WJEC GCE AS Film Studies Stuart Grenville-Price Film Genre Part 2: Non Genre Film This week’s session will focus on non-genre films and the way in which these can differ from- and work contrary to- the mainstream Hollywood system. Notes The Time Out Film Guide has 16 ‘categories’ or genres into which it divides a limited and selective number of its listed films. This is a useful (although not definitive) way of defining the classic Hollywood genres: Action/Adventure Dramas Children Comedy Documentary Epic Fantasy Film Noir Gangster
Historical/Costume Horror Musicals Science Fiction Swashbucklers Thrillers War Westerns
Genre movies tend to be aimed at a certain mainstream audience and follow certain prescribed and conventional narrative patterns into which variations are introduced in order to maintain variety and audience interest: • They do not usually set out to challenge audience expectations, although this effect cannot be ruled out whether it is the filmmaker’s intention or otherwise Genre films do not have to be big budget or have high production values. Much of classic Hollywood’s output has been B pictures like Westerns and gangster films which often stick more rigidly to genre conventions than big budget A pictures. However, as a general rule, big budget films do not tend to stray too far from the boundaries set by genre for fear of losing target audience
How many more can we add? Discuss this aloud and call out your ideas. Can you fill in the
Non Genre Movies on the other hand do not make any attempt to fit into a prescribed generic structure or the generic categories listed above: • They usually actively work against Hollywood convention which can be detrimental to audience numbers and profit. • They tend to be deliberately aimed at a more limited and/or specific audience such as those reached by the independent or Arthouse circuit e.g. The Broadway Cinema in Nottingham. On the other hand, independent filmmakers frequently adhere to genre characteristics e.g. the recent spate of British gangster films. Also, ‘foreign’ films (defined for our purposes as non-US) often follow genre conventions e.g. the thriller and gangster genres are very popular with French filmmakers. • Some mainstream Hollywood directors have worked against or played with genre convention, frequently those defined as auteurs. • Some films are not genre specific simply because they cannot be categorised for whatever reason. These are not necessarily intended to challenge audiences or convention. Some British films fit into this category. • Non-genre films are generally intended to challenge audiences and filmic narrative convention. They often (but by no means always) do not make ‘comfortable’ viewing, as the audience is unsure as to the structure or projected outcome of the film. This can sometimes lead to a disorientating experience as audiences have been programmed by mainstream Hollywood to expect certain storylines and outcomes but it can also have a liberating effect e.g. if narrative closure is not achieved i.e. the film’s ending is left open-ended without the narratives ‘loose-ends’ tied up.
Homework! You’re required to research one of the following and bring to the next lesson a brief synopsis of what you gather the definition to be of:
Road Movies. Gello films. Troma Film. Dogma95 Blaxpoitation Experimental film Short film Or a review of the catalogues of the following Film Directors/Theoreticians: Nicolas Roeg Robert Altman Francoise Truffaut (Director and Film Theoretician ‘50s) Andrew Sarris (Director and Film Theoretician ‘80s) USEBELOWTO WRITEYOURFINAL MAJORPOINTS • •