This document discusses genre theory and definitions of genre in media texts. It provides summaries of perspectives on genre from theorists Daniel Chandler, Steve Neale, and David Bordwell. Chandler views genres as conventions of content and form shared between texts. Neale sees genres as instances of repetition and difference that shape audience expectations. Bordwell argues that genres cannot be definitively distinguished by fixed conditions and that themes may appear across genres.

1. GENRE.

2. • A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized
by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.
• Genre does not rely on what‟s in a media text but also on the way its
constructed.
• A media text always belongs to a genre, as it adheres to the codes and
conventions of other texts in that genre and lives up to the same
expectations.
WHAT IS GENRE?

3. Content
Are the characters wearing this kind of hat? Then it's probably a Western.
E.g. Westerns always have cowboys, whether they are set in the present day or the
1840s. Audiences have a set of expectations as to what a genre text will contain in
terms of transportation, costume, character, setting, mise en scene, soundtrack,
stars etc, and they look forward to seeing genre-specific examples of content when
they experience the text.
Style
E.g. women's magazines always present an attractive model on the front cover.
Media texts follow sets of conventions in the way that they are constructed. You
see a contents page in a magazine before any feature articles. In movies, a
romantic comedy always ends with a wedding. Often content and style are closely
interlinked.
HOW DO YOU TELL WHICH GENRE
SOMETHING BELONGS TO?

4. No — genres are described as dynamic, i.e. the boundaries are constantly
changing. Individual texts can challenge conventions, and defy certain parts of
the usual genre categorisation — for instance, recent movies such as
Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked Up (all from the same
producer, Judd Apatow) have redefined the romantic comedy genre, making
the humour cruder, and telling stories from a male character's, rather than a
female's perspective. Genre texts would get very boring and predictable if they
all followed exactly the same conventions — no audiences would want to
consume new ones, they would just keep on revisiting old favourites.
DOES BELONGING TO A GENRE MEAN
THAT A TEXT HAS TO BE EXACTLY THE
SAME AS OTHER TEXTS WITHIN THAT
GENRE?

5. Producers of media texts?
• Gives a pattern for construction, a template
• Genre pieces have an established audience who are easy to market to
• Certain personnel can develop their skills working within a particular genre (e.g. horror make up
specialists)
• Stars can associate themselves with a particular genre e.g. Will Ferrell is known for a certain type of
slapstick comedy, and his face on a poster instantly tells audiences what kind of movie they are likely to
see if he is in it.
• Fans of a genre know the codes, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel all the time
Distributors?
• Clear channels for marketing and distribution — easily targetable audience
• Concentration of distribution resources — no point in trying to get eg football matches to a non-sports
audience
• Fans of a genre as a whole can easily be persuaded to buy other texts in the same genre eg dance music
compilation CDs
• Provides a structure for retail outlets
WHY IS GENRE IMPORTANT FOR ...

6. Daniel Chandler-
 Chandler suggests that conventional definitions of genres tend to be based
on the notion that they constitute particular conventions of content
(themes or settings) and/or form (structure and style) which are shared by
the texts which are regarded as belonging to them.
 Chandler also states that other pleasures can be derived from sharing our
experience of a genre with others within an „interpretive community‟
which can characterized by its familiarity with certain genres.
GENRE THEORY

7. Steve Neale-
 Neale suggests that „genres are instances of repetition and difference‟ and
„difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre‟
 In 1990 Neale also states that genre is constituted by “specific systems of
expectations and hypothesis which spectators bring with them to the
cinema and interact with the films themselves during the course of the
viewing process.”
 He also argues that Hollywood‟s generic regime performs two inter-related
functions:
1.To guarantee meanings and pleasures for audiences
2.To offset the considerable economic risks of industrial film production by
providing cognitive collateral against innovation and difference.
GENRE THEORY

8. David Bordwell-
In 1989 Bordwell states that „any theme may appear in any genre‟ and „one
could… argue that no set of necessary and sufficient conditions can mark off
genres from other sorts of groupings in ways that all experts or ordinary film-
goers would find acceptable.
GENRE THEORY