1. Genre and Captain
America

2. What is Genre?
Definitions:
• “A type or category of media text” (G Burton,
2000)
• “patterns/forms/styles/structures which
transcend individual films and which supervise
both their construction by the film-maker and
their reading by an audience” (T Ryall)
• A formula
• A “toolbox” or blueprint for producers of media
texts

3. Where Do Film Genres Come From?
• F
il
m
• As the public appetite for film grew, film companies neededg
to be able to mass produce films – quickly and efficiently.e
n
r
• Genre was the ideal vehicle to achieve this as it acted as a
e
“recipe” for a film, once the genre was known. s
e
v
• Genre originally became important because of the economic
o
forces at work within the film industry – make popular films
l
as cheaply and as quickly as possible!
v
e
d
a

4. How Do We Recognise a Genre?
• Each genre has its own codes and conventions – it has
its own “repertoire of elements” – that audiences use to
identify the genre.
• These elements that give a genre its distinctive shape can
be broken down into the following sub-headings:
• Typical characters
• Typical settings/ locations/ mise-en-scene (time and place)
• Typical iconography (props/ costume)
• Typical media language
• Associated stars and directors
• Typical plots and narrative sequences
• Typical ideologies and themes

5. • The “repertoire of elements” acts as a pool of possibilities – a
film in a certain genre does not have to use every single
element to be classed as belonging to that genre – it simply
needs to use enough to be recognised as being a horror film or
a sci-fi. Members of a genre need to share a passing family
resemblance, they do not need to be clones of each other!
• Any film, thus, takes a kind of “pick and mix” approach to
genre
• It is the presence of these genre markers that allow us to
identify and label a film for what it is

6. Task 1: Spot the Genre…
You will now look at some stills/posters from a range of
films. You will need to identify the film’s main genre and
list the different elements that have helped you to do so.

11. Hybrids and Sub-Genres
• Many films and other media products
nowadays do not just stick to one
particular genre. Most will mix
together several different genres to
create a hybrid.
• For example, The Hunger Games
(2012) combines elements of science
fiction, action-adventure, romance,
thriller and rites of passage genres to
create a generic hybrid.
• Hybrids
appeal
as they
allowHunger Games Trailer
a
film-
maker
to

12. • Note that some genres have
become so large and varied that
they contain a number of sub-
genres.
• A sub-genre is a distinctive
group of films within a genre.
• They share some features in
common with other films within
the parent genre but they tend
to use a similar but much more
limited repertoire of elements
than the parent genre permits

13. • For example, gothic horror is a
distinctive sub-genre of the horror genre
• Films within this sub-genre all tend to
display a strong resemblance to each
other and stick to a limited range of:
 horror characters (vampires/ draculas/
innocent female victims/ a hunter),
 storylines (monster threatens victim and has
to be tracked down and stopped)
 settings (castles, gothic mansions, set in the
past)
• The horror genre has a much wider
range of elements but the sub-genre
tends to stick to a more specialised
selection.

14. Task 2: Genre in Captain America
1.Captain America is a typical generic
hybrid – what genres are evident in the
film?
2.Take each genre in turn and identify
which of the repertoire of elements/
codes and conventions are used and help
us to identify the genre/ sub-genre. Use
the list of different elements to help
develop a full list for each genre. Find a
visual way to display your answers here.
3. How easy is it to identify the genres? Why do you think this
is important?
4. Explain why you think this Hollywood film has opted for a
hybrid and why you think it has opted for this particular
mix of genres.

15. Task 3: Getting More Theoretical
•Read the hand-out entitled ‘How Do
We Identify Genre?’ and ensure that
you get the distinction between
semantic and syntactic approaches to
genre.
•What do you think – which features
do you think help us identify genre
accurately – semantic or syntactic
ones? Give reasons for your response
and write your ideas in the box at the
end of the hand-out.
•Apply these approaches to Captain
America – which has been most
significant in helping you identify
genre?

16. How Do Genres Work?
• “Genres are created through repetition and recognition
leading to anticipation and expectation.” (G Burton, 2000)
• Through repetition over the years, we come to associate
certain features with certain genres. The genre becomes
codified.
• Repetition makes us familiar with a genre and allows
audiences to recognise and identify a genre.
• Eventually it only takes a few clues to allow us to work
out a film’s genre.
• Genres, therefore, work precisely because they are so
predictable.

17. Task 4: I Predict….
•Look at the next two slides
and identify the key genre
first of all.
•Then try and predict what
you think will happen in the
film, based on how these
genres usually work and what
the codes and conventions
seem to be hinting at.

20. Task 5: Predicting Captain America…
•Look at the poster for Captain America on the next
slide and see if you can identify how the poster signals
genre and how this can help build anticipation for the
rest of the film
•Does the poster enable you to make fairly accurate
predictions about what will happen using ideas about
genre?
•How do you think it helps a film that audiences can
immediately identify the genre and predict with a high
degree of accuracy what will happen?

22. Why Are Genres Useful?
Task 6: Uses of Genre (Audiences/Producers)
•See if you can list reasons why genre is a useful
concept for the audience of a film like Captain America
– how do audiences use genre?
•Then see if you identify how genre is a useful tool for
film producers. You may want to consider how it could
help at the pre-production, production and post-
production stages of film-making.

23. Genre is useful for an audience because:
• It helps us select a film with a high degree of it being
satisfactory – we tend to stick to what we like!
• It sets up expectations of what we will see – this gives
us a reason to view a film – to see if it meets our
expectations or not
• If these expectations are met, we feel clever and satisfied;
if they are thwarted/ denied, we may enjoy the surprise.
Thus, whether a film lives up to its genre expectations or
pulls fast one is central to our viewing pleasure.
• Genre also helps audiences to interpret and
understand what they see in a film – it helps us follow
what is happening and makes us feel comfortable with
what we are viewing.
• Genre also helps us evaluate what we see – we measure
its success in terms of how it relates to the genre
template

24. Genre is useful to producers because:
•In the pre-production phase it
allows decisions to be made
about what films to greenlight –
often films are selected on the
basis of what films are currently
doing well, in an attempt to cash
in on their popularity. This is
known as “the circle of
pleasure and profit” (G Burton,
2000)
•It is also useful in raising finance
for a new film – investors like
genres that are likely to make
money.

25. • In the production phase, genre is useful
because it provides a framework to flesh out
the film – once the genre is known, you know
what sort of story you will have, what sort of
characters etc.
• It can help with the casting, as certain actors
are linked to certain genres and will give the
film credibility
• It may help assemble the best personnel/
crew for making the film. Often certain
technical personnel gain expertise within a
certain genre – if they are re-used on a film, it
can make the creation of the film more
efficient.

26. • In the post-production
phase, genre is helpful in
terms of marketing a film –
you know where to place your
publicity materials and have a
ready made audience for your
film.
• It can also help film critics to
review a film, as it gives them
a standard to compare the film
to.

27. Why Are Genres Useful? A Summary
• Genres are highly useful to audiences and producers
• Their main function is to minimise risk all round
• For the audience, they minimise the risk of
dissatisfaction
• For the producer, they minimise the risk of financial
failure

28. Task 7: Uses of Genre (Short Essay Style Question)
Why has genre been useful for the producers and audiences
of Captain America?
(This task is really a recap task but gives you the opportunity
to write a short essay style question)

29. Why aren't genres boring?
1.Genres aren't boring because…
• Essentially we are creatures of habit
– we know what we like and tend to
stick with it
• We feel comfortable with the familiar
• So, ironically, the repetitive element
in a film is one of its attractions
rather than one of its turn-offs!
• However, if a film is too formulaic,
too “samey” in its approach to genre,
it often fails or is criticised, so, to
succeed, a film can’t just copy every
other film in the genre. Too much
repetition can be a bad thing!

30. Task 8: What’s The Same?
•What other films would fans of Captain
America like?
•What are the repeated features that this
suggests they enjoy and actively seek out
in a film?
Here are a few trailers for similar films to
help you identify common features:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=atCfTRMyjGU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=g8evyE9TuYk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=eOrNdBpGMv8

31. 2.Genres aren’t boring because…
• Most examples of a genre don’t just make a carbon
copy of a previous film. Most films combine the:
•“familiar and the unexpected” (G Burton, 2000)
•“same but different” (Nick Lacy)
• Alongside familiar elements, we find something new,
something different and this is enough to make us
enjoy the film. This adds a bit of novelty for the viewer
but not too much. It also makes it less risky for the
producer. Limited variation allows for a form of safe
experimentation.
• Genres are, thus, fluid and not static – they are elastic
constructs!

32. Task 9: What’s New?
Think about Captain America and its use of the
comic book superhero sub-genre of action-
adventure:
1.You have identified the features the film shares in
common with other similar films in the previous task.
2.Identify anything that it is added that is new to the
genre/ that makes the film unique.
3.How does the presence of both these elements (the
‘familiar and the unexpected’) help make the genre a
success with its fans?

33. Task 9: What’s New?
4. Can you identify how any of the other
superhero films you identified in the
previous task offer the viewers
something different? Your teacher will
show you a few clips to help!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=m4Utoe76Qv4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=rZQQgvhn4jg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=O5mxBaXHcFw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=1hPpG4s3-O4

34. • Note that the “something” new can be a small
alteration or addition to the basic formula or it can
be a larger scale merger with another genre – the
creation of a new hybrid.
• Over time, these small changes, if accepted, can alter
the core “repertoire of elements”. What is accepted as
part of a genre becomes part of an ongoing negotiation
between the producer and the audience. A producer will
add a new detail and, if the box office and reviews are
good, the new item is likely to be repeated and
eventually become an accepted part of the genre’s
elements.
• Genre becomes “an area of agreement between filmmaker
and audience” (John Kitses)

35. 3.Genres aren't boring because…
• They evolve over time – they are not static but fluid – they
alter and adapt to reflect the zeitgeist. Thus, genres are
always updating themselves to feel relevant. This helps
them continue to engage their audiences. This is vital for
genres that have been around for a long time – it stops
them becoming stale and boring, especially for fans who
have watched the same type of film for years.

36. Task 10: One Genre, Different Eras…
You are going to watch some clips from superhero films from
different eras to see how the genre has evolved.
•How has the genre changed over time to reflect changes in:
ofilm technology
osocial and political contexts (who we fighting against? What kind of
fear is highlighted?)
ogender roles
ohow America has been represented
• Why do you think the genre has changed/ adapted to the
era?

37. Genre Cycles
•Not all genres remain universally popular – eventually
• For example, the war film, the western and the musical
were all enormously popular in the 40s and 50s but later
dropped from our screens. There have been signs,
however, recently, that such films are beginning to
emerge again – any examples? Any ideas why?

38. •Theorists have identified a “life cycle” for a genre:
INTRODUCTION
ESTABLISHMENT
EXPERIMENTATION
PARODY / SPOOF
DECLINE
Task 11: Genre Cycles and Superhero Films
How do you think this model applies to the superhero film
genre? When do you think the current phase began?
Which stage do you think the genre is currently at?

39. Genre as Myth
• Genres can also appeal because they are like myths
• Myths are stories a society creates to preserve key truths
and ideas that are important enough to be communicated
to future generations. They encode the stories we want to
hear – the ones that make us feel good. In an age before
print, stories were a good way to pass on these ideas in
an enjoyable form. Films today can be seen to fulfil the
same job – to encode and pass on messages that a
society’s members need to know.
• The Ancient Greeks told a lot of myths. Listen now to a
version of the Icarus myth and see if you can work out
what message it encodes.

40. • In Media Studies we have learnt to call these mythic
messages by another name – ideologies!
• Often different genres enact specific myths or ideologies
over and over again.
Task 12: What’s the Message…
You will watch a few clips from films and need to identify what
ideologies or myths they enact.
Pretty Woman: Ending
Terminator 2: Opening Scene

41. • Often these messages are dominant ideologies (ones
that most people subscribe to) and they, therefore,
often confirm to us what we already believe or want
to believe. These ideologies often function to
reassure us and make us feel safe – they act a little
like a comfort blanket.
• This may explain why certain genres become popular at
certain times – because they meet a nation’s emotional
needs at a certain time. It may also explain why we tend
to have favourite genres – ones that respond to particular
concerns and insecurities that we have as individuals.
• The film “Bruce Almighty”, a comedy, did better than all
expectations when it was released in 2003 – it cost $81
million to make and took over $484 million at the box
office. Can you think of any contextual reasons that may
have accounted for its surprise success?

42. • Some would argue that these myths that films offer us
simplify life and make it seem less threatening:
“Genre films work through important cultural myths
and fears by repetition, innovation and resolution.”
“At an ideological level – genres offer comforting
reassurance and the closing down of the complexities
of life”
(G Burton, 2000)

43. Task 13: The Mythological Messages of Superhero
Films
•Captain America is a superhero film.
•What sort of ideologies or myths do these films create for
their audiences? Think about a range of superhero films to
help get the overall ideologies here.
•The current cycle really started with Spiderman released in
2002. Since then we have seen a veritable slew of superhero
films:
Daredevil (2003), X-Men (2003/5/9), The Hulk (2003),
Hellboy (2004), Elektra (2005), Batman (2005/8),
Fantastic Four (2005/7), Superman (2006), Ghostrider
(2007), Ironman (2008/10), The Incredible Hulk (2008),
Thor (2011), The Green Lantern (2011), The Avengers
(2012)

44. •Can you think why the mythical reassurance films like these
offer their viewers may have contributed to their box office
success and the fact hat so many have become franchises?
(Think what event occurred in 2001 that might link to this
spate of films)
•Note that genres often reflect and interact with the zeitgeist
(spirit of the times) – which of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
are being met through consumption of superhero films?

45. Genre and Postmodernism
POSTMODERNISM refers to a
complex body of ideas about culture
and cultural artefacts like films.
Whistle While You Work
Enchanted: Happy Working Song

46. Genre and Postmodernism
Task 13: Postmodernism and
Genre
•Read the sheet ‘Postmodernism and
Genre’
•Are there any examples of a
postmodern use of genre in Captain
America?
•If so, what does this offer the
audience?

47. Genre: A Useful Tool or Not?
• Genre is often an important way of describing a text –
Wikipedia and IMDB often start by noting what genre(s) a
film belongs to. A film is often marketed by a trailer being
shown before films of similar genres. A film is often
reviewed by being compared to its genre template – it can
offer a fresh new twist or it can be slammed for being too
derivative…
• Genre is so widespread that we tend to assume that it must
be a useful and helpful tool to describe media texts. There
are, indeed, many reasons to suggest that this is so but
there are also some reasons that make a case for genre
being an unhelpful way to view a film.

48. Task 14: Usefulness of Genre as a Theoretical Construct
• Draw up reasons that show that genre is a useful concept
and see if you can find any reasons to support Richard
Coe’s claim about the ‘tyranny of genre’.
• Read the sheet ‘How Useful Is Genre?’ and add any ideas to
your list from the previous task to get a good overview
about the advantages and limitations of using genre to talk
about a film.
• Reflection Point: do you find analysing Captain America in
terms of genre helpful or not? Once you pigeon-hole it as
mainly action-adventure does this constrain how you
interpret or respond to the film?

49. Final Note:
•Note that we have considered genre solely in relation to film
here.
•Of course, genre can be applied to lots of different media
texts – TV, newspapers, music, magazines…..The genres
may be different but the ideas will remain the same
•For your research for MS4, you may choose to study genre
and may need to apply these ideas to other media than film!