This document discusses genre theory and its application to film analysis. It provides examples of different film genres like action, horror, musical, and science fiction. It explains that genres are defined by common narrative elements, visual styles, technical elements, character archetypes, and settings that are repeated across multiple films. The document also discusses auteur theory and provides examples of director's like Tim Burton, James Cameron, and Martin Scorsese who demonstrate distinctive styles and themes in their films, establishing them as auteur directors. Specific films like Mean Girls, Leon, and Napoleon Dynamite are analyzed in terms of their genres and the directorial styles that classify them.

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Genre Theory
Genre is a French word meaning ‘type’ and film genres have existed since the early
days of cinema. However, while the use of genre has a long history in film, it has a far
longer general history which dates back to Ancient Greece, at which time Aristotle
categorised theatre plays by type. Nowadays most cultural production, be it television,
magazines, music, painting or literature, ends up being assigned to one genre or another.
In all cases what makes a genre possible is the existence of common elements or
conventions across a range of productions. In other words, it is the identification of
repetition across a series of productions that results in them being described as a
particular type.
Leon isa crime thrillerfrom 1994 and is basedin NewYork city and it is about a
professional hitmanwho has beengivenan assignmentto finda man that has been
wanted for quite some time and takes a twelve-year-oldMathildaafterher familyhas
beenmurderedby a corrupt drug administration agent Norman Stansfield.
We analyse filmsbecause we want to get informationout of them
Movie:Mean Girls
Genre:teencomedy
Director: Mark Walters
Year of Production:2004
Character
that are in thisfilmare similarto ones
that are in Americanpie and the way that

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Steve Neale talks about repetitionis
appliedto Mean Girls
Narrative
in this filmit isa style of narrative which
this meansthat it has beginningmiddle
and end (exposition) isconventional
which meansthat there are loads of
things alreadyin it already
(In sightingincident) where there isan
insightto what goeson with the different
characters in thisfilmand the incidents
that accrues.
(risingaction) iswhat the differenttypes
of actions that happen withinthe film
and can be seenin Mean Girlsafter
wintertalent show it comesmore
apparent that the girl from Africa is
becomingmore popular and also the
teachers take overfrom when there was
a fightin the school.There was a part
where there was one of the formal plastic
got run overby a bus and as a media
analysis thought she was dead and then
the Lindsay Lohan character made a
speak and got crowned prom queenand
give a peace of the crown to everyone
and then everyone makesfriendsand
there is a happy endingand the
denouementisthat as a media analysisis
that there is an internal monologue from
cady and there is flashback sequences
and a Dream
Setting(mise enscene)
is a high school settingwith the scene
beeninglike a real life everydayput into
Mean Girlswhichis like what Steve
Neal’srepetitionofbeingsimilarto what
we do but basedin America and the mall
and a house party and there isa prom.

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Iconography is where there are certain things that
wouldbe shown in MeanGirlswhich
makes it seemmore applicable to what
this filmis all about.
Style:Camera/editing/sound/SFX there’sa split screenin parts of Mean
Girlsand with the phone calls showing
the editingtechnique beeningusedinthis
film.
Mean Girls
This filmhas a linearnarrative and conventional that is basedon an Americanbased
teencomedy from 2004 and directedby Mark Waltersand this filmshowsa Lindsay
Lohan character who has started herfirst day at school and was previouslyhome
schooledand is an outsiderand is newto the school and meetsall kindsof different
people like these girlswho befriendherand take her to the mall and there house where
this girl meetstheir parents and there’sa lot expositioninthisfilmwhere we can
establishwhat certain characters are like what certain settingsare like and the different
themesthat are withinthe filmand an incitingincidentwhich accrues withinthe film
which is where certain eventswhichdefinesthe subsequentnarrative and rising action
which tellsthe story ofthe main parts of the filmand withthe climax there might be
some sort of twistthat may accrues withinMean Girlsand the denouementofthe Mean
Girlsis a French term definingthe differentstylesandcamera shots that are shown
withinthe filmthat isbeeningusedand can be used to make Mean Girlswhat it is and
the productionof the filmwhich makesit more unique to the how well the filmingof
the MeanGirlshas to offerin terms ofthe style of the characters. Mean girls is

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Genre Example of film Genre Example of film
Comedy
Adventure
Some like it hot
Annie hill
Blazing saddles
The 40-year-old virgin
Hollywood adventures
Action
Fantasy
The Bourne ultimatum
Hard boiled
Aliens
Dead pool
Labyrinth

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Science fiction
The jungle book
The huntsman: winters war
Star trek beyond
Blade runner
Metropolis
Alien
District 9
e.t. the extra terrestrial
Romantic comedy
The dark crystal
The princess bride
Batman v superman:
Dawn of justice
50 first dates
Bridget jones diary
pretty women
Notting hill
ACTIVITY 2: Identify the genre of the films shown below. Is there anything on the poster
that helps you decide?

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Expendables2is an action/ adventure film
whichhas guns,explosions,cars,andmen
that have beeninmilitaryoutfits,andfit
menthat workout and the fontshowsthat
there hasflames
Goodfellas
Is a gangsterfilmthathas cars and
people dressedinsuitsandhave
loadsof money
House at the endstreetis a horror
/thrillergenre film thathasa life and
deathfeel andcolourisdarky deathy
type of settingwithanold style house
Savingprivate ryanisa war / action
filmthathas militarystyle people
and issetaround the worldwar and
colouris greyand dark colours

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Genre Characteristics
If we take several films from a particular genre we would expect to see similarities in a
number of different areas. We can call these genre conventions. Nick Lacey called
these a ‘repertoire of elements’. These are built upon audience expectations about:
 Action/adventure
 Crime
 comedy
 drama
 thriller
 epics
 Horror
 musical
 science fiction
 war
 western
Django unchained is a western style film
which has a style of cowboys and maidens,
also the colour and you would expect guns
and horses
The fault in our stars is a drama style
film that has a feel that maybe
someone is battling with some sort of
condition and has a feel the way that
the title is set out that maybe it is a
high school type of film

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Leon: Action/thriller

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Genre Expectations
Gangster  Visual imagery/iconography - the visual image that people would see in
in gangster films are the ways that there are certain styles of which is
Italian and have New York style and twist to it
 Style (technical/audio codes)- the style of a gangster film is the type of
suits and hats and beening rich
 Character/ Stars - the characters that are in a film like this are gangster
and business men
 Setting- the scenes re usually a New York scene
 Narrative development- the narrative development of this fil
Horror  Visual imagery/iconography- horror films usually have a haunted house
and dolls inside and quiet spooky scenes
 Style (technical/audio codes)- the style of the horror films are scary and
haunted
 Character/ Stars- hunky, fit, weird, crazy, spooky
 Setting- haunted house /mansion
 Narrative development – move from one scene to another and is very
scary throughout
Musical  Visual imagery/iconography- dancing, colourful, singing
 Style (technical/audio codes)- happy, cheerful, creative
 Character/ Stars- lively, bubbly, strict
 Setting- stages, schools,
 Narrative development- goes into one song to another
Science fiction  Visual imagery/iconography- spacey, time morphing
 Style (technical/audio codes)- out of this world ,
 Character/ Stars - aliens, monsters, time travellers
 Setting – time machines, spaceships
 Narrative development- travelling from place to another
Action
 Visual imagery/iconography – big scenes like military style places
 Style(technical/audio codes)- tough men , damsel in distress ,

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 Character/ Stars – heroic men, sexy sidekick
 Setting- explosions, mountains , bases
 Narrative development- the type of narrative that would be for action is
a very quick scene and fast paced edit
Western
 Visual imagery/iconography
 Style (technical/audio codes)
 Character/ Stars
 Setting
 Narrative development
Genre theoryis based on narrativethat is a constitute particular convents
which is basically the setting and themes and or which it can include
structureand style which is set by texts which are regarded as belonging
to them.
This can be related to films such as Leon and spectre which Daniel
chandlersaid aboutthe differenttypes of style of genre and the excellence

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Central intelligence The conjuring 2 independence day:resurgence
Independence day: resurgence is a science fiction and fantasy film and is directed by
Roland emetic and was released in cinemas in the summer of 2016 in south Korea and is
part of the independence day film series and had a budget of 165 million dollars and had a
box office price of 383 million dollars and is rated 12A and the critics review was this that
it breaks far less ground than its alien invaders, and the director is as modern cinemas
most spirited conductor of popcorn chaos.
Central intelligence is a crime action/thrillerstarring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin hart and
is directed by Rawson marshal Thurber and was released in cinemas in the summer of
2016 in Germany and has had over 50 million dollars as of the budget and 2.216 million
dollars as of the box office is 12A with critics reviewing that Kevin hart and Dwayne
Johnson opposites attract dynamicand a high gag rate paper overthe potholes and has
some comedy moments within the film.
The conjuring 2 is a horror filmthat is basedon the first the conjuring and it
is based on a film like resident evilandmakes reference toquite abit of
other films that have a similar style of element toit like

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Napoleon dynamite is a film that is similar to Mean Girls because
they are both set in a high school but is more about napoleon being
smart and the fact that he wants to be a dancer and wants to enter a
dance competition and win it and in Mean Girls there is a
competition but the main character Casey doesn’t matter about the
competition of prom king and queen.
In James bond there is different to Leon because with James bond
there are always a female victim and sometimes they are the baddy
and in Leon there isn’t a female victim but a girl who is under aged
and has a sexual attraction to Leon and there are similar parts with

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both film characters have weaponry and there are always explosions
and a brief that both James bond and Leon get so they can go and
achieve it but as always there are obstacles in the way for both
characters.
Auteur is a film director who in which influences their films so much that they rank as
their author and is a creator of his or hers work with the storylines that they come up
with.
The principal creator of a film:
Tarantino is a principal of a creator of films because the way that he has his
own style is something to take into consideration and the fact that wolf of wall
street is an example of one of his remarkable films that has been made around
gangs and in New York city
A filmmaker who demonstrates a particular style: Tim Burton
Burton has a particular style of film making in the way that he makes his films and uses
Johnny Depp in most of his films and has a style of gothic genres like in Edward
scissor hands
A filmmaker who demonstrates innovation: James Cameron

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Cameron uses a style in his films like avatar and there are a certain types of way
that only he can
A filmmaker who values artistic merit over commercial success: Luc Besson
The style of luc besson which in the film Leon the professional and he uses this
film to make him more of a value artistic film maker over a commercial success.
A filmmaker who makes films with similar themes: Martin Scorsese
Scorsese makes films that he appears in which has a similar theme that is similar to
another sort of film.
Tim burton and James Cameron are just two of film makers that are directors that have made
some films that are auteur theorist and are auteur theorist’s because they have made films
that have stood the test of time.
Jared Hess is an auteur director because he can make certain types of films like napoleon
dynamite and makes reference because he is one of the most auteur directors that has made
millions from just one film
Mark Waters directed Mean girls and has a similar way in which his ideas to Jared
Hess because they have this idea of a high school setting but Jared Hess made the
character which is napoleon is more different to Kasey in Mean girls

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The methods of genre theory and auteur can lead to a wider appreciation of a
film by making sure that the auteur directors and analysists are using their way
that they only know and with the films that they are making millions out of films like
Mean girls and Leon are just some examples of the films that we as a class have seen
and are unique to the types of genres that they are.