2. A genre is the way to determine the Genre refers to the method of film
different types of music or film. categorisation based on similarities in
the narrative elements from which
Music:- Film:- films are constructed. The
-Pop -Horror conventions that make up genre
-R&B -Comedy change over.
-Rap -Rom Com Conventions:- Common elements
-Indie -Action that reappear in films of similar type
-Rock -Adventure
-Classical -Musicals
What is G enre?
-House -War
-Opera -Western
-Jazz -Crime
A style of expressing yourself in
-Hip-Hop -Animation writing
-Country - Sci-Fi
A genre is a loose set of
A kind of literary or artistic work criteria for a category of
composition.
3. Genre Theorists
• Genre theory or genre studies got underway with the Greeks. The Greeks felt
that the type of person an author was would be directly responsible for the
type of poetry they wrote. The Greeks also believed that certain metrical
forms were suited only to certain genres.
• Christian Metz is a French film theorist and in 1975 he argued that genres go
through a typical cycle of changes during there life time.
• Genre is a marking tool developed to sell more things. Genre is a natural
outcropping of human being’s desire to categorise and understand their
environment. When faced with a plethora of entertainment choices it would
be almost impossible to pick what you wanted to watch without genre. The
actual genre becomes a type of short-hand communication tool, so we don’t
have to explain the whole plot of the film etc.
• The real issue is negative connotations surrounding specific genres, where
people will instantly dismiss a show/film because it falls under that particular
label (genre); However genre on the other hand is a good thing as it helps the
developers and producers to market towards that specific genre which they
will know exactly what that target audience is looking for and how to target
that genre successfully.
4. Genre Theorists
• Jeanne Hall, a film theorist, agrees with the use of horror films
in easing the process of understanding issues by making use of
their optical elements. The use of horror films to help
audiences understand international prior historical events
occurs, for example, to show the horridness of the Vietnam
war, the Holocaust and the worldwide AIDS epidemic.
However, horror movies do not always present positive
endings. In fact, in many occurrences the manipulation of
horror presents cultural definitions that are not accurate, yet
set an example to which a person relates to that specific
cultural from then on in their life The visual interpretations of a
films can be lost in the translation of their elements from one
culture to another like in the adaptation of the Japanese film
Ringu into the American film The Ring. This deterioration that
can occur in an international remake happens by over-
presenting negative cultural assumptions that, as time passes,
sets a common ideal about that particular culture in each
individual.
6. This is the ‘Horror’ Film Genre
We can take note that all of
these images are dark, cold
colours, a lot have used the
colour red which resembles
blood.
7. With the ‘romantic’ film genre it
is very stereotypical, the
majority of the images are
either, kissing, hugging, or lying
close to a person. The colour
red in this genre represents
love, there is a subtle use of
colour which catches the eye.
8. The film genre ‘Comedy’ often
uses a variety of colours and
none of the front covers look
repetitive as it can relate to so
many different stories and
scenarios. The colours are
vibrant which catch the eye.
9. Generic Conventions
Film and Teaser
Camera techniques, angles, shots High and low angles to denote power/lack
of power.
Extreme close up of facial features to show
emotions (fear, anger etc)
Panning of rooms
Slow camera movements to increase
suspense
Some quick camera movements
Editing Fast cuts to increase tension
Sound Non-Diegetic Sounds; heavy breathing,
screaming, scratching, weaponry noises.
Diegetic Sounds foreboding music, low,
creepy.
Lighting Dark lighting used to build tension, Dark
shadows, hiding parts of the ‘Bad Guy’
making him secretive.
