LO3: Genre Theory

Genre Theory

Genre: A type or category of a film
For example: horror, Sci-Fi, adventure, action, crime, drama, romantic, comedy, fantasy, thriller, social realism.
     *Things such as Comedy are a treatment, eg: rom-com etc*

Exam Questions
6* Analyse how the production techniques used create meaning in a media product you have studied. (12)     Micro -  Macro
6* Analyse the concepts of 'genre' and 'repersentation' in a media product you have studied. (12)     Macro - Micro

Genre helps divide texts into category's based on common elements. these common elements are called generic conventions/ characteristics/ elements or tropes.

The genre of my chosen film is crime/ science fiction/comedy.This is evident in the still below:

Genres can often be further sub dived into more specific genre niches. Sub Genres include things such as a slasher, zombie, hammer, gothic for the horror genre for example.

Barry Kieth Grant - 1995

Suggested that all genres have sub genres. Divided into more specific categorys that allow audiance to identify them specifcally by there genric elements.

 - The possible sub genre of my movie could be zombie thriller as throughout many characters are often seen in a zombie like state with little controll over themselves. However, i feel that this movie is more of a hybrid genre of both crime and science fiction.

Patrick Phillips - (1996)

Suggested genre offers audiacnes 'comfortable reassurance'. Genres fulfil audiance expectations following predictabel patterns, we know what to expect from the text.

The film ive chosen reinforces/ provides familialarity for an audiance as it makes clear use of both an antagonist and protagonist which is synonomus with the crime genre.

Branston and Stafford - (1999)

Genre:

• Help minimise risk and predict ecpenditure, can plan when to release a film
• Are blueprint for success
• Genre conventions also make it easier to market and sell products to audiances

My film was succesfull as in its marketing etc it clearly deinfined the genre with things such as props and location and was also seen to be something new for this genre possibly resulting in intrigue and increased views.

What audiances like about partiular genres other than familiarity, specfic actors (typecast actor- actor plays same genre throughout career, genre offers emotion.

Rick Altman - (1999)Genre offfers pleasures - Emotional pleasures (happy, sad, nostalgic), visceral pleasures (gut responses, excitment, fear etc), intellectual puzzles (makes the audiacne think)/enigma.

The genre of my film offers both emotional pleasures of shock and happyness for example the scene when one of the main characters is seemingly executed would evoke strong emotions within the audiance whilst also viseral pleasures such as fear and excitment are also developed through the use of fast tracking and crane shots throuhgut the action sequences.

David Bordwell - (1989)

'Any theme may appear in any genre' Theme = the ideas, ideologies, concepts, myths, etc. that are encoded into a media text.

I agree with this statement as there are many ideologies which are prevalent in not just a single genre type but are seen in various genres with varying presence. For example in the Kingsman the theme of evil and villans or good vs evil are seen which conforms to the crime genre however antagonists are also frequently scene in other genres such as actions and thrillers.