GENRE is a system of classification whereby media types (or literary types, or whatever) are organised into groups according to shared characteristics.
What genre does this film belong to?
How do you know?
BUSCOMBE'S THEORY is a useful starting point when discussing genre. It states that one genre is differentiated from anothe by the ICONS associated with it; that is, the physical objects or symbols which we can see on the screen (or in the poster, in this case.) He also identified four areas to look for these icons:
Can you apply Buscombe's theory to the poster above?
What genre does this film belong to?
Both of the films above tell the story of an intruder into a community (a town / spaceship) which kills some locals (cowboys / astronauts) but is then killed by the hero / heroine (the gunslinger / surviving astronaut.) Buscombe would suggest that, apart from the icons, they are very similar in terms of story, narrative and even style.
However, there are other things - CONVENTIONS, or factors which we tend to associate with certain genres - which differentiate them. We might expect certain things from a sci-fi film, for example; certain character types, certain events to occur, genders to be represented in particular ways, certain camera shots, locations, types of music to appear. A CONVENTIONAL text - which most texts, certainly those produced by and for the mainstream, are - will follow many of the conventions. An UNCONVENTIONAL text will break or subvert many of the rules.
Genre nowadays can appear somewhat old-fashioned, especially when compared to older texts such as those films produced during the studio system era in Hollywood. Many texts are HYBRIDS - that is, they borrow from several genres. Take Scream as an example - horror, slasher, teen movie or comedy?
What genre does this film belong to?
How do you know?
BUSCOMBE'S THEORY is a useful starting point when discussing genre. It states that one genre is differentiated from anothe by the ICONS associated with it; that is, the physical objects or symbols which we can see on the screen (or in the poster, in this case.) He also identified four areas to look for these icons:
- LOCATION
- APPEARANCE (CLOTHING, HAIR, TATTOOS...)
- TOOLS (GUNS, CARS, MACHINES, COMPUTERS...)
- MISCELLANEOUS (ANYTHING ELSE!)
Can you apply Buscombe's theory to the poster above?
What genre does this film belong to?
Both of the films above tell the story of an intruder into a community (a town / spaceship) which kills some locals (cowboys / astronauts) but is then killed by the hero / heroine (the gunslinger / surviving astronaut.) Buscombe would suggest that, apart from the icons, they are very similar in terms of story, narrative and even style.
However, there are other things - CONVENTIONS, or factors which we tend to associate with certain genres - which differentiate them. We might expect certain things from a sci-fi film, for example; certain character types, certain events to occur, genders to be represented in particular ways, certain camera shots, locations, types of music to appear. A CONVENTIONAL text - which most texts, certainly those produced by and for the mainstream, are - will follow many of the conventions. An UNCONVENTIONAL text will break or subvert many of the rules.
Genre nowadays can appear somewhat old-fashioned, especially when compared to older texts such as those films produced during the studio system era in Hollywood. Many texts are HYBRIDS - that is, they borrow from several genres. Take Scream as an example - horror, slasher, teen movie or comedy?