Project Development - What is the Genre?

This is perhaps the most important part of the development process;
deciding what genre the story will be, this will help me as I'm the director and writer of the project.By deciding the genre, this will help me understand what codes and conventions to incorporate into the story; as well as what the initial tone of the script. 

I began this point by listing the first 3 genres that I would like to do for my short-film. Once those three genres had been listed (Action,Comedy & Thriller) I then began to narrow down my options by illustrating to myself whether or not I believe it is a which genre was the best choice. This decision was based upon various factors such as: past experiences, conceptual stories surrounding the genres and my ability to successfully execute them. 

Action

I decided that I would stay away from "Action" based on my past experiences with past projects "Calamity". This was a project based within the action genre and had various action sequences incorporating weapons and hand combat; however due to the lack of production value  towards the props and costumes as well as the lack of training and poor choreography regarding the fight sequences. All of these factors where a result of poor planning and attention to detail, meaning that I was unable to successfully pull off an action short-film. Which is why I made the decision to stay away from this genre for my coursework and pursue a genre that I would feel comfortable doing. 

Comedy

I have had very little experience in "Comedy". My only past experience in comedy was with a project called "The Downfall" crime-comedy; my style of comedy for that  particular story failed as I lacked the correct execution and the proper understanding of what makes an audience laugh. I also then understood that the story was not suited for comedy as the situations the characters found themselves in meant for humourless slapstick. Despite "The Downfall" being fair in its story buy failed in tone and direction. However since that film, I have the opportunity to truly connect with the audience as my conceptual idea for a comedy short-film will allow my audience to my connected to both the character and the themes behind the story.  

Thriller

I recently had experience in "Thriller". For my AS media coursework I made a short-film called "Oblivious" which I found to be a truly excited experience as I saw new ways to achieve my desired tone through lighting. The overall project was a pleasant success as it received a positive feedback and audiences understood the meaning and themes behind the story. I felt that with "Oblivious" being a thriller, it was quite straight forward as to how we could hook the audience's attention by incorporating real and relevant topics for the real world and infuse them in this eerie and unsettling story. This is something I would love to get the opportunity to delve back into this idea and add another addition to the thriller genre.

Overall Verdict

As a summary, I have decided to stay far away from the action genre but will develop ideas for both a thriller and a comedy. These are both genres I would very much be comfortable and excited to work in; however my final decision will be made based on my overall preference in the two stories as well as the themes and ideas surrounding the projects.