10 Archetypal Film Stories That Sell: Part 3

“The ten genre’s that Blake Snyder identified in the 'Save the Cat' books . . .These are my single favorite tool for screenwriters, and I strongly recommend writers know these types, and seek to write squarely within one of them.” Erik Bork: Screenwriter “Band of Brothers.”

As we noted in Parts 1 and 2, as far as the studios are concerned, they seem to have dropped the word "original" from their vocabulary. You can plainly see by the numbers of prequels, sequels, remakes, reboots, novel and comic book adaptations, that studio films are risk averse.

For those who still want to try selling a screenplay to the studios (and have a good shot at independent sales, too), here are the next two sub-genres, of archetypal film stories identified in Snyder’s Save the Cat.

According to research by Bork, the trend since 2012 has been that the studios are only buying original spec scripts in these (and Snyder's the other 8) genres.

5. The Fool Triumphant

The mythology of this storyline derives from stories told over time of laughable simpletons who go up against powerful enemies and prevail because of an innate likeability or goodness of character.

A good example of this story can be found in Being There, starring Peter Sellers as Chance, a mentally challenged gardener who works most of his life for a wealthy Washington D.C. resident, Mr. Jennings.

Chance has virtually no experience with the outside word and has learned pretty much everything he knows about the world from watching television. When Jennings dies, Chance takes much of Jennings’ wardrobe with him, so looks like an affluent socialite.

While sent out into the world he runs into successful businessman Ben Rand who mistakes him for what he looks like—a wealthy socialite.

Rand interprets Chance’s life lessons (based mainly on his gardening experiences) as a refreshingly unpretentious but profound world view. Chance passes for one of the intelligentsia because Rand says so; and the naïve former gardener becomes a major influence among the power-players in Washington.

These heroes are naïve, or even idiots, who have good fortune on their side. They almost fall into circumstances in which they are thought to be brilliant, gain a following, and ironically prevail against a smarter and more resourceful antagonist.

Again, to demonstrate the range of variations you can create in this genre here are some more examples:

Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Forrest Gump, Legally Blonde, Sling Blade, Austin Powers, and Big Momma's House. 

6. Institutionalized

These archetypal stories involve a hero that finds himself in an institution (which could mean an actual institution) or an office setting, the military, the mafia or the fashion world. The protagonists in these films explore their settings, take in the rules, norms and expectations of their new worlds—and adapt.

A good example is One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Randal McMurphy (played by Jack Nicholson) is a career criminal who pleads insanity to get out of hard labor in prison and ends up in a mental institution run by the abusive and inflexible Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher).

As the story unfolds, McMurphy sizes up the way things are done in the institution, and the way the arrogant controlling Nurse Ratched mistreats and demoralizes the inmates. He then instigates a rebellion amongst the inmates against their oppressive and inhumane treatment.

McMurphy incites the inmates to join him on field trips out of the hospital against “policy.” While he’s successful in restoring humanity to his fellow inmates, against the wishes of Nurse Ratched, she exacts a high price. McMurphy is given a full-frontal lobotomy.

These films involve a character who finds himself in a new world (law school, reporting, or volunteering in a war zone, in a gang, in the police force, etc.). While adapting, he is changed and finds new ways to work within the system, or to change the system.

To give you an idea how films in this niche can vary while still following in this genre, here are some more examples:

M*A*S*H, The Godfather, Training Day, Office Space, Sin City, Dead Poet's Society, Glengarry Glen Ross, and The Royal Tenenbaums.

You will need to come up with lots of your own original characters, storylines, subplots and plot twists, but these 10 sub-genres will guide you in a more commercial direction and increase your odds of selling an original screenplay.

So far, we've discussed Out of the Bottle, Monster in the House, and now Superhero and The Golden Fleece, Institutionalized, and The Fool Triumphant.

Next time in Part 4, we'll look at the sub-genres of Dude with A Problem and Rites of Passage.

David Silverman, LMFT, treats anxiety and depression, especially in highly sensitive individuals in his LA practice. Having experienced the rejection, stress, creative blocks, paralyzing perfectionism, and career reversals over a 25 year career as a Film/TV writer, he’s uniquely suited to work with gifted, creative, and sensitive clients experiencing anxiety, depression, and addiction. David received training at Stanford and Antioch, is fully EMDR certified, and works with programs treating Victims of Crime and Problem Gamblers. Visit www.DavidSilvermanLMFT.com.