G321 - Genres and Generic Conventions

Genres are categorisations of films which allow audiences to identify similar films and therefore determine whether they are likely to go and see the film or not. A film's genre is dependent on the content of the narrative. However, the genre is established in the film opening (and throughout the film) through the use of generic conventions. Generic conventions are similar features which are used in the majority of other films within a certain genre and come in 3 forms; visual conventions (what we see), audio conventions (what we hear) and thematic conventions (themes we identify in the films narrative). Hybrid genres, such as romantic comedies, will contain generic conventions from both genres.

Horror
-Death
-Murder
-Blood
-Weapons
-Supernatural - Zombies/ Vampires/ Ghosts
-Isolated areas
-Low key lighting
-Antagonist usually a young child or an older male
-"Dumb blonde" figure - one of the first to die
-Attractive, young male protagonist/hero
-Chase scenes
-Bad weather


Thriller
-Slow intro music to build tension
-Crime at the core of the narrative
-Complex narrative structure
-Extraordinary events in an ordinary situation
-Themes of identity/mirroring
-Protagonists "flaws" exploited by antagonist
-Low key lighting
-Close ups
-Little revealed at a time


Comedy
-Bright colours
-High key/ naturalistic lighting
-Upbeat music
-Comical, stereotypical characters
-Simple narrative structure


Romance
-Calming, peaceful music
-Themes of marriages, break ups and love
-Slow pace
-Pink/ red colour themes
-Two-shots more common
-Residential/ industrial areas


Action
-Chase scenes
-Explosions
-Simple narrative
-Weapons
-Violence
-More experimental use of camera angles
-Protagonist vs Antagonist
-Evident hero


Western
-pistols/revolvers
-deserts/ open spaces
-cowboys
-horses
-bar fights
-train robberies
-saloons
-dutch angles
-cowboy shots
-naturalistic lighting


It is important for me to understand genre and how the different genres are presented as I will need to decide which genre my film opening is going to be. Further to this, I must ensure my opening encompasses as many of the generic conventions as possible so that both narrative and mise are able to reflect this to the audience easily.