Daniel Chandler (2001) argues that the word genre comes from the French word for 'kind' and 'class'. The term is widely used in rhetoric, literally theory, media theory to refer to a distinctive type of 'text'.
All genres have sub-genres divided up into more specific categories that allow audiences to identify them specifically by their familiar and what became recognisable characteristics.
Barry Keith Grant (1995)
- costume
- props
- spheres of narrative action
Steve Neale (1995) stresses that 'genres are not systems they are processes of systematisation, e.g. they are dynamic and evolve over time.
1922 - Nosferatu
Represented vampires
1994- Interview with the vampire
Changes - colour, sound, setting (Gothic south) focus on the vampire as the protagonist.
Have to change otherwise become commercially unsuccessful.
Generic characteristics across all texts share similar elements of the below depending on their medium;
- typical mise en scene
- typical types of narrative
- typical genre types
- typical studios
- typical personnel
- typical sound design
- typical editing style
- key - important elements, less important elements of minimal purpose.
comedy and animation are not genres, they are styles or treatments. Jason Mittell (2001) argues that genres are cultural categories that surpass the boundaries of media texts and operate within the industry, audience, and cultural practises as well.
Genres are cultural boundaries for example '99 Problems - Jay Z'
Icons that are associated with a certain culture are then recognised in certain genres.
Reflection of there ideology
Genre does not operate within a text but represents society.
The strengths of Genre theory
- everybody uses it and understands it, media experts use it to study media texts, the media industry uses it to develop and market texts and audiences use it to decide what texts to consume.
useful critical tool, applied across a wind range of texts.
Christian Metz (1974)
- experimental stage
- classic stage
- parody stage
- deconstruction stage
music videos is a medium intended to appeal directly to youth subcultures by reinforcing generic elements of music genres. they are called pop promos as they are used to promote a band or artist. Postmodern texts whose main purpose is to promote a star persona (Dyer 1975).
experimental
controversial
Genre Themes (David Bordwell 1989) 'any theme may appear in any genre'
Horror films - modern fairy tales often act as morality
Youthful audience;
- Teen angst
- rebellion
- romance
- sex
- nostalgia
- coming of age rituals
- bullying
- the currency of 'cool'
- friendship
- war
- crime
- poverty
- capitalism
- racism
Genres are not fixed - they constantly change and evolve over time, David Buckingham (1993) argues that genre is not ...... simply 'given' by the culture : rather, it is in a constant process of negotiation and change.
No comments:
Post a Comment