A decade or so back, I heard an astonishing album, the debut from Godspeed You Black Emperor! It brought together elements from Morricone through to Black Sabbath to create haunting soundscapes suggestive of a world on its knees. It was, dare I say it, cinematic in conception, with lengthy tracks going through different sections, often accompanied by found sound recordings of street prophets or singing children.

Godspeed are on hiatus, but key member Efrim Menuck has another band in the form of Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra, who I experienced live last night. Comprising two violinists, a stand-up bass player, a drummer who plays occasional keyboards, and Efrim himself on guitar and vocals, they played no more than six pieces in their 90 minute set, each combining elements such as quiet/loud/quiet/loud dynamics, Efrim’s ragged voice set against more conventional backing vocals from the two women players, haunting guitar, and sections for strings alone.

The raw power and unusual instrumental mix got me thinking of what lessons could be learned from the show that could be applied to screenwriting, on the basis that there’s always something to learn if you set your mind to that task. And what I came up with reassured me, particularly about the rather unusual screenplay I’m currently working on. For instance, the band’s emphasis on emotional impact over technique and polish is refreshing when so much of what’s seen on screen is technically sound but souldead. They might use strings, but at heart they’re punks — itself suggesting that there’s nothing to stop you or I plundering the films of the past for tools that can help tell our stories now. Don’t be afraid of overt emotionalism, of saying something loud and directly — there are times when passion really will win through, especially if that passion is presented in a setting you’re less familiar with.

That last point bears investigating some more. Efrim’s singing is crude at best, but set against a quasi-classical backing the effect is electrical. That in turn points to the power of juxtaposing savagery with sophistication. And don’t be afraid of extended sequences. Something I’m conscious of with the screenplay I’m currently writing is that it has a rhythm unlike anything else I’ve written — something about it lends itself to long scenes. That’s an organic quality that helps bring out the nature of an unusual protagonist and his worldview, which are at the core of the experience of the film. Seeing the band strengthened my resolve to keep that flow, rather than be tempted to do conventional edits and slick transitions. Those work well for some projects, like some production helps a song become daytime radio-friendly, but they’re not the qualities that will make this particular film work, any more than forcing Paul Greengrass to use conventional photography rather than the handheld aesthetic he used for the Bourne films would have worked.

Coming out of the gig, I was behind a woman who complained to her friend that all of Silver Mount Zion’s songs were the same. Well, that’s one take on things. It’s like saying that all Led Zeppelin’s songs were the same, given they draw on a particular style of larger than life blues rock. What’s more the case is that both bands have a certain vocabulary that they use to express a fairly narrow range of emotions. Which is pretty much how genre works in film too: you know in advance, more often than not, what type of experience you’re in for on the basis of the trailer. If it floats your boat, you’ll be inclined to give the movie a chance at the cinema or a few months later on DVD.

There are some works that create their own genre however, and that’s a choice you can make in your own work. But be prepared to stand up for it, and defend it. One person whose perspective on film I tend to respect doesn’t seem to get the script I’m currently working on, but I now see that as a sign that I’m doing the right thing: they’re interested in developing projects that are too mainstream and cosy for my tastes. Clearly not the person to bring this one into being. And knowing that, I can find a more suitable team to go forward with, as Efrim has with Silver Mount Zion. Asked if they’d play a festival, he joked that they’d look odd standing between big corporate banners in the daylight. But at night, indoors, their music makes perfect sense.