Genre is an important way to categorize films based on similarities. It helps the film industry with marketing by identifying audience interest in particular genres. It also helps audiences understand what to expect from a film based on its genre. Each genre has common conventions - for example, horror films often feature dark settings, old houses, death, blood, and screaming. Romance films commonly include flowers, love letters, and upbeat music. Proper classification of films by genre benefits both the industry and viewers.

1. THE IMPORTANCE OF GENRE &
CLASSIFICATION
By Taylor Cockley

2. WHY IS GENRE IMPORTANT
Genre is a way of categorizing something due to similarities between them.
For example: Horror, comedy, romance, western etc.
• Genre is important in the film industry as it makes it easy to categorize films.
• It helps makes marketing of the film easier as they would know whether there
is a gap in the market for the specific genre.
• It is important for the audience as they will have an idea of what to expect
with specific genres.

3. CONVENTIONS
• Each genre will have specific convention
Horror conventions
• Dark
• Old house
• Death
• Blood
• Screaming
• Dolls
• Clowns
Romance conventions
• Flowers
• Couples
• Love letters
• Bright light
• Up beat music
Action convention
• Car chase
• Running
• Fast cars
• Crime
• guns
Western conventions
• Horses
• Guns
• Cowboys
• Saloon
• Dry land

4. • May contain strong language (e.g.***), but it must be infrequent
• Sex may be briefly and discreetly portrayed
• There may be moderate language (e.g. uses of terms such as
‘bitch’ and ‘twat’)
• Moderate violence
• Use of weapons that are not easily accessible
• Dangerous behavior may be present (e.g. hanging, suicide and
self-harming)

5. •
No theme prohibited
•
strong violence
•
frequent strong language (eg 'f***').
•
Occasionally there may be uses of the strongest terms (eg 'c***')
•
portrayals of sexual activity
•
strong verbal references to sex
•
sexual nudity
•
brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
•
discriminatory language or behavior
•
drug taking

6. •
very strong violence
•
frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***') and/or very strong language (e.g. ‘c***’)
•
strong portrayals of sexual activity
•
scenes of sexual violence
•
strong horror
•
strong blood and gore
•
real sex (in some circumstances)
•
discriminatory language and behavior
•
may cover difficult and strong subjects and themes