2. A2 Media Studies module 2735 OCR
• Many genres dominant in Britain
• Comedies such as Notting Hill and drams such as
Elizabeth, Much Ado about Nothing
• ‘Ethnic genre’ Bend it like Beckham
3. Concept of genre in film
• Genre means a type or category and when linked to
film, it represents a group of people that are linked
together
• Genres have conventions, set elements within film
• There can be shifts in genres
• During earlier times you can come across
stereotypical characters within genres
• Social groups may change… women are seen to be
more dominant in society
4. Viewers on Genre
• Viewers choose a film because they enjoy that
particular genre.
• They expect to see certain conventions in that genre,
preferably in a new way.
• Therefore, producers must meet these demands but
also compete with other films.
• Some producers follow a genre that does not incur
much financial cost
• Staying with the same genres may be quite
repetitive and dull
5. Key concepts & skills for media studies
• ‘Genre is the classification of any media text and category type’
• The idea that genre is continually changing, due to social change
and economic needs.
• There are uses of Hybrid combinations
• Iconography is used to help outline the features of a genre and
attempt to define it.
• Different theorists have different views of genre
• Ed Buncombe
• Colin McArthur
• Tom Ryall
6. ED Buscomb 1970
• He argued that film was a visual medium
• He believes that reoccurring codes and conventions
found in film such as, codes of dress, settings and
props are factors that should be used to define
Genre, Rather than a narrative structure
• For example, in a western film you would have a
dusty background/desert, horses, saddles, guns,
Cowboys…etc.
7. Colin McArthur 1972/ Tom Ryall 1978
• He also believed and drew attention to the
importance of cultural knowledge.
• The idea of expectation the audience has in being
able to recognise the conventions of a particular
genre
• Ryall argued that themes, characters and
iconography to be considered, when studying genre.
8. Stephan Neale 1980
• He argued that too much emphasis on iconography
should not be used, genre should be anchored by
narrative
• And playing a lot of importance to iconography
means not enough detail is used on camera angles,
editing and lighting.
