1. Mohamed Ahmed 12U
What is genre?
Films use genre to tell a story line. Genre is helpful in limiting the scope for the viewer, writer and
director. The use of genre allows the audience to choose which types of films they want to see but
also by categorizing it based on its genre it makes it easier to promote the film to the audience.
People have different tastes in films for example someone’s might like watching romantic films over
action films or might enjoy the fear that strikes the audience in horror films. Because the audience
know what type of genre the movie is, they can appreciate the outcome of the film more by knowing
that a certain conflict will be resolved. Consciously and unconsciously the viewer is able to relate to
the some parts of the film they are watching with other films they may have watched in the past
that they liked and is within the same genre, which gives them a greater appreciation of the storyline
and outcome. It might seem weird that someone wants to watch a certain genre over and over again
especially if they can predict the end. However from personal experience we know that audience
likes to expect and experience certain emotions when they watch a film. Expecting to be thrilled,
laugh or even be scared is a big role in the choices the audience will make when choosing a film to
watch from such a massive selection of films which are available to them.
Genre was first made to just tell a well-known story with some minor differences. However as films
started to get more popular more films where getting changed to make them unique and original.
The development of a genre happens over time and the plots are frequently shown however there
are changes made in order for it to seem like the audience are watching new so they don’t get
bored. By repeating the genre frequently though out of the film it allows the film to be unique and
still easy for the audience to notice it easily. Every genre has different fundamentals in order for it to
stand out and from others such as story lines, settings, characterizations, style, star actors and
creative devices, for example stunts or action sequences. Every time the audience view a film with
elements from a genre it creates a certain disposition or mindset every time they see it. Therefore
when the audience watch a film they expect to see the repetition of story lines that involve repeated
subjects, styles and ideas but also an expectation for the audience regarding the characters and
visual styles they are about to see.