Genres are ways of categorizing and organizing different types of texts to simplify the mass of available information for both audiences and producers. They create order and appeal to our need to organize chaos. Genres are categories based on common textual elements that attempt to structure some order into the wide range of circulating cultural texts. All genres have sub-genres that divide them into more specific categories, and texts can also evidence hybridity by combining elements of two or more genres. Hybridity and sub-genres allow audiences to identify texts through their familiar and recognizable genre characteristics.

1. Theories of Genre 1

2. Define: genre
The word “genre” is borrowed from French and
derived from Latin and Greek – in all three
its basic meaning is
kind, sort, class

3. Daniel
Chandler
(2001)
• explains how in literary and media theory genre is
widely used to refer to
“a distinctive type of ‘text’ ”
• According to Chandler, genres create order
to simplify the mass of available information.
• Creating categories appeals to our need to
organise the chaos around us.

4. John Fiske
(1989)
agrees that genre is
a way of categorising texts.
Texts are divided into categories
based on common elements.
He states that
“Genre attempts to structure some order
into the wide range of texts and
meanings that circulate in our culture
for the convenience of both audience
and producers.”

5. Hybridity & Sub-Genres
• All genres have sub-genres (genres within
a genre).
• Texts often provide evidence of hybridity,
where they splice together two or more
genres.
• Both of these mean that genres are divided up
into more specific categories.

6. Barry
Keith
Grant
(1995)
• suggests that hybridity and sub-genres
allow audiences to identify them
specifically by their familiar and…
recognisable characteristics
(the repertoire of the genre or genres or sub-genre)
• The repertoire of characteristics works like a
short-hand communication with the audience

7. Task 1.
Research as a group the forms and conventions of your
music video genre and note them down in a group prezi.
Some good places to start:
http://www.teacherweb.com/ON/StCharlesCollege/Dao
ust/Deconstructing-Music-Videos-Codes-and-
Conventions.pdf
http://heathenmedia.co.uk/rock/2011/10/20/music-
genre-codes-and-conventions/

8. Task 2.
Spend 10 minutes highlighting how you’ve incorporated
your genre’s / sub-genre’s / hybrid genre’s repertoire(s)
into your music video. Add this to your group prezi.
Be specific – aspects of mise-en-scene, stylistic camera work,
narrative themes, editing techniques etc.
Grade Boost(s):
•Outline anywhere you’ve challenged conventions in a code.
•If you’ve created a hybrid genre, outline how you’ve interwoven
the two repertoires to provide the viewer with familiar pleasures.

9. Task 3.
Now write 2 paragraphs:
• What is genre? (refer to Chandler, Fiske & Grant)
• How does your work fit into a genre, sub-genre
or hybrid genre?
• Share your two paragraphs with the person sitting next to you.
• Take one thing from your partner’s paragraphs that you could
incorporate into your work (language, idea, structure etc.).

10. Really, you’ve just written
the intro to a question on genre!