Revision

1. Genre in Media Products
Genre is simply a way of categorising a text through
style and form.
How many paradigms
can you think of for:
Action
Horror
Thriller
Comedy
LO: To understand and interpret genre theories and apply
them to media products.
Think of semiotics, structure
and themes.

2. Genre in Media Products
LO: To understand and interpret genre theories and apply
them to media products.

3. Descriptive or Functional?
Descriptive
Films are seen as belonging to a category, as being an
example of a type. The film is perceived as sharing
aspects and attributes with other films in the same
category, and is analysed accordingly.
LO: To understand and interpret genre theories and apply
them to media products.

4. Descriptive or Functional?
LO: To understand and interpret genre theories and apply
them to media products.
Functional
Films are perceived as "collective expressions of
contemporary life that strike a particularly resonant
chord with audiences" (Grant, 1986). So, Thrillers
might be about terrorism now, or in the 1960s might be
about the Cold War. Therefore genre films are a
product of their socio-historic context; watching them
becomes a cultural ritual whereby hegemonic values
are examined, and perhaps enforced.

5. Descriptive or Functional?
LO: To understand and interpret genre theories and apply
them to media products.
Functional
Films are perceived as "collective expressions of
contemporary life that strike a particularly resonant
chord with audiences" (Grant, 1986)

6. Genre Issues
Classification by genre is seen as both positive and
negative by audiences, producers and theorists.
On the one hand, rigorous
conformity to established
conventions while giving the
audience what they want,
can actually lead to
stagnation and the eventual
ossification of a genre as a
"they're all the same"
judgement is passed.
LO: To understand and interpret genre theories and apply
them to media products.

7. On the other hand...
There is such a diversity of genre, due to sub-genres:
Whilst we have names
for countless genres in
many media, some
theorists have argued
that there are also many
genres (and sub-genres)
for which we have no
names (Fowler, 1989).
LO: To understand and interpret genre theories and apply
them to media products.
Carolyn Miller
suggests that 'the
number of genres in
any society...
depends on the
complexity and
diversity of society'
(Miller, 1984).

8. Multiple Genres
LO: To understand and interpret genre theories and apply
them to media products.

9. Multiple Genres

Can you think of a
film with multiple
genres?

What does it add?

What does it take
away?
LO: To understand and interpret genre theories and apply
them to media products.

10. Steve Neale
“Genre is a repetition with an
underlying pattern of
variations” (Neale, 2008).
LO: To understand and interpret genre theories and apply
them to media products.
• Translate this theory into your own words.
What does Neale mean?
• Can you give an example by thinking of
patterns of variation?

11. Christine Gledhill
LO: To understand and interpret genre theories and apply
them to media products.
“Genre conventions
standardise production,
catering for different
audiences.” (Gledhill, 1985).
• Does this theory counteract or support
Neale’s?
• What genre conventions have you
deliberately used to engage the
audience and reach the desired
outcome (e.g. an album sale)?

12. Andrew Tudor
LO: To understand and interpret genre theories and apply
them to media products.
“Genre defines a social or
moral world.” (Tudor, 1974).
• What are the moral and social
definitions within your chosen music
genre?
• How have these been expressed
visually and narratively?
• What are the links to audience (uses
and gratifications)?

13. Edward Buscombe
LO: To understand and interpret genre theories and apply
them to media products.
“Genre is signalled by its
iconography” (Buscombe,
1986).
• How does this operate within
your thriller or video?
• How have you set about
choosing iconography that
relates to the genre of music?

14. Auteur
What is an auteur?
LO: To analyse a self made piece of media video by applying
theory where appropriate.

15. Auteur theory
The term auteur (French for author)
is used to describe film directors (or,
more rarely, producers, or writers)
who are considered to have a
distinctive, recognizable style,
because they (a) repeatedly return to
the same subject matter, (b)
habitually address a particular
psychological or moral theme, (c)
employ a recurring visual and
aesthetic style, or (d) demonstrate
any combination of the above. In
theory, an auteur's films are
identifiable regardless of their
genre.
LO: To analyse a self made piece of media video by applying
theory where appropriate.

16. Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris (1968) said you can
define an auteur by:

Technical flair

Recurring characteristics of style,
which serve as the filmmaker’s
signature.

Conveys the filmmaker’s personal
vision of the world (what Sarris calls
‘interior meaning’).
LO: To analyse a self made piece of media video by applying
theory where appropriate.
How could you use this
in your exam?

17. Homework Task
Q: How is genre addressed in your music video?
[25]. Due Tuesday 3rd
May (blog or handwritten).
Try to limit writing time to 30 minutes.
Descriptive
Functional
Neale (Repetition, underlying
patterns)
Tudor (moral and social context)
Buscombe (iconography)
Link to genre ideas of Goodwin and
Vernallis
Remember!
How has the
genre been
challenged?
How has it been
developed?
How do theories
link or oppose?
LO: To analyse a self made piece of media video by applying
theory where appropriate.