Film Genre
A Film Genre is a genre that categorizes films based on shared stylistic elements and thematic patterns.
- AKA: Movie Genre, Cinema Genre, Motion Picture Category.
- Context:
- It can (typically) structure Film Narrative through genre conventions and storytelling patterns.
- It can (typically) employ Film Iconography through visual motifs and symbolic elements.
- It can (typically) establish Film Setting through time periods, locations, and environmental contexts.
- It can (typically) develop Film Character through character archetypes and character dynamics.
- It can (typically) influence Film Style through cinematography, editing techniques, and visual aesthetics.
- ...
- It can (often) incorporate Film Sound through genre-specific music, sound effects, and audio conventions.
- It can (often) target Film Audience through marketing approaches and distribution strategies.
- It can (often) reflect Cultural Values through social themes and cultural perspectives.
- It can (often) evolve through genre hybridization and genre innovations.
- It can (often) influence Film Production through budget requirements and technical specifications.
- ...
- It can range from being a Classical Genre to being a Hybrid Genre, depending on its genre evolution.
- It can range from being a Mainstream Genre to being an Experimental Genre, depending on its audience appeal.
- It can range from being a Historical Genre to being an Emerging Genre, depending on its temporal context.
- ...
- Examples:
- Dramatic Genres, such as:
- Character Dramas, such as:
- Family Dramas, such as:
- Comedy Genres, such as:
- Traditional Comedys, such as:
- Contemporary Comedys, such as:
- Action-Based Genres, such as:
- Action Films, such as:
- Adventure Films, such as:
- Non-Fiction Genres, such as:
- Documentary Films, such as:
- Educational Films, such as:
- Speculative Genres, such as:
- Science Fiction Films, such as:
- Horror Films, such as:
- Experimental Genres, such as:
- Avant-Garde Films, such as:
- Mixed Media Films, such as:
- ...
- Dramatic Genres, such as:
- Counter-Examples:
- Television Genre, which focuses on episodic format and serialized content.
- Video Game Genre, which emphasizes interactive elements and player agency.
- Literary Genre, which relies on written narrative without visual components.
- See: Film Style, Film Movement, Film Theory, Genre Theory, Film History, Film Production, Film Distribution, Film Marketing, Film Analysis, Film Criticism.
References
2024
- (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/film_genre Retrieved:2024-2-25.
- A film genre is a stylistic or thematic category for motion pictures based on similarities either in the narrative elements, aesthetic approach, or the emotional response to the film. Drawing heavily from the theories of literary-genre criticism, film genres are usually delineated by "conventions, iconography, settings, narratives, characters and actors".[1] One can also classify films by the tone, theme/topic, mood, format, target audience, or budget.[2] These characteristics are most evident in genre films, which are "commercial feature films [that], through repetition and variation, tell familiar stories with familiar characters and familiar situations" in a given genre.[3]
A film's genre will influence the use of filmmaking styles and techniques, such as the use of flashbacks and low-key lighting in film noir; tight framing in horror films; or fonts that look like rough-hewn logs for the titles of Western films.[4] In addition, genres have associated film scoring conventions, such as lush string orchestras for romantic melodramas or electronic music for science fiction films.[4] Genre also affects how films are broadcast on television, advertised, and organized in video rental stores.[3]
Alan Williams distinguishes three main genre categories: narrative, avant-garde, and documentary. [5] With the proliferation of particular genres, film subgenres can also emerge: the legal drama, for example, is a sub-genre of drama that includes courtroom- and trial-focused films. Subgenres are often a mixture of two separate genres; genres can also merge with seemingly unrelated ones to form hybrid genres, where popular combinations include the romantic comedy and the action comedy film. Broader examples include the docufiction and docudrama, which merge the basic categories of fiction and non-fiction (documentary).[6]
Genres are not fixed; they change and evolve over time, and some genres may largely disappear (for example, the melodrama).[2] Not only does genre refer to a type of film or its category, a key role is also played by the expectations of an audience about a film, as well as institutional discourses that create generic structures.[2]
- A film genre is a stylistic or thematic category for motion pictures based on similarities either in the narrative elements, aesthetic approach, or the emotional response to the film. Drawing heavily from the theories of literary-genre criticism, film genres are usually delineated by "conventions, iconography, settings, narratives, characters and actors".[1] One can also classify films by the tone, theme/topic, mood, format, target audience, or budget.[2] These characteristics are most evident in genre films, which are "commercial feature films [that], through repetition and variation, tell familiar stories with familiar characters and familiar situations" in a given genre.[3]
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:4 - ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hayward, Susan. “Genre/Sub-genre" in Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts (Third Edition). Routledge, 2006. p. 185–192
- ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1
Grant, Barry Keith. Film Genre: From Iconography to Ideology. Wallflower Press, 2007. p. 1
- ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 Grant, Barry Keith. Film Genre: From Iconography to Ideology. Wallflower Press, 2007. p. 11
- ↑ Alan Williams, "Is a Radical Genre Criticism Possible?" Quarterly Review of Film Studies 9, no. 2 (Spring 1984): 121-2
- ↑ Judith Butler and genre theory.