today's market, being too different, and due to that, it was only shown for a few episodes (in the wrong order) before being cancelled. Even though "Firefly has built up one of the strongest fan-bases for any program ever over the years due to its amazing DVD sales, even going as far as buying tens of copies of the series just for Whedon's birthday, it is still stuck with only one series.


This gives me a lot more options regarding my own thriller. Given the amount of genres that have been left unexplored in terms of thriller, I could very easily make something quite original, but the problem is that it could well be too different, not fitting in with the demands of the target audience, and straying away from the thriller genre altogether. I need to make sure that the target audience's (and if I were trying to get it produced professionally, the company's) requests are met, to avoid making the same mistake as “Firefly”.I should also mention that part of the reason thrillers have such an effect on the audience is that it relates to them. If, for example, I made a sci-fi, replacing all the humans with aliens, it takes away this relation and the audience would have far less interest. This thriller genre itself is also nowadays built automatically into most films, even those with no relation to it, especially in action and horror films, which often borrow ideas from the thriller genre. (In “Lord of the Rings”, there are often chase scenes, like near the start of the first film when Arwen is chased by the Black Riders. This is very closely related with the thriller genre.)

Overall, changing the genre for my film is risky, as it could lead to straying too far from a thriller, and with only 3 minutes to show that it is one, I might not have enough time. Although I will definitely consider having two genres, I am much more likely to instead have a sub-genre, one which is popular and helps to show off the film.