What is genre?
A genre film belongs to a particular group of
films that are similar in their subject matter, thematic concerns,
characterisations, plot formulas and visual settings. Genre then
is a term loosely used to describe a method of classification. Just
as you can boil most stories down to one of seven basic plots, most
films have some connection with an existing genre. The main ingredients
of a genre are:
Formula: a plot based around a familiar
conflict. What happens in a strongly generic film is often predictable;
we don't so much get surprises as small doses of suspense as the
plot works itself out.
Conventions: the way in which a formula
plot is translated into specific visualised units of action within
a particular genre (ie. a gunfight in a western, a love duet in
a musical)
Iconography: a short-hand use of visual
symbols or icons that instantly communicate meaning to an audience
familiar with the genre (ie. a black hat worn by a baddy.)
Genre is a complex subject and the methods of
categorisation have become highly refined as the film industry has
developed. As well as instantly recognisable genres like the war
film, the thriller and the love story, a host of other categories
have developed:
A Sub-Genre describes a specific variation
on a well known genre; for example, the Spaghetti Western; which
has established its own set of sub-conventions
A Cross-Genre film combines two different genres to create
an original combination. ("Star Trek" was once provisionally
entitled "Wagon Train to the Stars".)
A genreęs conventions may also be Subverted for comic effect to
create a spoof like "Blazing Saddles" and "Airport".
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