Genre Theory covering the main aspects.

1. Genre Theory

2. Jason Mittell (2001)
Mittell argues that genres are cultural categories
that surpass the boundaries of media texts and
operate within industry, audience and cultural
practices as well.
He states that industries use genre to sell a
product to specific audiences. They do this by
produces text that uses familiar codes and
conventions that very often make cultural
references and are relevant to todays society and
the audiences ideologies.
Genre allows specific audiences to make choices
on what media texts they consume this is in order
to fulfil a particular pleasure, for example if
someone wanted to laugh they would watch a
comedy film etc.

3. Daniel Chandler (2001)
Chandler states that the word genre comes from the French word for ‘kind’
or ‘class’. This term is widely used in rhetoric, literary theory, media theory
to refer to a distinctive type of text.
Chandler also states that all genes that are established have sub genres and
genres can be meshed together.
This means that they are divided up into more specfic categories, this is so an
audience can identify them due to their specific characteristics and they
become familiar with the conventions of that genre.

4. Steve Neale (1995)
Neale disagrees with what Chandler states and stresses that “genres are not
‘systems’ they are processes of systematization” this means that genres
evolve and change over time depending on the ideologies of a mass audience
at that time. An example of this is Nosferatu (1922) and the horror genre in
general. Nosferatu (1922) was the first appearance of Dracula in film and he
was considered the villain of the film however over time genre has changed
as seen by Interview with the Vampire (1994) as the vampire is seen at the
protagonist in the film and the ‘good’ guy.

5. Rick Altman (1999)
Altman argues that genre offers audiences ‘a set of pleasures’ these pleasure
are:
Emotional Pleasures
These pleasures generate a strong audience response as the producer
intended.
Visceral Pleasures
These pleasures are physical reactions for example a ‘gut’ response to a
media text. This can be a feeling of revulsion and kinetic speed.
Intellectual Puzzles
Some media texts offer the pleasure of solving mysteries or a puzzle.
Pleasure is from solving the plot and being surprised by the unexpected.