Different genre theorists and their ideas.

1. Emma Mc Conologue
Genre Theory
What is Genre?
The word ‘Genre’means‘type’or ‘category’. To studya filmsasa genre involvestreatingit,notas a
unique entity,butasa memberof a general category,asa certaintype of film.The aimis therefore
to classify,ororganise,alarge numberof filmsintoasmall numberof groups.
Buckingham:
Traditionally,genres(particularlyliterarygenres) tendedtobe regardedasfixedforms,but
contemporarytheoryemphasisesthatboththeirformsandfunctionsare dynamic.
DavidBuckinghamargues that ‘genre is not… simply ‘given’bythe culture: rather, it isin a constant
process ofnegotiationand change.’
Changedingenre reflectchangesinsocietyandourvalues.
Altman(1999):
Rick Altmanisa filmtheoristwhoarguesthat“there isno such thing as “pure” genre anymore.
Genre isprogressive,inthat it will always change.”
He saysthat genericconventionsare verymucha thingof the past.His theorysuggeststhat
audiences,ingeneralhave become tiredof the same formulaandneedmore tokeepthem
entertainedandtocreate appeal.
He saysthat genre issurvivingdue to “Hybridisation– or genres“borrowing” conventionsfrom one
another and thus beingmuch more difficultto categorise.” Forexample:RomanticComedies,
ActionSci-Fi films,ActionAdventure filmsetc.