Task 3

1
Film Genre

• Joe Robertson

2
Genres Sub-Genres
History Adventure, biography, drama, war
Horror Comedy, Drama, sci fi Music
Biography, documentary, drama Musical Comedy,
history, romance Mystery Adventure, comedy,
thriller Romance Comedy, crime, history,
thriller Sci-fi Animation, comedy, family,
horror Sport Biography, comedy, documentary
Thriller comedy, crime, horror, mystery War
Action, biography, comedy, documentary Western-
Action, adventure, comedy

• Action Comedy, crime, thriller
• Adventure Biography, thriller, war
• Animation Adventure, comedy, family, fantasy
• Biography Crime, mystery, sport
• Comedy Action, horror, romance
• Crime Drama, mystery, romance
• Documentary Biography, comedy, crime, history
• Drama Romance, Film-Noir, Musical, war
• Family Adventure, comedy, romance, fantasy
• Fantasy Adventure, comedy, romance, drama
• Film Noir Crime, mystery, romance thriller

In depth analysis of the main genres can be found
here.
3
Why is Genre important to Audiences

• Genre creates a level of familiarity amongst
  audiences they know what type of film they like
  to watch and what they can expect from particular
  genres. Audiences are the foremost 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
  original format. By including typical significant
  conventions within a film that are linked to a
  genre, a film will become more appealing to an
  audience as well being 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, its likely that few people will even watch
  the film in the first place.

4
Uses and Gratifications Audiences Pleasures

• Recognition 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

5
Why is Genre important to Producers and
Institutions

• Genre is essential to producers so that they are
  aware from the start of creating a film, theyll
  have to follow typical conventions so that the
  film doesnt lose its focus. This is also the
  same so that institutions can pick the correct
  elements that make up a film such as actors,
  props, setting and most crucially the story and
  the 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
  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.

6
Are Genres Fixed?

• In terms of typical conventions and
  iconographies, any type of genre will find itself
  to have some key aspects that will help
  institutions make a particular film follow the
  correct narrative style that appeals to fans of
  that movie type, an example being perhaps
  monsters and jumpy moment are associated with
  horror films. However, genre of any type has to
  adapt with the times in terms of society and
  personal value, whilst in addition styles of film
  making becoming 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 example of horror,
  aspects of the genre such as blood and gore have
  fallen more out of favour for psychological and
  supernatural style in recent times as demands for
  fresh ideas rises. 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.