Lesson 1 genre definition and theories

2. THE KEY CONCEPTS
IN MEDIA STUDIES, WE LOOK AT TEXTS THROUGH A SET OF ‘LENS’. THESE ARE THE KEY CONCEPTS:
• GENRE
• NARRATIVE
• REPRESENTATION
• AUDIENCE
• MEDIA LANGUAGE
• INSTITUTION

3. THE KEY CONCEPTS
IN MEDIA STUDIES, WE LOOK AT TEXTS THROUGH A SET OF ‘LENS’. THESE ARE THE KEY CONCEPTS:
• GENRE - SME
• NARRATIVE - SME
• REPRESENTATION – SME (COURSEWORK)/SOA (EXAM)
• AUDIENCE - SME
• MEDIA LANGUAGE - SOA
• INSTITUTION – SOA (EXAM)

4. 1 - GENRE
•THE WAY FILMS ARE BROKEN DOWN ACCORDING TO THE CONVENTIONS
THEY USE – IN TERMS OF HOW THEY ARE FILMED AND WHAT IS FILMED.
•FILMS REPEAT THE CONVENTIONS OF OTHER FILMS IN THEIR GENRE, BUT AT
THE SAME TIME ‘SUCCESSFUL’ FILMS WILL CHALLENGE AND DEVELOP
THOSE CONVENTIONS.
•LIST AS MANY GENRES AS YOU CAN THINK OF.

5. 1 – GENRE AND INSTITUTION
WHAT IS THE POINT OF CATEGORISING FILMS IN THIS WAY?
• FOR THE AUDIENCE
• FOR PRODUCERS
• FOR DISTRIBUTORS

6. THRILLERS
WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW?

7. THRILLERS
WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW?
• MYSTERY/ENIGMA
• CRIME
• POLICE/MILITARY CHARACTERS
• SOME ACTION
• EVERYMAN CHARACTER
• MISTAKEN IDENTITY
•SURVEILLANCE

8. GENRE THEORY – STARTING POINT
EDWARD BUSCOMBE (1970) – GENRE CAN BE DEFINED IN TERMS OF ITS
ICONOGRAPHY, DIVIDED INTO FOUR AREAS:
•LOCATION (SET DESIGN/LOCATION)
•APPEARANCE (COSTUME, MAKE UP, PEOPLE)
•TOOLS (PROPS, MACHINES, WEAPONS)
•MISCELLANEOUS (ANYTHING ELSE)
IS THIS ALL THERE IS TO IT?

9. GENRE THEORY
Traditional
models
Contemporary
models

10. TRADITIONAL MODELS
RICK ALTMAN (1984) – GOES ONE STEP FURTHER THAN BUSCOMBE
AND ARGUES THAT GENRES ARE USUALLY DEFINED IN TERMS OF MEDIA
LANGUAGE/CODES (SEMANTIC ELEMENTS), FOR EXAMPLE: GUNS,
URBAN LANDSCAPE, VICTIMS, STALKERS; OR CERTAIN THEMES,
IDEOLOGIES AND NARRATIVES (SYNTACTIC ELEMENTS], SUCH AS:
ANXIETY, TENSION, MENACING SITUATION).

11. TRADITIONAL MODELS
DANIEL CHANDLER (1997) – CONVENTIONAL DEFINITIONS OF GENRES
TEND TO BE BASED ON THE IDEA THAT THEY ARE CONSTRUCTED FROM
FIXED CONVENTIONS OF CONTENT (SUCH AS THEMES OR SETTINGS -
ICONOGRAPHY) AND/OR FORM, STRUCTURE AND STYLE, WHICH ARE
SHARED BY THE TEXTS WHICH ARE REGARDED AS BELONGING TO THEM.

12. TRADITIONAL MODELS - EXAMPLE
WHAT EVIDENCE IS THERE THAT THIS FILM TEXT SUPPORTS NEALE AND
BUCKINGHAM’S THEORIES?
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=YEBQF6BYZAK

13. CONTEMPORARY MODELS
STEVE NEALE (1980) – GENRES ARE A RESULT OF THE TENSION BETWEEN REPETITION,
GIVING THE AUDIENCE THE GRATIFICATION OF SOCIAL INTEGRATION THROUGH SHARED
RECOGNITION, AND DIFFERENCE, WHICH CREATES INTEREST IN NEW TEXTS AND IS
DESCRIBED AS “ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL TO THE ECONOMY OF GENRE.”
DAVID BUCKINGHAM (1993) – ARGUES THAT 'GENRE IS NOT... SIMPLY "GIVEN" BY THE
CULTURE: RATHER, IT IS IN A CONSTANT PROCESS OF NEGOTIATION AND CHANGE'
(BUCKINGHAM 1993).

14. CONTEMPORARY MODELS - EXAMPLE
WHAT EVIDENCE IS THERE THAT THIS FILM TEXT SUPPORTS
ALTMAN AND CHANDLER’S THEORIES?
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=2ETRUIDD5LQ
Now compare The Bourne Identity (2002) to a more up-to-date Bond film, Skyfall (2012)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHRLX8jRjq8
In what way did cultural rejection of Bond lead to Bourne? How did Bourne in turn influence Bond
and create a new set of conventions for the spy thriller, repeating but adapting some traditional
tropes?

15. HYBRIDISATION
CONTEMPORARY MODELS SEEM MORE REALISTIC WHEN WE SEE HOW TWO OR
MORE GENRES ARE OFTEN HYBRIDISED IN THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MOVIES.
THIS IS NOTHING NEW: LOOK AT THE WAY THE FILM ALIEN SUCCESSFULLY BLENDS
TROPES FROM HAUNTED HOUSE TYPE HORROR MOVIES AND ELEMENTS OF
SCIENCE FICTION.
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=3YTIMGMZUR4

16. HOMEWORK
CARRY OUT THE SECONDARY RESEARCH DETAILED IN THE COURSEWORK GUIDE – EXPLORE THE
CURRENT TRENDS AND MARKETS OF THE THRILLER GENRE VIA THE BFI WEBSITE. USE BETWEEN 3
AND 6 EXAMPLES YOU FIND TO SHOW MOVIES THAT CONFORM TO THE TRADITIONAL MODELS AND
MOVIES THAT CONFORM TO THE CONTEMPORARY.
THESE CAN BECOME THE SOURCE TEXTS FOR YOUR POSTER ANALYSES AND OPENING SCENE
ANALYSES.
YOU CAN COPY CHARTS AND DIAGRAMS FROM THE WEBSITE BUT USE YOUR OWN WORDS.
DUE MONDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER
AND SET UP YOUR BLOGS, THEN COPY AND PASTE THE URL IN AN EMAIL TO ME. EITHER ONLY TWO
OF YOU HAVE SET THEM UP OR ONLY TWO OF YOU HAVE TOLD ME!

17. OPTIONAL FURTHER READING
TRACK DOWN A COPY (IT DOESN’T NEED TO BE THE VERY LATEST
EDITION) OF ‘THE FILM GENRE READER’ – EDITED BY BARRY KEITH
GRANT