Non-Essayist Genre Project Script

By
Jake Van Pelt

Van Pelt

jjv16@my.fsu.edu

INT. COLLEGE DORM - MID-DAY

JAKE and CHAD are hanging out in Jakes dorm room playing
games and eating snacks. As Chad started to sip his soda he
spits it out and realized he had an assignment due on
blackboard for his Psychology class.
CHAD
Oh crap! Yo Jake, can I use your
laptop for blackboard? I really
need to check an assignment that I
think is due in an hour.
JAKE
Yeah of course.
CHAD
Thanks man.
Chad quickly hopped onto Jakes laptop and logged onto his
blackboard account. Coming to his surprise he didnt have
anything due that day. Chad let out a sigh of relief.
JAKE
Everything good?
CHAD
Yeah Im in the clear, Its not due
today.
Chad logs out of his account and closes the blackboard tab
and reveals Jakes Non-Essayist Genre Project. Chad with a
puzzled look on his face takes a closer look at the text on
screen.
CHAD
Non-Essayist? What is this?
JAKE
What?
CHAD
This Non-Essayist Genre Project,
What is this all about?
JAKE
Oh dont worry about it.
CHAD
No man like what is it? It seems
interesting...

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

2.

JAKE
Well I mean if you insist.
Jake stops playing his game and walks over to view his
laptop. He then proceeds to explain what the project is.
JAKE
Alright, so this is a project for
my English class regarding genre.
Chad gives an unamused expression.
CHAD
Well obviously.
JAKE
Basically its just explaining the
basic concepts of genre and the
factors used to identify them thats
all.
CHAD
Oh so like action, comedy, sci-fi.
JAKE
Well not like the genres of movies,
I mean the different forms of
communication and styles of the
like.Genre in this sense is
referring to the way we humans
interpret and classify ways that
information is presented to us
based off our prior knowledge and
experiences.
Chad gives a rather puzzled look.
JAKE
Think about what makes a love poem
different from a research paper
aside from the general topic of
each. The research paper is
substantially longer and has a
serious and informative tone while
the love poem is emotional and
personal.
CHAD
Ah, I see. so is there anything
else that helps to define genre?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

3.

JAKE
Well theres the aforementioned
concept of genre conventions but
there are far more technical
details that are used to define
genre.
CHAD
Such as...
JAKE
Style, design, audience, and syntax
for the most important ones. These
are refereed to as the genre
conventions.
CHAD
Ok, youre losing me with the
technical terms, can you dumb this
down for me?
JAKE
Alright, so style refers to the
tone. So like how satirical novel
would be rather humorous and
informal compared to lets say, a
technical document or manual for
like a car which has an informative
and formal tone. These two genres
have radically different audiences
and meanings to convey within their
texts and hence it is differences
that help you, the reader determine
the type of genre. You could
probably tell if you were reading a
instruction manual just off the way
it looks let alone the way its
written right?
Chad nods to acknowledge he is catching on
CHAD
Yeah I suppose so.
JAKE
Well the layout or the way
something looks is design
obviously. A brochure for a travel
magazine is going to look quite
different from an academic essay
cause you know, the brochures
going to have pictures and will
probably be some sort of foldable
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

4.

JAKE (contd)
while the essay is going to be
nothing but a heading followed by
multiple paragraphs and maybe a
works cited.
CHAD
Alright, continue.
JAKE
Syntax can be a bit annoying to
understand at first. It refers to
word choice and sentence structure
of the composed work.
CHAD
So like how a rock song uses
swearing and slang in the lyrics
compared to like a church hymn
which is going to be more proper.
JAKE
Id say thats a good example.
CHAD
I can guess that audience is going
to determine the content like where
an ad for healthcare might target
the elderly versus an ad for a new
action movie which would be aimed
at teens and adults.
JAKE
Another concept related to genre
would be some of the factors that
help determine the genre to be
used.
Chad gives a look confusion, as though Jake had started to
speak in Spanish in the middle of the conversation.
JAKE
Dont overthink it. If you have to
make a presentation for a class,
your probably going to do a
PowerPoint as opposed to writing a
song or painting a picture.
CHAD
Well yeah because that would be
silly and you would probably have a
hard time conveying your idea.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

5.

JAKE
Exactly, hence you see how the
circumstance can often be the
factor that determines the genre.
CHAD
So, then if all of these "genre
conventions" make up genre than
what exactly is genre still?
JAKE
Well the way I like to think of it,
genre is the picture that is formed
when you put the genre convention
puzzle pieces together correctly.
CHAD
Ohhh, so genre doesnt define the
conventions, the conventions define
the genre.
JAKE
Yeah basically, kinda like how when
you say you want a pepperoni pizza,
you mean you want the "genre" of
pizza with the pepperoni "genre
conventions."
CHAD
Well thats an interesting way to
put it
JAKE
I suppose, but it helped you to
understand didnt it
Chad now looks a Jake with a witty expression.
CHAD
Well alright Mr. Professor, I think
Im ready for my test now.
Jake looks Chad in the eyes with an expression of shear
disdainment and says...
JAKE
Your funny, now you done wanting to
learn about my class now.
CHAD
Yes, but now tell me about that
sociology paper you turned in a
minute before it was due.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

6.

Jake sighs and facepalms as Blake would, while Chad looks

into the camera with his silly, witty grin
The video then ends
END