Title: Blog Task 3
1WHAT IS GENRE?
GENRE IS THE TERM FOR ANY CATEGORY OF LITERATURE
OR OTHER FROMS OF ART/CULTURE, FOR EXAMPLE
MUSIC, GENRES ARE FORMED BY CONVENTIONS THAT
CHANGE OVER TIME AS NEW GENRES ARE INVENTED AND
THE USE OF OLD ONES WERE DISCONTINUED. OFTEN,
WORKS FIT INTO MULTIPLE GENRES BY THE WAY OF
RECOMBING THESE CONVENTIONS IN FILM THEORY,
GENRE REFERS TO THE METHOD OF FILM,
CATEGORIZATION BASED ON SIMILARITIES IN THE
NARRATIVE ELEMENTS FROM WHICH FILMS ARE
CONSTRUCTED. MOST THEORIES OF GILM GENRE ARE
BORROWED FROM LITERARY GENRE CRITICISM. AS WITH
GENRE IN LITERARY CONTEXT THERE IS A GREAT DEAL
OF DEBATE OVER HOW TO DEFINE OR CATEGORIZE GENRE.
BESIDES THE BASIC DISTINCTION IN GENRE BETWEEN
FICTION AND DOCUMENTARY, FILM GENRES CAN BE
CATEGORIZED IN SEVERAL WAYS. FICTION FILMS
ARE USUALLY CATEGORIZED ACCORDING TO THEIR
SETTING THEME TOPIC MOOD, OR FORMAT.
2WHY IS GENRE IMPORTANT?
FOR THE PRODUCERS GENRE PROVIDES MANY POINTS FOR
THEM TO USE WHILST MAKING THEIR FILM. GENRE
PROVIDES THEM WITH THE TYPICAL GUIDELINES THAT
ARE USED FOR SPECIFIC FILMS, FOR EXAMPLE HORROR
FILMS, SCIENCE FICTION FILMS. HOWEVER, SOMETIMES
FILMS NEED TO DEFY THE GENRE AND GO AGAINST THE
GUIDELINES. HAVING A UNIQUE AND FRESH TAKE ON A
GENRE IS SOMETHING THAT AUDIENCES ALMOST ALWAYS
ENJOY. FOR THE AUDIENCE IT ALLOWS THEM TO KNOW
WHAT KIND OF FILM THEYRE ABOUT TO SEE. IT ALLOWS
THEM TO KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN THEY WALK INTO A
MOVIE THEATRE. IF SOMEONE HAS BOUGHT A TICKET FOR
A COMEDY FILM, THE EXPECT TO WALK IN, SIT DOWN
AND BE LAUGHING FOR THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. THEY
DONT EXPECT TO WALK IN AND BE HORRIFIED BY A
FILM INCLUDING NUMEROUS DEATHS OR PARANORMAL
EXPERIENCES.
3WHAT HAPPENS TO GENRE OVER TIME?
OVER TIME GENRE BEGIN TO MIX TOGETHER AND CREATE
HYBRID GENRES OR CHANGE TO FIT THE CULTURE OF THE
TIME. 40 YEARS AGO HORROR WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY
DIFFERENT TO WHAT IT IS NOW. NOW IT RELIES MORE
ON CGI THAN IT DOES ON PUPPETS LIKE IT DID WITH
ALFRED HITCHCOCK. GENRE CAN ALSO BE SHOWN TO MIX
TOGETHER LIKE IT DOES A LOT OF THE TIME WITH
SCIENCE FICTION AND HORROR. A LOT OF HORROR FILMS
ARE BASED ON SCIENCE FICTION FEATURES AND THIS
CREATES A HORROR MOVIE BASED ON THE IDEALS FROM
ANOTHER GENRE. EXAMPLE 1 PAUL THE MOVIE- THIS
MOVIE IS SIMILAR TO E.T. IT IS ABOUT AN ALIEN
THAT LANDS ON EARTH AND ACCIDENTALLY INTRUDES IN
TWO MENS ROAD TRIP- THE ACTORS SIMON PEGG AND
NICK FROST ARE ASSOCIATED TO COMEDY AND ACTION
FILMS, THEREFORE THEY HELP TO ENGAGE THE TARGET
AUDIENCE OF COMEDY/ACTION LOVERS. EXAMPLE 2
COWBOYS AND ALIENS- THE POSTER IS FOCUSED ON THE
GENRE ACTION AND A SCI-FI/PHYSIOLOGICAL THRILLER.
THE ACTOR DANIEL CRAIG IS USED BECAUSE AUDIENCES
AUTOMATICALLY ASSOCIATE HIM WITH ACTION/THRILLER
FLMS AND SCI-FI/AGENT GENRES E.G. JAMES BOND.
4WHYS IS GENRE IMPORTANT TO FILM PRODUCERS?
FOR FILM PRODUCERS, GENRE PROVIDES MANY POINTS
FOR THEM TO USE WHILST MAKING THEIR FILM. GENRE
GIVES THEM THE GUIDELINES THAT ARE USED FOR
SPECIFIC FILMS. MOST STORIES STICK TO ONE GENRE
AND FOLLOW CERTAIN THEMES AND FEATURES SO IN
ORDER TO ATTRACT A SET OF AUDIENCES, PRODUCERS
JUST HAVE TO FOLLOW CERTAIN THEMES AND EVENTS
THAT WILL SUIT THAT TYPE OF AUDIENCE AND MAKE
THEM ENJOY THEW FILM. HOWEVER SOMETIMES GENRES
CAN BE MIXED (THIS IS CALLED HYBRID) AND FILM
PRODUCERS SOMETIMES CREATE THEIR OWN KIND OF
GENRE AND LAY THE ROAD FOR FILMS AFTER. AUDIENCES
SOMETIMES REACT WELL TO THESE NEW KINDS OF GENRES
AND BECAUSE OF THAT GENRE IS VERY IMPORTANT TO
PRODUCERS.
5WHY IS GENRE IMPORTANT TO FILM AUDIENCES?
FOR THE AUDIENCE, GENRE IS IMPORTANT TO THEM FOR
THE SOLE REASON OF RECOGNITION. RECOGNITION IS AN
IMPORTANT PART FOR THE AUDIENCE, IF THEY SEE A
SPECIFIC GENRE THEY WILL RECOGNICE THE THEMES AND
FEATURES OF THAT GENRE AND WILL JUDGE IT FROM
THERE. WHEN SEEING A SPECIFIC GENRE THEY WILL
RECOGNICE THE FACT THAT THEY LIKE OR DISLIKE
THOSE GENRES OF FILMS, BUT THEY DO NOT ONLY
RECOGNISE THE GENRES AND WHAT THE STORIES MIGHT
ENTAIL, GENRES ALSO BRING IN ACTORS THAT ARE MOST
POPULAR IN CERTAIN GENRES. FOR EXAMPLE DANIEL
CRAIG FOR ACTION/THRILLER FILMS. THE AUDIENCE
WILL RECOGNISE THE ACTORS WITH SPECIFIC GENRES,
MAKING THEM ENJOY THE MOVIE AND THE ACTORS OWN
PERSONALITY TO THE FILM, THUS CREATING A GOOD
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE AUDIENCE.
6CONVENTIONS OF GENRE
FORMAL CONVENTIONS THE PLOT- EXAMPLE, MAN
SEEKING REVENGE/MYSTERY THE THEME- LOYALTY, PRICE
OF CRIMINAL SUCCESS IN GANGSTER STYLISTIC
CONVENTIONS SLOW MOTION/EDITING/MUSIC ICONOGRAPHY
- BATTLEFIELD, CLOSE UP OF HAND ON GUN STARS
ASSOCIATED WITH THAT GENRE TOENGAGE TARGET
AUDIENCE CLINT EASTWOOD- WESTERN JENIFER
ANISTON- ROM-COM NICK CAGE- ADVENTURE JIM CAREY-
COMEDY ANGELINA JOLIE- ACTION GENRE CHANGE AND
EVOLVE OVER TIME. THEY CAN COME IN AND OUT OF
FASHION EVERYDAY, FOR EXAMPLE WESTERN WAS ONE OF
THE FIRST EVER FILM GENRES, AND NOW NEW GENRES
LIKE ROM-COMS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS HAVE
BEEN INTRODUCED AND DIFFERENT AUDIENCES GREW
DIFFERENT INTERESTS AND THE SOCIO HISTORICAL
CONTEXT (SOCIAL AND CULTURES) CHANGED. THIS HAS
THEREFORE BOOSTED MORE RATINGS AND THE ADVANCE IN
TECHNOLOGY HAS ALSO HELPED PRODUCE AMAZING FILMS