FILM GENRES WHAT IS FILM GENRE? A genre is a type or classification of film - a way of dividing films into groups or categories.
HOW DO WE RECOGNISE GENRE? We identify genre by looking for generic conventions – these are the signifiers that have been established through time and should be recognised in the mise-en-scéne, the
characters and the storyline . MAJOR TYPES OF GENRE There are three major types of genre:
1. MAJOR GENRE : a dominant, important category – it should be relatively abvious and easy to define and/or spot.
2. SUB-GENRE : a minor category or sub-division that is very closely related to its major genre by being a specific type in its own right, eg, JamesBond films are a subgenre of the spy genre. 3. HYBRID GENRE : a combination of major genres that sometimes creates another type of film, eg, The Quick and the Dead is a horror/western. Many high-
concept films are hybrid genres – there is more to sell. HOW DO WE USE THE CONCEPT OF GENRES Different groups may use this idea depending upon whether they are producers or
audiences or analysts. The following list of points gives an indication of the variety of ways of looking at this concept.
Particular audiences like certain types of films It helps us to analyse films and to seehow they are constructed and marketed To give a film an identity To attract a mainstream audience To target a specific niche audience
To inform an audience of type of storyline or characters or stars to sell the film To play with variations on a formula which works
To deliver an audience to advertisers To give audienceswhat they expect
To create historical progression , ie, directors make films of genres they have enjoyed To define, create and utilise stars
To assist writers to sell it to producers (ie, the pitch) To make it safe or easy for a specific audience To avoid disappointment