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Essays, Genre

genre theory

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Genre is a type of music, film and anything which can be performed in different ways throughout media. There are differences and similarities, predictable or expected. It should also be unpredictable. Different people see genre in different ways- people who consume it.

Genre should be predictable and go along with the typical genre conventions but should also be innovative and unexpected. Genre is important to the people who make it (INSTITUTION) and the people who consume it (AUDIENCE).

Genre is a way of thinking about media production and media reception.

It helps identify how media texts are classified, organised and understood, essentially around SIMILARITIES and DIFFERENCE. Media texts hold similar patterns, codes and conventions that are both PREDICTABLE and EXPECTED, but are also INNOVATIVE (different) and UNEXPECTED.

. . . saddled with conventions and stereotypes, formulas and
clichés and all of these limitations were codified in specific genres. This was the very foundation of the studio system and audiences love genre pictures . . .

Scorcese, A personal Journey through American Cinema (1995)

Institutions : Early Hollywood (an still today) revolved around large corporations which could be identified by certain styles and genres.

 “genres are dependent upon profitability”

Genre

genre

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A style or category of art, music, or literature. Genre rests around a relationship between similarities and differences. You want something that’s predictable and expected but also innovative and unexpected.

Genres are important to institutions, companies and audiences.

. . . saddled with conventions and stereotypes, formulas and
clichés and all of these limitations were codified in specific genres. This was the very foundation of the studio system and audiences love genre pictures . . .Scorcese, A personal Journey through American Cinema (1995).

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genre

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The genre may be considered as a practical device for helping any mass medium to produce consistently and efficiently and to relate its production to the expectations of its customers. Since it is also a practical device for enabling individual media users to plan their choices, it can be considered as a mechanism for ordering the relations between the two main parties to mass communication. – Dennis McQuail 1987, p. 200

definition of genre – a style or category of art, music, or literature

genre rests around the relationship of similarity’s and differences/the same and opposite

jybrid genre where two or more genres are in within one subject eg: comedy horror

genre is important to institutions and audiences they are about expecting and innovative things creating reactionary and radical products

. . . saddled with conventions and stereotypes, formulas and
clichés and all of these limitations were codified in specific genres. This was the very foundation of the studio system and audiences love genre pictures . . . the institutional impact upon the genre is that it means that things are the same but different due to the limitations could be the way its made or the budget/money in order to produce the genre always making it different and the way the genre is codified within itself and certain things are made because of it etc

Ed Boscombe notes that the ‘kind’ or ‘type’ of film is usually recognised “and largely determined by the nature of its conventions” (1986 p. 15). In other words, the textual nature of the media production. To understand the way in which textual analysis is used to define the genre of a media product, look at any extract from any film.

Ghost Town, Music Video, Notes

genre

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Genre

: A style or category of art, music, or literature.

People like to have a general idea of what film they are about to see. But audiences get bored with too much repetition; they like to see a genre change, and evolve by responding to contextual influences to do with the way society changes.

‘Genre’ is the relationship of similarities and differences.

‘Genre’ is really important for institutions and audiences.

As well as a genre, movies also often have sub-genres

‘. . . saddled with conventions and stereotypes, formulas and
clichés and all of these limitations were codified in specific genres. This was the very foundation of the studio system and audiences love genre pictures . . .’

Scorcese, A personal Journey through American Cinema (1995)

This quote is saying that all genres are the same but different in some sort of way.

People like to have a general idea of what film they are about to see. But audiences get bored with too much repetition; they like to see a genre change, and evolve by responding to contextual influences to do with the way society changes.

‘the somewhat dubious assumption that genres shaped by the film industry are communicated completely and uniformly to audiences‘ (Altman 1999, p. 15)

Key Terms:

Steve Neale: Neale believes that films of a type (genre, like romance or horror) should include features that are similar, so the audience know what genre it is, but also include features that are different, to keep an audience interested. This is his theory of repetition and difference.

repertoire of elements: The repertoire of elements are key elements of a film that are consistently repeated throughout a genre. Each genre has its own repertoire of elements which defines it as that genre

verisimilitude: the appearance of being true or real.

construction of reality: Social Construction of Reality. The term social construction of reality refers to the theory that the way we present ourselves to other people is shaped partly by our interactions with others, as well as by our life experiences.

sub-genres: a genre that is part of a larger genre The series is part of the booming ”urban fantasy” subgenre, which features supernatural creatures interacting with ordinary humans in a contemporary city.— Jennifer Schuessler.

hybrid genres: Some media texts are hybrid genres, which means they share the conventions of more than one genre. For example Dr. Who is a sci-fi action-adventure drama and Strictly Come Dancing is a talent, reality and entertainment show. The Twilight films are a hybrid genre, combining horror, fantasy, teen and romance.

levels of verisimilitude:  a theoretical concept that determines the level of truth in an assertion or hypothesis. It is also one of the most essential literary devices of fiction writing. Verisimilitude helps to promote a reader’s willing suspension of disbelief

iconography: the visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these.

Steve Neale

The work of Steve Neale is often referred to when discussing genre. One area he looks at, is the relationship between genre and audiences. For example, the idea of genre as an enabling mechanism to attract audiences based around predictable expectations. 

Thomas Schatz

Exam Prep, Genre

GENRE

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Genre: a style or category of art, music, or literature.

Genre is mostly associated with music, films and shows. It mostly displays the idea of what the media is about and what the viewer should expect going into it.

Genre is about being predictable and expected, however it should innovative and different as well.

Genre is important for both those who consume it and those who make it.

Institutions make the same types of films due to the fact that the company invests a large amount of money into certain props, certain lighting and certain cameras, this makes a style for the company and their viewers begin to expect it. So the company can make the same type of films, with a different storyline using the same props and the same sets to make more money without spending anymore.

Essays, Genre, Theory

Genre

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Genre is a style or category of music, art or literature that represents what the viewer is about to watch / listen to.

Genre is based around similarities and differences and should be predictable and expected.

Genre is important for the institutions who produce the work and the audience who consume it.

Quote : saddled with conventions and stereotypes, formulas and
clichés and all of these limitations were codified in specific genres. This was the very foundation of the studio system and audiences love genre pictures . . . – Scorcese, A personal Journey through American Cinema (1995)

Industries such as Warner Brothers or MGM make repetitive films or similar films due to a high investment in a singular genre. For example, a company would pay billions in props, costumes and co workers to be able to film a singular genre of film.

Genre, Notes, Theory

Genre

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  • The type of film, song, tv show, book etc… shown through the textual nature or features of the production – “genre is a system of codes, conventions and visual styles which enables an audience to determine rapidly and with some complexity the kind of narrative they are viewing” (Turner p.97 Film as Social Practice)
  • Genre must be both predictable and unpredictable – Genre helps audience to recognise the type of film and predict whether it is something they would watch, but it also needs unpredictable aspects, almost sub-genres, to make the film unique and interesting
  • a practical device for helping any mass medium to produce consistently and efficiently and to relate its production to the expectations of its customers. – Dennis McQuail 1987, p. 200
  • Expectations are based on both textual elements

Steve Neale: Genre as Audience Recognition

  • He argues genre is is a mechanism which attracts audience based on their predictable expectations
  • These generic characteristics are developed and amplified by media organisations, and are then reinforced by press, marketing, advertising etc.
  • He suggests that each genre is structured around a repertoire of elements, which fulfil an audiences expectation of a film and creating enjoyment
  • Their enjoyment is then maintained by the certain elements which are unconventional of the genre, making it interesting and unique
  •  genres change as society and culture changes – genres are historically specific and reflect/represent changing ideas, attitudes, values and beliefs of society at any particular moment in history that over time, mix-up, shape, adapt and adopt familiar ideas and expectations, but which essentially create something new which is recognisable
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Genre

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genre- a style or category of art, music, or literature.

you want something that’s predictable and expected but also innovative and unexpected.

Overall, genre study helps students to think about how media texts are classified, organised and understood

‘ . saddled with conventions and stereotypes, formulas and
clichés and all of these limitations were codified in specific genres. This was the very foundation of the studio system and audiences love genre pictures . . .‘

why is genre so important for institution’s

Genre, Institution

Genre

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What is Genre:

– A style or category of art, music, or literature.

It helps identify how media texts are classified, organised and understood, essentially around SIMILARITIES and DIFFERENCE. Media texts hold similar patterns, codes and conventions that are both PREDICTABLE and EXPECTED, but are also INNOVATIVE (different) and UNEXPECTED.

Genre is a way of thinking about media production (INSTITUTIONS) and media reception (AUDIENCES). 

. . . saddled with conventions and stereotypes, formulas and
clichés and all of these limitations were codified in specific genres. This was the very foundation of the studio system and audiences love genre pictures . . .Scorcese, A personal Journey through American Cinema (1995)

Genre is important for institutions as they become recognisable by their own styles.

The genre may be considered as a practical device for helping any mass medium to produce consistently and efficiently and to relate its production to the expectations of its customers. Since it is also a practical device for enabling individual media users to plan their choices, it can be considered as a mechanism for ordering the relations between the two main parties to mass communication.Dennis McQuail 1987, p. 200

Steve Neale:

He argues that definitions and formations of genres are developed by media organisations (he specifically discusses the film industry), which are then reinforced through various agencies and platforms, such as the press, marketing, advertising companies, which amplify generic characteristics and thereby set-up generic expectations. He suggests that genres are structured around a repertoire of elements which creates a corpus or body of similar texts, which could all belong to the same category

However, Neale also promotes the idea that genre is a process, that genres change as society and culture changes. As such, genres are historically specific and reflect / represent changing ideas, attitudes, values and beliefs of society at any particular moment in history. This may explain, why genres are often blurred across different conventions and expectations, creating sub-genres, or hybrid genres, that mix-up, shape, adapt and adopt familiar ideas and expectations.

In general, the function of genre is to make films comprehensible and more or less familiar.

Turner p.97 ‘Film as Social Practice’
  •  predictable expectations– something that could be guessed.
  • reinforced– strengthen
  • amplify– enlarge upon or add detail to (a story or statement).
  • repertoire of elements– essentially features of a film that are repeated within a genre
  •  corpus– he main body or mass of a structure.
  • verisimilitude– he appearance of being true or real.
  • realism– the quality or fact of representing a person or thing in a way that is accurate and true to life.
  • construction of reality– the way we present ourselves to other people is shaped partly by our interactions with others, as well as by our life experiences.
  • historically specific– Historical people, situations, or things existed in the past
  • sub-genres– a genre that is part of a larger genre
  • hybrid genres– genre that blends themes and elements from two or more different genres
  • different– distinct; separate
  • familiar– well known/common

Essays, Genre, Theory

genre

Leave a comment

Genre is a type of music, film and anything which can be performed in different ways throughout media. There are differences and similarities, predictable or expected. It should also be unpredictable. Different people see genre in different ways- people who consume it.

‘saddled with conventions and stereotypes, formulas and
clichés and all of these limitations were codified in specific genres.‘

The work of Steve Neale is often referred to when discussing genre. One area he looks at, is the relationship between genre and audiences. For example, the idea of genre as an enabling mechanism to attract audiences based around predictable expectations. He argues that definitions and formations of genres are developed by media organisations (he specifically discusses the film industry), which are then reinforced through various agencies and platforms, such as the press, marketing, advertising companies, which amplify generic characteristics and thereby set-up generic expectations.

In general, the function of genre is to make films comprehensible and more or less familiar.

meanings

repertoire of elements,  corpus, realism 

key elements-consistently repeated, collection of written texts,  a way of portraying or thinking about reality.