Film genre

1
Film genre

• A recognizable type of movie, characterized by
  certain preestablished conventions.

2
Genre film categories

• Western
• Sci-fi film
• Thriller
• Love story
• Fantasy
• Film noir
• Coming-of age
• Screwball comedy
• Horror
• Mad slasher
• Buddy film
• Womans film
• Farce

3
Advantages of genre story telling

• Economy of storytelling
• Focus on archetypal ideas
• Comfort of the familiar
• Creativity within a norm
• Custom fit to ideas being explored

4
Disadvantages

• Trades in stereotypes and clichés
• Constricts creativity within a formula
• Eliminates narrative suspense or surprise

5
Westerns

• Foundation westerns
• Morality tales
• Nostalgic or ironic tales

6
Horror films

• Mad scientist films
• Slasher films
• Zombie films
• Human abomination films
• Ghost stories

7
Features of horror films

• Unfamiliar invading the familiar
• Threatening situations
• Nameless fears and anxieties
• Feelings of guilt
• Familiar terrain
• Contrast the known with unknown
• Creatures, monsters, crazed individuals
• Dissonant music
• Feelings of helplessness
• Safe world made unsafe made safe again

8
Science fiction

• Utopian
• Dystopian
• Near future
• Distant future
• Space westerns

9
Features of scifi films

• Confined by laws of physical universe (liberally
  interpreted)
• Engage in scientific discourse
• Engage in technological discourse
• Space travel
• Aliens
• Socio-political subtexts

10
Documentary

• Topical
• Polemical
• Artistic

11
Features of documentaries

• Nonfiction
• Actualities
• Documentation
• Window onto the world
• Always have a point of view
• Structured
• Has effect on events being filmed

12
Life cycle of genres

• Primitive
• Classical
• Revisionist
• Parodic
• Homage

13
Primitive

• Naïve
• Great emotional impact
• Establishes conventions
• The Great Train Robbery
• Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde
• The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
• Golddiggers of 1933

14
Classical

• Genres conventions well established
• Balanced and rich execution of conventions
• Stagecoach
• Dracula
• Frankenstein
• The Wizard of Oz

15
Revisionist

• Turn to symbolic
• Ambiguous relationship to values
• Complex
• More intellectual/less emotional
• High Noon
• Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nelly
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers

16
Parodic

• Mocks the conventions
• Exposes clichés
• Produces laughter
• Blazing Saddles
• Rocky Horry Picture Show
• Scary Movie

17
Homage

• Revisits the genre
• References conventions without mocking them
• Updates conventions
• Open Range
• Chicago
• The Ring

18
Comedy

• Uniqueness of appearances and plots
• Ability to affect audience attitudes
• Ability to generate laughter and good feeling

19
Comedy II

• Constructed public ritual that
• Generates laughter
• Enables us to acknowledge shameful desires
• Helps us recognize contradictory beliefs
• Subverts traditionally sanctioned self-delusions

20
Types of comedy

• Sight gags
• Screwball
• Slapstick
• Running gags
• Sentimental
• Romantic
• Black or dark
• Parody
• Satire