Media Languages

Genre is a type or category of film. It is a way of classifying a film to help us to identify it so we can:

·         Create it (e.g. director)

·         Choose it (e.g. the audience)

·         Understand it (e.g. the student of the film)

Horror - Insidious, Paranormal Activity

Thriller – Side Effects, Taken

Comedy – The Hangover, Superbad

Romantic comedy - Remember Me

Science Fiction – Star Trek, i-robot

Action – Indiana Jones

Western – The Good The Bad The Ugly

Animation – Toy Story

Musicals – High School Musical, Mamma Mia

Fantasy – Narnia

Gangster – American Gangster

Three types of Genre:-

Major Genre

A dominant, important category, it should be obvious and easy to define.

Subgenre

A minor category or subdivision that is closely related to its major genre by being a specific type in its own right, e.g. James Bond films

Hybrid Genre

Combination of major genres that sometimes creates another type of film e.g. horror/western

We identify it by looking at:

Generic codes and conventions – these are signifiers that have been established through the time and should be recognised in the mise-en-scene, the characters and the storyline.

Signifiers are the physical aspects that we see or hear in a film, such as the clothes or props. We interpret these signifiers to create meaning.

The mise-en-scene is that which we see in the frame of the film – it is that which is ‘put into’ the picture. So this would include the set, the props, the costumes, and the landscape in the world of the film.

Genre	Western	Gangster	Sci-Fi	Horror	Action
WHAT WE SEE	Saloons, tumbleweed, guns	Suits, Guns, Casino, Drugs, Crime	Spaceships, Robots, Space	Demons, Old houses, Exorcisms	Fast cars, Tanks, Weapons
WHAT WE HEAR	Gunshots, Horses	Gunshots	Explosions, Space lasers	Screaming, Shouting,	Explosions, guns
TYPICAL CHARACTERS	Cowboys, Outlaws, Sherriff, Saloon girl	Mob leader, Gangs, Club Owner	Leader, commanders, aliens	Family, Young girl, Demons, Exorcist, Physcos	Strong person, Bad guy, Group of men, Leading lady
TYPICAL STORYLINE	Main character chasing bandit/is bandit	Main character owes the gang leader etc	Humans in space, crisis in space	Person becomes possessed, kidnapped	Main character has to fight a bad guy/group has to fight a bad group
THEMES, MORALS,IDEAS	Good VS Bad, Revenge	Crime, Revenge, Debt	Adventure, Space	Moves into a haunted house, Fear	Good VS Bad, Rogue cop, Revenge
EXAMPLES	The Lone Ranger	Godfather, Gangster Squad	Star Trek, Star Wars	The Conjuring, Saw, Hannibal	The Expendables, Die Hard