Research - Introduction to Genre

Definitions of Genre type

 Genre
In the film industry Genre is a term used, which helps categorizes films into groups, such as horror, romance and action.
This helps the audience gain knowledge of what the film is and encourages the audience to engage more into the film.
Sub-genre
This is when a genre has more than one version, For example Slasher is a sub-genre of Horror.
 Hybrid
This is when there are either three or more genre or a mixture of Sub-genres, such as drama and action adventure.

Genre's importance


 For institutions 

• Gives the film structure- easy conventions to follow
• Genre pieces have an established audience , who are easy to market to
• Producers/Directors can employ certain people who have skills working within a particular genre (e.g. horror make up specialists)
• Stars can associate themselves with a particular genre e.g. Cameron Diaz is known for Rom-com movies, and her face on a poster instantly tells audiences what kind of movie they are likely to see if she is in it.
• Fans of a genre know the codes, so you don't have invent ideas

 For audiences

• Makes the film easier to promote and to a bigger interest to the audience, for example someone might have a particular interest towards action genre films instead of Rom-coms. By allowing the audience to know what type of genre the movie is, they can appreciate the outcome of the film more by knowing that a certain conflict will be resolved. 
• Genre can also provide the audience with immediate knowledge of the film's narrative, due to the stereotypical conventions and codes associated with that genre.

Stock elements: Horror,Thriller, Romance

Horror:  In a Horror film the Antagonist/s are conventionally portrayed as demented being ,such as a killer or supernatural force. The antagonists help push the narrative on.

Protagonist/s on the other hand most commonly takes the role as a victim or survivor.

The stock characters usually include other victims, such as friends or family, depending on the sub-genre.However the narrative and stock elements are stereotypically a group of people, who are threatened or approached by a unknown being or danger, which usually ends with deaths.

Thriller: In a thriller genre film, stereo typically, the Antagonist/s shares similar relations to the Protagonist/s, however from another organisation or body.The Protagonist/s is usually intelligent, aware and knowledgeable, with associations to an important organisation, such as the Police.

The stock characters are usually made up of antagonistic/s, which helps move the narrative onward, overcoming complications.

  

Romance:  In a Romance film the Antagonist/s are usually character's who harm/rival the love interest, through disagreement or jealousy with the past relationship, friends and family are example characters of this.Protagonist/s of a Romance genre movie are conventionally a hetero-sexual couple , being either youth (teenagers) or young adults.The stock characters would again be family or friends.This is because, stereo-typically, a Romance film would have both/or a confident attractive friend and a Gay/Restrained friend.