Section 3.2- Genre

Critical and theoretical analysis of media texts

A genre has characteristic features that are known to and recognised by audiences. The same formula is applied time and time again.

Examples of genres for TV shows:

• Westerns
• War films
• Soap operas
• Crime drama
• Game shows
• News
• Reality

There is also subgenres within genres. Spaghetti westerns, Hammer horror and James Bond films are examples of this.

What makes a genre attractive to audiences? Expectations are fulfilled and they can predict what will happen next.

Why do producers like to work within a genre?  Communication with the audience is instant as key components are easily recognised, this also means there is no need to set up characters and plots as the audience already recognise.

For a genre to become established, certain conventions need to become identifiable in general consciousness of the audience.

Key Components:

• Stock characters
• Stock plots, situations, issues and themes
• Stock locations and backdrops
• Stock props
• Recognisable music
• Generic conventions (What all the above make up)

Disadvantages of Genre:

• Formulaic media texts
• Texts that do not fall into line have problems getting shown
• Texts that are not easily categorised are difficult to sell

Summary:

Genres function according to rules and conventions. They respond to these rules and conventions by developing formulas and patterns. Over time, these formulas and patterns may begin to dominate the way we see.

A brief history of Horror movies: Horror movies began in the 1890's by a film pioneer called Georges Melies. Horror movies were inspired from authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley. The horror genre often overlaps with the fantasy, supernatural fiction and thriller genres. Horror movies started as silent short movies, one of the first horror films was Le Manoir du Diable which was made by Georges Melies and is still considered as one of the best horror movies of all time. Though the word "horror" to describe the film genre would not be used until the 1930s, after Universal Pictures released Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931), Hollywood dramas often used horror themes.

Rules to making a horror movie: 

• Pick a main character
• Pick a sidekick and make them bicker and compete
• Pick a universal moment
• Pick a location
• Pick a inciting incident
• Pick a ghost
• Pick a nightmare
• Pick a trap
• Pick the moment the sidekick dies
• Pick the confrontation