Ask The Scriptsmith

Q.I'm confused about tone and how it relates to genre. What is inconsistent tone? 7/24/09

A.Tone in a screenplay is the point of view or attitude the writer brings to the material. For instance, the tone may be humorous, dramatic, or satirical. Tone relates to genre in that genres and sub-genres are often (but not always) characterized by a specific tone. For instance, a dark comedy is a comedy (genre) with a perversely humorous, often fatalistic POV (tone). A drama (genre) brings weight and gravity to a subject (tone).

Genre is a brand, a type of story such as comedy, drama, romance, action, thriller, etc. You should always define the genre first, BEFORE writing the script, because genre is a major factor in the approach (the POV/attitude) you bring to the dialogue and action. You wouldn't impose an overly serious attitude/tone on a comedy, for instance.

Both tone and genre are communicated through emphasis and carefully selected action. Is the opening scene funny, serious, suspenseful, action packed? Do the majority of scenes contain drama, comedy, action, or romance? Do the majority of scenes end on a laugh, action, or an introspective moment? When humor appears, is it sophomoric or intellectual, playful or satiric? In small doses throughout or rarely if ever?

If the opening scene suggests one genre or tone, but the script delivers another, and/or half the scenes in the script fall into one category, and half fall into the other, or the story wavers back and forth, then the script has an identity crisis. The brand and/or the writer's point of view are unclear.

For instance, most genres contain some humor. However, the type of humor must be consistent with the overall tone. You wouldn't, for instance, put the "cowboys eating beans and farting" scene from Blazing Saddles into Brokeback Mountain. That type of humor is inappropriate because it pulls the tone too far off the dramatic spine.

Whatever the genre, the choice of events, style of humor (if any) and overall emphasis must all support the brand and tone you've chosen.

Read the previous email, Character Biographies

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