This document defines genre as the method films are constructed and edited to appeal to certain audience characteristics. It provides examples of common genres like action, comedy, and horror. Genre creates familiarity for audiences and helps producers and institutions market films. The document discusses genre hybrids that combine elements of different genres, as well as sub-genres that originate from main genres. While genres have typical conventions, they also evolve over time to keep audiences interested.

1. INTRODUCING
GENRE

2. What Is Genre?
Genre refers to the method based on similarities in the
narrative elements from which films are constructed and
edited in order to appeal to certain characteristics of a
particular type such as action, horror or sci-fi to name but
a few and furthermore involve a recurring theme that
tends to change over time with society and audiences
demands. Included within genre can be the setting of
where something is shot, the theme which deals with the
main idea of the text and format in the way the film may
have been shot, which all relates to the genre itself.
There is no general type of film and usually all tend differ
and are therefore classified into different genres to make
viewing easier depending on interests and preferences.

3. Film Genre Examples
Action – The Expendables
Comedy – The Hangover
Horror – Halloween
Thriller – Shutter Island
Science Fiction – Star Trek
Romance – 500 Days Of Summer
Crime, Documentary, Drama, Anima
tion, Musical, Western, Sports, Bolly
wood, War, Biopics…

4. Why is Genre Important to
Audiences?
Genre creates familiarity amongst audiences so that they know
what type of film they like to watch and what to expect from a
certain film genre. Audiences are the main influence on genre
in terms of how they’re created and distributed in order to make
them appealing upon their release at multiplexes as well disc
and digital formats. By including typical key conventions within
a film that are linked to a genre, a film will become more
appealing to an audience as well being more easier to
recognise which will ultimately mean they will end up watching
it. If a film was not to have any clear genre to it, it’s likely that
few people will even watch the film in the first place.

5. Uses and Gratifications:
Audience Pleasures
Recognising iconographies and conventions due to
recurring familiarity
Emotional and physical pleasures in response to
certain film genres
Character judging and relation
A sense of community when watching and enjoying
films with others
Shifting expectations via manipulated genres
Predictions and expectations being met

6. Why is Genre Important to
Producers and Institutions?
Genre is key to producers so that they are aware from the
start of creating a film, they’ll have to follow typical
conventions so that the film doesn’t lose its focus. This is
also the same so that institutions can pick the correct
elements that make up a film such as actors and
actresses, props, setting and most importantly, the storyline
and script itself. Additionally, when promoting a film in terms
of a trailer and any other form of advertising campaign, it
needs to be made clear by the institution what the film genre
is but to also make sure no story line is essentially given
away. Genre all helps mainly institutions but audiences as
well, so that supply and demand can be more effective in
attracting more viewers.

7. Genre Hybrids
A hybrid genre involves the combination of two or more conflicting film genres into
one film, in order to create a new type of narrative that keeps both the audiences
interested as well as creating fresh ideas. Hybrids have became more popular due
to the demand from audiences for new and fresh ideas from audiences and so far in
most cases have proven to be a great success. Institutions are able to manipulate
the typical conventions audiences would usually become passive to and then create
new hybrids. Examples include…
1. Twilight – Fantasy/Romance
2. Shaun Of The Dead – Comedy/Horror
3. Cowboys V.S Aliens – Western/Science Fiction
4. Pirates Of The Caribbean – Action/Fantasy
+ A new breed of film type has been created
+ Audiences react well to the combination
- Opposing genres doesn’t always create a good narrative
- Institutions use hybrids as a way of churning out ideas

8. Sub-Genres
Sun-Genres are categories of films which originate from a main
key film genre such as Horror, Comedy or Action. They use
conventions from a mixture of genres so they cant be branded
as one in particular.
Comedy/Action/ Adventure - Road Films
Romance/ Dramas/ Comedy - Chick Flicks
Horror/ Comedy/ Science Fiction - Supernatural
Action/ Fantasy - Superheroes
Drama - Biopics
Science Fiction/ Horror - Fantasy

9. Are Genres Fixed?
In terms on typical conventions and iconographies, any type of genre
will find it self to have some key aspects that will help institutions
make a particular film follow the correct narrative style that appeals to
fans of the movie type, an example being perhaps monsters and
jumpy moments that are associated with horror films. However, genre
of any type has to adapt with the times in terms of society and
personal values, whilst in addition styles of filmmaking become more
or less popular, as well as technology changing and becoming
advanced to create a much more realistic and believable experience.
To again use the horror example, aspects of the genre such as blood
and gore have fallen more out of favour for a psychological and
supernatural style in recent times as demands for fresh ideas
rises, which as previously mentioned has resulted in genres being
mashed together in order to create hybrids which in itself shows that
genre aspects aren’t fixed to a single type of film. Genres have to
change so that there isn’t a constant repetition of narrative which in
turn would not attract an audience. Some genres can rely on the usual
passive key features however most such as horror differ based upon
shared cultural values as opposed to a fixed guideline of features.

10. Bibliography
Genre Definition - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_genre
Genre Information - http://voices.yahoo.com/what-genre-
used-film-16152.html
Film Genres -
http://www.theguardian.com/film/list/filmgenres
Hybrid Genre - http://uk.ask.com/question/what-is-a-hybrid-
genre-in-films
Sub-Genres - http://www.filmsite.org/subgenres.html
Genre Theory - http://www.slideshare.net/SEW24/my-
genre-theory-presentation