Genre- key element

Genre Elements These are examples of genres looking at The Gangster Genre, the Western, The Horror, and Science Fiction as well as others.

Setting The location of the film also contribute toward the films genre. For example an alien planet would contribute towards the sci-fi genre as this is what is typically expected. Same of an abandoned house this would be horror.

Characters The story of a film is most often told through characters. A film’s main protagonist or “hero” encounters a variety of obstacles which he must overcome within the story. These obstacles are usually caused by some kind of adversary or “villain”. Different genres become associated with different heroes and villains. Over time, these particular characters achieve the status of a “generic type”.

Narrative refers to the different types of story structure that films of different genres employ, in addition to the narrative or story-telling devices and narrative moments which they are associated with (e.g. chase sequences, shoot-outs, romantic kisses etc). Narratives are all based on some form of conflict (see Narrative). Different genres therefore focus on different types of conflict. Genres can therefore also be differentiated by how they each represent conflict and resolution in their own distinctive ways.

Style Iconography refers to actual objects or sounds in a film or moving image product, whereas style specifically refers to how these are presented. This category mainly relates to use of camera, lighting, colour and both audio and visual tone.

Theme Genre films are often underpinned by universal themes, which increase their appeal to audiences. These themes, underpinning a film’s narrative are most effective when they are based on binary oppositions. For example, Jim Kitses used anthropological studies of folklore as a basis for identifying a number of key underlying themes in the Western genre; East v. West, Garden v. Wilderness, Industrialism v. Agrarianism.

Audience Response Some genres are most easily identified by their target audience. Every film has a “mode of address”, a particular way in which it speaks to a target audience. Horror films intend to “horrify” audiences, action films deliberately set out to make an audience feel tense. Some genres of film soon become associated with a particular audience, though this may not always be justified by audience statistics e.g. action films are regarded as ideally suited for male audiences though recent action films have proven very popular with female audiences. Two distinct genres have evolved by depending heavily on audience response, however; youth pictures or “teen pics” and “women’s pictures.”