I asked myself the very simple question “What is my world?”. For many weeks I didn’t have a clue what my world would look like, luckily it is now taking shape. I was inspired by the reading for Week 5, “Working with Genre I” (Dancyger & Rush 2013). This was discussed in my previous Genre blog post. Dancyger and Rush (2013, p. 107) listed common attributes associated with the classic Western. The loner with a particular moral worldview, the greedy antagonist with selfish goals and the struggle between primitive and civil forces. I found this useful in determining the types of characters that would appear in a Western and their relationship to their world. I also looked at the relationship that the frontier plays emphasizing the primitive forces in society and the effect that this isolation from civilization has on these characters.
After looking specifically at the Western genre, I broadened the search to genres that I found interesting including murder mystery, zombie, disease outbreak, last man on earth and disaster genres. I then realised that most of the genres dealt with survival. Disaster genres typically begin with a contemporary world, which is disrupted by a man made or natural disaster and the characters might undertake various challenges, some may not survive, however there is generally a protagonist that makes it through the ordeal. Zombie texts generally prescribe to this template also, and the remainder of the story is a fight for survival against all odds. Disease outbreak texts also start with normalcy, and are usually resolved when a cure is developed for the disease.
In regards to the murder mystery genre, this is probably the most formulaic. This is because there is a problem at the beginning, usually a murder, then clues are presented during the subsequent investigation into the murder, and the the secrets of the suspects are revealed to the audience, then the case is solved, resulting in the murderer being revealed and the audience. I found this formula predictable as seen in series such as Agatha Christie’s Marple and Agatha Christie’s Poirot. However, I think there are several series that are redefining the murder mystery genre such as True Detective, Sherlock and Broadchurch.
After looking at the various aspects of genre and how they function in establishing what can and can’t happen in a world, I have decided to set my world in a newly established small Victorian town during the 1850’s gold rush. Setting the world in the gold rush would allow me to experiment with ideas surrounding the Australian frontier and the isolation that comes with pioneering a new town. I would also like to experiment with juxtaposing the murder mystery genre alongside the disaster genre. Therefore, this would allow me to create tight-nit character dynamics because of the size of the town. I could place extra pressure on the townspeople by having the murder investigation take place during landslides and floods, which would raise the stakes and provide more challenges for the characters to overcome. I would like to explore these themes and see how they can contribute to the tone and mood of the world that I am creating. The world would suit the format of the mini series because I would be able to introduce characters, and situations and each episode could reveal more about the murder, while the drama of the impending disaster holds interest. An example of how this has been done well is in the Icelandic series, Trapped. Set in an Icelandic town where a body is discovered and a blizzard traps everyone, including the murder in the town.
Generic brainstorming summary
Western genre
Loner with morals > Vengeance against antagonist/ injustice > Fight/ battle > Wins fight/ battle > Returns to lonesome lifestyle with justice restored
Disaster genre
Normality, characters introduced > Natural disaster/ man made disaster > Struggle for survival with stakes raised after every struggle > Resolution of the disaster or escape from the situation
Murder mystery genre
Body is discovered > Detective/ investigator > Motives are revealed > Murderer strikes again > Secrets hidden > Revealed upon resolution
Reference
Dancyger, K and Rush, J 2013, Alternative Scriptwriting: Beyond the Hollywood Formula, Hobooken: Taylor and Francis.
