Genre Theory

2.  “Patterns/styles/structures which transcend
individual film, and which supervise both
their construction by the film-maker and
their reading by and audience.”
 Ryall says that genre provides a framework
of structuring rules which allow film makers
to follow and for the audience when
watching the film. This means they can
follow conventions f certain genres which
put them into a genre and for the audience
to know and see what genre film they are
watching.

3.  “Genres are instances of repetition and differences.
Difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre”.
Meaning that is there was only repetition there would be no
difference and therefore the film wouldn’t attract an
audience.
 He also argues that pleasure is derived from “repetition and
difference”, as without difference there would be no
pleasure.
 We change our views of pleasure through different forms,
one of which is how the conventions of genre can be
manipulated which comes from Abercrombie, 1996,
agreeing with Neal. Another is gaining pleasure by the
stretching of genre so it branches off in different directions
to alter our expectations of the genre.
 “Repetition and difference” is all about how to gain
attraction to the film by the audience and doing this by
recognising the familiar elements of the genre but having
them in an unfamiliar fashion and also by introducing other
unfamiliar elements to the production.

4.  “Specific systems of expectations and
hypothesis which spectators bring with them to
the cinema and which interact with the films
themselves during the course of the viewing
process”
 Neal argues that Hollywood’s generic regime
gives off two inter-related functions. The first
being to guarantee meanings and pleasure for
audiences, and the second being to balance
the risks of industrial film production by ensuring
the film corresponds with conventions of the
genre against innovation and difference to
make people want to go see it.

5.  Culler states that generic conventions exist
to establish a contract between deviation
from the accepted modes of intelligibility.
Acts of communication are rendered
intelligible only within the context of a
shared conventional framework of
expression.
 So the creator has expectations of what the
viewer will already know prior to watching
the film so the viewer has to have a level of
intelligence within the shared conventions
used within a film.

6.  “Conventional definitions of genres tend to be based on
the notion that they constitute particular conventions of
content (such as themes or settings) and/or form
(including structure and style) which are shared by the
texts which are regarded as belonging to them”
 he also states that other pleasures can be derived from
sharing our experience of a genre with others within an
‘interpretive community’ which can be characterised by
its familiarity with certain genres.
 According to Chandler, every text positions those who
participate in a text of that kind, in this case as a viewer
and as a storyteller, which gives different possibilities within
response and action. Kress, 19988, agrees with Chandler
and explains that each written text provides a ‘reading
position’ for readers, a position constructed by the writer
for the ‘ideal reader’ of the text.

7.  “Attempts to structure some order into the
wide range of texts and meanings that
circulate in our culture for the convention of
both producers and audiences”
 This means that the reasoning for genres and
their conventions is for classification for
audience to know what type of films they like
to watch and understand how certain genres
in film are made and can pick up and follow
these conventions. For the produces this is
easier as they have codes and conventions to
follow and they are able to produce
something within a genre classification.

8.  Altman argues that genres are usually
defined in terms of media language and
codes or certain ideologies and narratives.
 Media language is the semantic elements
(the meaning of the words used), whereas
the ideologies and narratives are the
syntactic elements, (the structure). The
codes come in the form of conventions for
that genre in mise-en-scene with props and
dress code rather than other aspects of film
making like the cinematography and so on.

9.  Research into ‘uses and gratifications’ has identified
numerous potential pleasures of genre including the
following:
 One may simply be recognition with the genre. For
audiences to recognise and identify key features of
the genre is good as they can follow the storyline with
expectations and this make the film more enjoyable
for them.
 Genres also offer empathy and escapism, it gives the
audience a diversion from everyday life and also put
them in the perspectives of the characters in the film
and so they can connect with the storyline and the
other characters creating empathy.
 We also gain pleasure through repetition and
difference, knowing the conventions and features of
a genre and having certain expectation which will
then be defied and therefore make the audience
want to know more and watch more to find out what
happens next.