Movie Story Type: Fish Out Of Water (FOOW)

Story Type: Fish Out Of Water (FOOW)

In Hollywood movie circles, there are genres like Horror or Science Fiction, cross genres like Action-Thriller or Drama-Comedy, and sub-genres like Romantic Comedy or Mystery Thriller.

Then there are story types, a shorthand way to describe a specific narrative conceit that is almost always tied directly to the movie’s central concept. They can be found in any genre, cross genre, or sub-genre.

Knowledge about and awareness of these story types can be a boost not only to your understanding of film history and movie trends, but also as fodder for brainstorming new story concepts. Mix and match them. Invert them. Gender bend them. Genre bend them. Geo bend them.

Story types exist for a reason: Because they work. Hopefully this series will help you make them work for you.

Today: Fish Out Of Water. Or as I like to call it: FOOW.

Think stranger in a strange land. The classic FOOW picture is probably Splash, but there variations on the theme.

Often the set-up involves an ordinary person being thrust into an extraordinary circumstance. Some examples: Beverly Hills Cop, Mrs. Doubtfire, Back to the Future, Mulan, Miss Congeniality.

Sometimes the extraordinary visits the world of the ordinary such Home Alone, Ghostbusters, Three Men and a Baby, The Santa Clause, Big, Jumanji.

Of course, FOOW storylines lend themselves to comedies, but there are plenty of other genres represented as well: Jurassic Park, The Exorcist, Cast Away, Jaws, The Matrix.

Why has this story type proved to be popular?

(1) The collision of two worlds, in this case that of a character and a situation, virtually ensure there will be conflict in the story as the Protagonist flails around, attempting to gain their footing.

(2) The concept also provides a perfect set-up for its own version of the transformation storyline, as the Protagonist becomes more comfortable in the new environment and adapts into a new, different person.

(3) Studios like this conceptual story element because it makes it much easier to market the movie — take Movie Star A, plunk them in Exotic Locale B, boom — there’s a big part of your marketing campaign.

Finally, it plays to the fantasy quality of movies: What if I was thrust into a circumstance like that? How would I act? What would I feel? In other words, FOOW stories are a great way of creating a sense of audience participation in the story universe.

What other FOOW movies come to mind?

For other Story Type articles, go here.

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