Genre
1) What example is provided of why visual iconographies are so important?
Film and TV westerns
2) What examples are provided of the importance of narrative in identifying genre?
A soap operas usually follow the story line of a family member dealing with a domestic situation such as having trouble with a boss at work. These situations could be shown in a serious way like making the boss the villain.
3) What is the difference between character representation in action movies and disaster movies?
In an action movie the hero tends to be a 'lone wolf' and is usually placed outside a supportive group and tends to work alone. For example James Bond, he's part of MI6 but is sent for missions alone. However, the disaster movie usually places the heroic role within a group of people. For example, Independence Day.
4) What are the different ways films can be categorised according to Bordwell?
Period or Country, e.g. US films of the 1930s
• Director / Star, e.g. Ben Stiller Films
• Technical Process, e.g. Animation
• Style, e.g. German Expressionism;
• Series, e.g. Bond;
• Audience, e.g. Family Films
Film and TV westerns
2) What examples are provided of the importance of narrative in identifying genre?
A soap operas usually follow the story line of a family member dealing with a domestic situation such as having trouble with a boss at work. These situations could be shown in a serious way like making the boss the villain.
3) What is the difference between character representation in action movies and disaster movies?
In an action movie the hero tends to be a 'lone wolf' and is usually placed outside a supportive group and tends to work alone. For example James Bond, he's part of MI6 but is sent for missions alone. However, the disaster movie usually places the heroic role within a group of people. For example, Independence Day.
4) What are the different ways films can be categorised according to Bordwell?
Period or Country, e.g. US films of the 1930s
• Director / Star, e.g. Ben Stiller Films
• Technical Process, e.g. Animation
• Style, e.g. German Expressionism;
• Series, e.g. Bond;
• Audience, e.g. Family Films
5) List three ways genre is used by audiences.
Prior knowledge- They use what they already know about a certain genre to anticipate if they'll like it or not
Compare a text- Compare one TV show to another one with a similar genre
Reject a text- They use their knowledge to avoid the genres they don't like
6) List three ways genre is used by institutions or producers.
Production- Genre is a template that producers follow. If they want to make a new sit-com, they have rules to follow which actually makes their life easier since they aren't creating something entirely new.
Attracting an audience- Some genres tend to have loyal fan-bases. People try new sit-coms only because it's new
Marketing text- Film trailers which attempt to define the genre of the film and then show as many of the codes and conventions in the trailer
7) What film genre is used as an example of how genres evolve? What films and conventions are mentioned?
Gangster films. An example is Reservoir Dogs
1) List five films the factsheet discusses with regards to the Superhero genre.
-Scott Pilgrim vs The World
-Super
-Spiderman
-Avengers Assemble
-Chronicle
2) What examples are provided of how the Superhero genre has reflected the changing values, ideologies and world events of the last 70 years?
- In the 1940s, Superman was shown needing to battle European bad-guys who threatened the peace and security of Metropolis. Even though he only wanted to live a quiet life, he was forced into conflict for the greater good.
- Superman battles against Lex Luther who is a wealthy businessman. This character appears first in the 1930s and then again in the 1978 film. It is also significant that Superman was raised in the community of Smallville. This sets him up in conflict with greedy, city values.
3) How can Schatz's theory of genre cycles be applied to the Superhero genre?
Innovation: The visual codes for the superhero genre were largely established via the comic books. As soon as film and TV began to use the comic book characters other codes and conventions regarding the presentation of the genre in moving image were set. This can be seen in the early superhero shorts of the 1940s.
Classical: By the 1950s the superhero genre could be seen to be in its classical stage with the codes and conventions being replicated in the film and TV programmes of the time.
Parody: Batman (1966) was intentionally funny and camp and wouldn’t let its audience take the superhero too seriously. After
Batman, the classical and parodic versions of the genre were largely located in children’s animation, from Spider-Man whose animated adventures were on TV from the late 1960s, to the less than serious versions of the genre in Mighty Mouse (a perennially popular cartoon first made in the 1940s), Atom Ant (from the late 60s), Captain Caveman (from the late 70s) amongst many, many more.
Deconstruction: Superman (1978) started a new cycle in the superhero genre with technology leading the innovation with special effects creating more realistic visual ‘miracles’. This brings the genre back to a period of innovation when new ideas and new developments create interesting new ideas within the genre.
The Cycle Continues: The next stage of the genre’s development was the rise of Marvel Studios with The X Men (2000) and Spider-Man in 2002 and DC’s return with Batman Begins in 2005 and Superman Returns in 2006.
Task 2: Genre analysis case study
Carry out your own genre analysis using the model provided by media theorist Daniel Chandler. Choose a film or TV text and answer the following questions - brief answers/bullet point responses are fine:
The Hunger Games
General
1) Why did you choose the text you are analysing?
-I chose The Hunger Games because I enjoyed the movies
2) In what context did you encounter it?
-I found it when looking through Netflix
3) What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the text?
-My interpretation was that this movie was going to be like a rollercoaster, which it was
4) To what genre did you initially assign the text?
-Sci-Fi and adventure
5) What is your experience of this genre?
-I love Sci-Fi movies, I find them really interesting
6) What subject matter and basic themes is the text concerned with?
-War and how civilisation was forced to partake is deadly activities
7) How typical of the genre is this text in terms of content?
-It fulfils the genre of it being adventure and sci-fi
8) What expectations do you have about texts in this genre?
-I expect films and TV shows in this genre to be exciting and the characters go somewhere to fulfil a goal by leaving their comfort zone
9) Have you found any formal generic labels for this particular text (where)?
-Sci-Fi, action, adventure and thriller- IMDB
10) What generic labels have others given the same text?
-Also sci-fi, action and adventure
11) Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text?
-There is a mentor figure being Haymitch in this film who helps Peeta and Katniss prepare for the games. The technology is also next level which makes it more sci-fi
12) To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre?
-The setting, characters
13) Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre?
-Near the end of the last movie
14) Which conventions seem more like those of a different genre (and which genre(s))?-The relationship between Katniss, Peeta and Gale and the love triangle between the them.
15) What familiar motifs or images are used?
-Good vs Evil
Mode of address
1) What sort of audience did you feel that the text was aimed at (and how typical was this of the genre)?
-I would say teens and young adults
2) How does the text address you
-As someone who who enjoys watching sci-fi, adventure movies
3) What sort of person does it assume you are?
-A person interested in the genre
4) What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and ethnicity?
-I wouldn't say any assumptions are made
5) What interests does it assume you have?
-An interest in action and fighting
Relationship to other texts
1) What intertextual references are there in the text you are analysing (and to what other texts)? Intertextuality is when a media product references another media text of some kind.
-The hunger games created a new version of dystopian sci-fi that was aimed at teens and younger people rather than older people.
2) In terms of genre, which other texts does the text you are analysing resemble most closely?
-The 100, maze runner
3) What key features are shared by these texts?
-The same genre mainly
4) What major differences do you notice between them?
-The different story-lines and character types
Prior knowledge- They use what they already know about a certain genre to anticipate if they'll like it or not
Compare a text- Compare one TV show to another one with a similar genre
Reject a text- They use their knowledge to avoid the genres they don't like
6) List three ways genre is used by institutions or producers.
Production- Genre is a template that producers follow. If they want to make a new sit-com, they have rules to follow which actually makes their life easier since they aren't creating something entirely new.
Attracting an audience- Some genres tend to have loyal fan-bases. People try new sit-coms only because it's new
Marketing text- Film trailers which attempt to define the genre of the film and then show as many of the codes and conventions in the trailer
7) What film genre is used as an example of how genres evolve? What films and conventions are mentioned?
Gangster films. An example is Reservoir Dogs
-Scott Pilgrim vs The World
-Super
-Spiderman
-Avengers Assemble
-Chronicle
2) What examples are provided of how the Superhero genre has reflected the changing values, ideologies and world events of the last 70 years?
- In the 1940s, Superman was shown needing to battle European bad-guys who threatened the peace and security of Metropolis. Even though he only wanted to live a quiet life, he was forced into conflict for the greater good.
- Superman battles against Lex Luther who is a wealthy businessman. This character appears first in the 1930s and then again in the 1978 film. It is also significant that Superman was raised in the community of Smallville. This sets him up in conflict with greedy, city values.
3) How can Schatz's theory of genre cycles be applied to the Superhero genre?
Innovation: The visual codes for the superhero genre were largely established via the comic books. As soon as film and TV began to use the comic book characters other codes and conventions regarding the presentation of the genre in moving image were set. This can be seen in the early superhero shorts of the 1940s.
Classical: By the 1950s the superhero genre could be seen to be in its classical stage with the codes and conventions being replicated in the film and TV programmes of the time.
Parody: Batman (1966) was intentionally funny and camp and wouldn’t let its audience take the superhero too seriously. After
Batman, the classical and parodic versions of the genre were largely located in children’s animation, from Spider-Man whose animated adventures were on TV from the late 1960s, to the less than serious versions of the genre in Mighty Mouse (a perennially popular cartoon first made in the 1940s), Atom Ant (from the late 60s), Captain Caveman (from the late 70s) amongst many, many more.
Deconstruction: Superman (1978) started a new cycle in the superhero genre with technology leading the innovation with special effects creating more realistic visual ‘miracles’. This brings the genre back to a period of innovation when new ideas and new developments create interesting new ideas within the genre.
The Cycle Continues: The next stage of the genre’s development was the rise of Marvel Studios with The X Men (2000) and Spider-Man in 2002 and DC’s return with Batman Begins in 2005 and Superman Returns in 2006.
Task 2: Genre analysis case study
Carry out your own genre analysis using the model provided by media theorist Daniel Chandler. Choose a film or TV text and answer the following questions - brief answers/bullet point responses are fine:
The Hunger Games
General
1) Why did you choose the text you are analysing?
-I chose The Hunger Games because I enjoyed the movies
2) In what context did you encounter it?
-I found it when looking through Netflix
3) What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the text?
-My interpretation was that this movie was going to be like a rollercoaster, which it was
4) To what genre did you initially assign the text?
-Sci-Fi and adventure
5) What is your experience of this genre?
-I love Sci-Fi movies, I find them really interesting
6) What subject matter and basic themes is the text concerned with?
-War and how civilisation was forced to partake is deadly activities
7) How typical of the genre is this text in terms of content?
-It fulfils the genre of it being adventure and sci-fi
8) What expectations do you have about texts in this genre?
-I expect films and TV shows in this genre to be exciting and the characters go somewhere to fulfil a goal by leaving their comfort zone
9) Have you found any formal generic labels for this particular text (where)?
-Sci-Fi, action, adventure and thriller- IMDB
10) What generic labels have others given the same text?
-Also sci-fi, action and adventure
11) Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text?
-There is a mentor figure being Haymitch in this film who helps Peeta and Katniss prepare for the games. The technology is also next level which makes it more sci-fi
12) To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre?
-The setting, characters
13) Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre?
-Near the end of the last movie
14) Which conventions seem more like those of a different genre (and which genre(s))?-The relationship between Katniss, Peeta and Gale and the love triangle between the them.
15) What familiar motifs or images are used?
-Good vs Evil
Mode of address
1) What sort of audience did you feel that the text was aimed at (and how typical was this of the genre)?
-I would say teens and young adults
2) How does the text address you
-As someone who who enjoys watching sci-fi, adventure movies
3) What sort of person does it assume you are?
-A person interested in the genre
4) What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and ethnicity?
-I wouldn't say any assumptions are made
5) What interests does it assume you have?
-An interest in action and fighting
Relationship to other texts
1) What intertextual references are there in the text you are analysing (and to what other texts)? Intertextuality is when a media product references another media text of some kind.
-The hunger games created a new version of dystopian sci-fi that was aimed at teens and younger people rather than older people.
2) In terms of genre, which other texts does the text you are analysing resemble most closely?
-The 100, maze runner
3) What key features are shared by these texts?
-The same genre mainly
4) What major differences do you notice between them?
-The different story-lines and character types
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