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.