Genre

Genre is a type or category of film. It is a way of classifying a film to help us to identify it so we can.

·         Thriller: Taken

·         Horror: Insidious

·         Science fiction: Star Wars

·         Romantic Comedy: What happens in Vegas

·         Comedy: Austin Powers

·         Romance: Romeo and Juliet

·         Musicals: Grease

·         Adventure: Indiana Jones

·         Animation: Toy story

·         Fantasy: Lord of the Rings

·         Action: Bourne Supremacy

                                                                                      

Three Types of Genre

Major Genre

A dominant, important category, it should be obvious and easy to define.

Subgenre

A minor category or subdivision that is closely related to its major genre by being a specific type in its own right, e.g. James Bond films

Hybrid genre or generic hybrid

Combinations of major genres that sometimes create another type of film e.g. horror/western.

How we use Genre

·         Particular audiences like certain genres

·         They help us to analyse films and see how they have been marketed and constructed

·         It gives the film an identity

·         It will attract a mainstream audience

·         To Sell the film

·         To inform the audience of the types of characters or storyline of the film

·         To give audience what they expect

·         We can track films historical progression through the genres

How we recognise genres

We identify genre by looking at:

·         Generic codes and conventions, these are signifies that have been established through time and should be recognised in the mese- en- scene, the characters and the storyline.

·         Signifiers are the physical aspects that we see or hear in a film, such as the clothes or props. We interpret these signifiers to create meanings.

GENRE	WESTERN	GANGSTER	SCI-FI	HORROR	THRILLER
WHAT WE SEE	Horses Guns Saloon Tumble Weed	Drugs Guns Bars Italian restaurant’s Casino	Lasers Space Robots Technology	Blood Weapons Ghosts Vampires	Weapons Drugs
WHAT WE HEAR	Gun shots Wind Horses running	Gun shots Swearing Revving engines/fast cars	Laser firing Robotic speech Mechanical noises Doors opening Hissing of gas	Screams Gun shots Odd noises Doors slamming Knocking on doors	Gun fights Screams explosions
TYPICAL CHARACTERS	Sherriff Cowboy Mexicans Native Americans	Drug Dealer Police man Gangsters	Robots Aliens Monsters	Female victim Non – Believer Hero Evil character Hysterical character	Gangsters Assassin Escaped convicts “bad guy” Female victim hero
TYPICAL STORYLINE	Something has gone wrong or someone has done something wrong and it is up to the law to sort it, usually through a lot of fighting.	Drugs cause issues and there are fights between gangs. Issues with owing money and theft etc.	An Alien attack, so a fight between planets or a fight on earth that means the “good guys” will have to save the world.	That there is something super natural happening in the house. That there is a killer on the loose and they are after somebody.	The main plotline focuses on a mystery that needs to be solved, but the “bad guy” gets in the way. Usually about drugs, revenge or money.
THEMES MORALS IDEAS	Revenge Gun fights	Drugs Crime Revenge Breaking the law	Saving the World	Serial killer Stalker Haunted house revenge	Mission to complete something Drugs Money revenge
EXAMPLES	Django The Searchers Unforgiving Magnificent seven	The Godfather Casino American Gangster Lawless	Alien Blade runner Star Trek Planet of the Apes	Psycho The Exorcist Saw The shining	Psycho Seven The silence of the lambs Taken