• Horror. This genre is often described as the combination of suspense plus some kind of monstrous or semi-human element. Paul Berry's stop-motion short, The Sandman, and Silhouette, from Amber Rudolph and Tonya Noerr, are fine examples. Scenes are suspenseful when danger looms, but horrific when the danger actually arrives and the victim is (at least temporarily) unable to defend against it successfully.
• Romance. In this genre, love is formed or rekindled after a few complications. When Harry Met Sally and My Big Fat Greek Wedding are popular examples, as is the CG animated short, Love Tricycle.
• Black comedy. Poignant jokes are applied to a not-so-funny subject, such as death, as in films like To Die For, Heathers and the animated short, The Crossing Guard.
• Crime capers, police stories, and courtroom dramas. In these stories, justice is (sometimes) served in films such as Ocean's 11, Heat and the short, Tom the Cat.
• Action adventure. These are exciting tales of battle, defense, rescue, pursuit, thievery, or escape where the stakes are high, the danger is extreme, the pace is urgent, and the rewards are great. The Road Warrior, Black Hawk Down and Jeff Lew's Killer Bean 2 are fine examples. Westerns fall into this category as well.
• Mystery. The audience is intentionally confused by a puzzle of some sort, which is (usually) solved or explained at or near the end, in films such as Young Sherlock Holmes, Memento and the short, Bunny.
• Sports films. In such stories, we are often presented with an underdog who ultimately prevails because he has heart (The Tortoise and the Hare) and perhaps a name that implies determination, such as Rocky.
• Tragedy. A particularly likeable protagonist dies or suffers significantly in the end, often after accomplishing a selfless or heroic deed. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is an especially memorable example.
• Documentaries and biographies. These are factual and often historical accounts of real-world events or people, such as Crumb or Bowling for Columbine (which, incidentally, is not a sports film). Short CG documentaries usually demonstrate breakthroughs in lighting, particle or physics simulation technology and can regularly be seen at venues such as SIGGRAPH's annual Electronic Theater.
• Musicals. The Wizard of Oz, Chicago and the animated segments of Disney's Fantasia are all good examples.

Of course, many films combine more than one genre into a single narrative. Little Shop of Horrors is a musical-comedy-horror-romance. And the animated short Creature Comforts is a comedy-fantasy-parody-documentary.

Genres can usually be distinguished by their intended audience reaction. Good dramas make us relate to and care about the protagonist. Successful comedies make us smirk or laugh. Black comedies make us laugh when perhaps we shouldn't. Suspense films make us squirm, while horror films make us scream. Science fiction and fantasy provide us with a sense of awe. A good romance makes us smile and want to be in love, while tragedies often make us cry. Action adventures put us on the edge of our seat. Sports films make us cheer. Police and courtroom dramas give us a sense of justice (or perhaps the lack thereof). Mysteries make us think. Documentaries make us feel educated. And musicals inspire us to dance.

If you have your story premise worked out, you've probably already decided on an appropriate genre. But if not, ask yourself what kind of response you want from your audience. Answering this question is often a good way to choose a genre.

To get a copy of the book, check out Inspired 3D Short Film Production by Jeremy Cantor and Pepe Valencia; series edited by Kyle Clark and Michael Ford: Premier Press, 2004. 470 pages with illustrations. ISBN 1-59200-117-3 ($59.99). Read more about the Inspired series and check back to VFXWorld frequently to read new excerpts.

Authors Jeremy Cantor and Pepe Valencia.

Jeremy Cantor, animation supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks, has been working far too many hours a week as a character/creature animator and supervisor in the feature film industry for the past decade or so at both Imageworks and Tippett Studio in Berkeley, California. His film credits include Harry Potter, Evolution, Hollow Man, My Favorite Martian and Starship Troopers. For more information, go to www.zayatz.com.

Pepe Valencia has been at Sony Pictures Imageworks since 1996. In addition to working as an animation supervisor on the feature film Peter Pan, his credits include Early Bloomer, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Stuart Little 2, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Stuart Little, Hollow Man, Godzilla and Starship Troopers. For more information, go to his Webpage at www.pepe3d.com.