Blog task 3 - media coursework A2
- 1. Genre
- 2. All about genre • Genre is very important to both film producers and films audience because producers need to engage their target audience to keep them interested. • The basic genres of film can be regarded as drama, in the feature film and most cartoons, and documentary. Most dramatic feature films, especially from Hollywood fall fairly comfortably into one of a long list of film genres such as the Western, war film, horror film, romantic comedy film, musical, crime film, and many others. Many of these genres have a number of sub-genres, for example by setting or subject, or a distinctive national style, for example in the Indian Bollywood musical. • The first ever movie genre was Western and was made in America. • Films before 1930’s where silent. • In 1940’s the films that where created where revolving war, these films where propaganda persuading young men to go into the war. • Genre is not just categories and subcategories, genre changes depending on the situation the world or most of the world are in at the moment.
- 3. Denis Mcquail and Christine Gledhill Denis Mcquail refers to the commercial and industrial significance of genres. This theorist suggested that genre helps the target audience of producers to capitalize on the success of previous films because the audiences may choose to see a film based on the genre or perhaps the content of the film, or even the actors in it. For example, the action film James bond. The actor Daniel Craig may interest an audience that like action films. Christine Gledhill notes that “differences between genres mean that different audiences could be identified and catered to. This makes it easier to standardise and stabilise production. To the mass media, genre is apart of the process of targeting different market sectors” Denis McQuail (born 1935) is an American communication theorist, Emeritus Professor at the University of Amsterdam, who is considered one of the most influential scholars in the field of mass communication studies. Christine Gledhill is an author and a feminist. She has a theory of rethinking genre and gender, she is currently a professor.
- 4. Cross genreCross genre is when 2 or more genres are involved in a film, such as romantic comedy. Red riding hood is a good example of cross genre, this film is crossed between dark fantasy, horror and thriller. These posters would attract the target audience because dark colours are used which is a code and convention of the horror genre. The only colours used are red white and black on both posters, the red on her cloak contrasts against the white snow, the red could also connote blood which is also a code and convention of horror. All of these things would interest the target audience and make them want to see the film. By using a well known actress will also entice the audience.
- 5. Cross genreFriends with benefits is another cross genre film but this time the genres which are infused together is romance and comedy. Both of these images are film posters. They are both your typical romantic posters, a couple as the main focus point but by Justin Timberlake's expression on his face and Mila Kunis’ smile you can tell that they are comfortable around each other and laugh. The above film poster is difficult to see their body language but you can just about make out that Mila Kunis is laughing again which would reassure the audience that they are going to get some comedy. The quote written over the above poster is a code and convention of romantic films. Again by using well known actors this films audience will widen.
- 6. Cross genreAliens in the attic is another cross genre film but the genres that have been infused this time are comedy and sci-fi Both of these posters are posters promoting Aliens in the attic. The codes and conventions of each poster are typical sci-fi and comedy. By using aliens it hints to us that it is sci-fi but because the main actors are teenagers or young children we know it will be a comedy, the back ground of the poster looks sci-fi because it is blue and highlights the aliens to suggest they are the main part of the film and are from out of this world.
- 7. Conventions of genre Well known actors who represent this genre: Adam Sandler – Comedy Jennifer Aniston – Romantic Bruce Willis – Action Clint Eastwood – Western Will Smith – Science fiction Harrison Ford – Adventure Genre changed and evolved over time, different genres come in and out of fashion every other day for example Western was the first ever genre for movies and now the most watched genre is Romantic Comedies or Horror Thrillers. Thanks to technology and our knowledge of the world we can produce amazing films.
- 8. Genre changes Just by looking at these two posters you an see the development of them over time. Both genres are horror, looking at Dracula you can tell the lack of technology and equipment they had but back when this poster was out this would terrify their audience because they didn’t know of anything scarier. If you look at the Dracula poster you can see that the woman is the target which contrasts with Jennifer’s Body because the woman is the main character who obviously doesn’t need saving. The codes and conventions of horror are still there in the Dracula poster for example the dark colours, the red colour around his head, but these days blood is the main code and convention of horror which is exactly what is dripping from Jennifer’s mouth.
- 9. Genre changes Both of these movie posters are promoting a romantic genre. Both posters contain the typical codes and conventions of Romance and love, in the Suzy poster they have not used actual actors it is just a painting or drawing of what the two may look like in the actual movie which suggests they didn’t have the technology we have today. In the Suzy poster the woman is all over the man representing men having dominance which was true in them days. P.s. I love you is a typical Romantic poster, the woman and the man look like they are totally in love with each other and they both look happy, the title of the film says it all really.
- 10. Genre changes Both of these posters are posters for films in the Sci-fi genre. Astro zombies shows typical conventions of film posters in these days, a woman who is in trouble and needs saving where as I robot is bout unnatural creatures which are obviously robots because of the title of the film and instead of just saving one girl he is saving the world.