The View and Interpretation of the Term Genre

A body genre is one that literally attempts to provoke affect, or a physical response as opposed to an intellectual one, from the viewer. The repetitive formulas and spectacles of film genres are often defined by their differences from the classical realist style of narrative cinema. In Linda Williams’s, Film Bodies: Gender, Genre, and Excess, she describes how cow these classical films have been characterized as efficient action-centered, goal-oriented linear narratives “driven by the desire or a single protagonist, involving one or two lines of action, and leading to definitive closure” (Williams, 3).

    Film and literature are two media forms that are so closely related, that we often forget there is a distinction between them. We often just view the movie as an extension of the book because most movies are based on novels or short stories. Because we are accustomed to this sequence of production, first the novel, then the motion picture, we often find ourselves making value judgments about a movie, based upon our feelings on the novel. It is this overlapping of the creative processes that prevents us from seeing movies as distinct and separate art forms from the novels they are based on.

The term “genre” is referenced frequently when describing film, literature, music, and other mediums of artistry, and yet attempting to define the term itself is difficult. Genre studies are rife with uncertainty and conflicting opinions on how best to define and research genre. Some theorists opt for a semantic approach, a broader categorization a genre that encompasses a large number of films, the building blocks of which are commonplace across that genre. In contrast to the semantic theorists, some prefer a syntactic approach, isolating select films which most ideally represent the themes and structural conventions of that genre. There exists a third interpretation, a semantic/syntactic approach, which takes into consideration all

Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen explore the principles of genre in their book Film Theory and Criticism. Braudy and Cohen write that the most common criticism is that, ”Genre art… can never reach the heights of greatness because its creators are too tied to artistic precedents and are therefore not ‘original’”(607). Restrictions of genre destroy the individual artist or what is known as the “auteur” in film. Creativity and uniqueness is sacrificed for conformity in narrative, production, and societal issues. According to this criticism, genre films cannot be considered works of art and directors are not artists, but mere pawns of the studio system.

A genre is a grouping of works, in this context a grouping of films, that are somehow similar or related in content or style. Genres are not strictly uniform over a period of time and do allow for growth and adaptation of their definitive characteristics. As the film industry has developed through the past century, various genres of films have emerged and are still evolving. Aspects of genres have been redefined and intermingled through the history of film. There have also been, throughout the progression of filmmaking, films which do not strictly fall into one genre or which combine elements of several genres. David Lynch’s 1984 film Dune is a fascinating case

During the course of this essay it is my intention to discuss the differences between Classical Hollywood and post-Classical Hollywood. Although these terms refer to theoretical movements of which they are not definitive it is my goal to show that

The key concept to be explored is genre and my investigation will revolve around focused research on the expansive genre of cult film, as I look to not only elaborate on it, but also try to clarify it. Utilising the work of theorists Sconce, Fiske, Austin and many others, I will base my research around two contrasting texts that are both connected by cult film – Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive and David Fincher’s Fight Club, analysing not only how their technical and visual codes help to give them cult status, but also how their audience appeal ties in with niche psychometrics and cult film overall.

The film industry will never idle and will continue to rapidly produce movies, thus a system of organization is necessary. While a large number of genres and subcategories of each genre exist, the standard comedy, fantasy, and horror are exceedingly common.When deciding what motion picture to see, many moviegoers describe what genre they would like to watch, rather than a specific movie. Without this system of categories, attending a movie theater would be incredibly

Cinema is a full-fledged art form, and its expressive boundaries are defined solely by the talent and skill of creators. Genre, style and everything else are secondary to the creative mind. Just like with any other art form, I humbly learn with the best artisans without labeling their artistic fluidity.

Genres are categorizations of any media based on established similarities in writing style and conventions. Instead of a strict set of rules, works under genres typically follow a loose set of guidelines. For example, movies under the horror genre typically employ suspense and mystery to give viewers a sense of unease and discomfort.

Understanding genre is critical to understanding how cinema works. Studying the network of genres can help us easily identify and analyze films in a much greater detail. This ability to identify and analyze speaks to the larger understanding of cinema itself. Cinema is constantly reaching new milestones. A comprehensive understanding

When watching a film, two questions are usually asked by ourselves: what is this story about? What does the director want to express through the film? Different audiences will interpret the same story variously because of the exclusive experience or the cultural background, rendering them understand the metaphor in diverse aspects. For filmmakers, depending on their unique production methods or intentions, will tell the story in a different structure or style as well. Bill Nichols (2017: 61) declared that three elements are intertwined with each other in a film: the filmmaker, the audience and the film itself, which is also known as the triangle of communication. One function of the triangle is to work as a model for having a deeper understand of films. Therefore, in this essay, both Last Train Home (Fan, 2009) and Steam of Life (Berghall and Hotakainen, 2010) will be analysed and contrasted through the triangle of communication to discover the stories of the viewer, the films and the filmmakers behind the two films.

What is the greatest genre of films? Many people would like to think that comedy is the greatest genre, but then this begs the question, “Why do comedies never win at the Academy Awards?” The Academy Awards are held to pick the single greatest film that was made in a certain year. Somehow every year a tragic film wins. One way to explain this redundant outcome is through Aristotle’s Poetics. This essay starts out with the imperative parts that make a film a tragedy. In order to be a tragedy a film must have a plot, character, diction, spectacle, and song. The plot must be elevated and complete, meaning that it has a distinct beginning, middle, and end. The protagonist of the story is the most important part because that is the person that

First impressions are extremely vital. We form an opinion within the first 30 seconds of meeting someone and that plays a vital role in the relationships formed. Similarly with films, the audiences usually identifies with the genre within a few minutes of the screening. With that in mind, this analysis will focus upon decoding the opening sequence of two contrasting films in order to understand its tone and genre. In this case, the opening sequence is defined as the point until which the title is established, this is usually within the first 120 to 180 seconds of the film. I have chosen to compare the mise-en-scène of a modern day romantic comedy, ‘What If’ (Michael Dowse, 2014) versus the classic horror film,

The evaluation of a film assigns some form of value to a film and the experience you encountered while watching the film. Evaluation can imply the criteria and standards that you can argue about to place value on a film. Thus, giving people a reason to question a film to develop reasons, make such standards are met and to understand the film. These standards can stem from the classical evaluation and pluralistic-category method which has given viewers a blueprint of how you should properly evaluate a film. There are certain ways that you can go about judging a films effectiveness. For instance, the classical evaluation method imposes the use of cinematicity within three concepts that all films should have. Like medium specificity, cinematicity allows film to distinguish itself from theatre with the use of close-ups, camera movement, etc.; thus, creates a universal structure for critics to judge a film. This is based on the creative style of the director and how much the viewers admire the way the has stuck with its cinematicity. However, the pluralistic-category does not base its evaluation on style and opinion. In all, these types of evaluations are used in different ways which will be further explained throughout this essay.