Genre and the Hollywood Industry

Genre and the Hollywood Industry

The word genre is originally French, and it simply means kind or type. It is related to the word genus, which is used in the biological sciences to classify groups of plants and animals. Origins

Genre and Film When we speak of film genres, we re indicating certain types of movies. Science Fiction Action Comedy Romance Musical Western War Spy

What characteris5cs seem to determine genres? narra$ve - similar (some5mes formulaic) plots and structures, predictable situa5ons, sequences, episodes, obstacles, conflicts and resolu5ons; characteriza$on - similar types of characters (some5mes stereotypes), roles, personal quali5es, mo5va5ons, goals, behaviour; basic themes, topics, subject maeer (social, cultural, psychological, professional, poli5cal, sexual, moral), values...;

se/ng - geographical and historical; iconography (echoing the narra5ve, characteriza5on, themes and seing) - a familiar stock of images or mo5fs, the connota5ons of which have become fixed; primarily but not necessarily visual, including décor, costume and objects, certain 'typecast' performers (some of whom may have become 'icons'), familiar paeerns of dialogue, characteris5c music and sounds, and appropriate physical topography;

and filmic techniques - stylis5c or formal conven5ons of camerawork, ligh5ng, soundrecording, use of colour, edi5ng etc. (viewers are onen less conscious of such conven5ons than of those rela5ng to content).

Less easy to place in one of the tradi5onal categories are mood and tone (which are key features of the film noir). mode of address, which involves inbuilt assump5ons about the audience, such as that the ideal viewer is male (the usual categories here are class, age, gender and ethnicity); As already noted, in addi5on to textual features, different genres also involve different purposes, pleasures, audiences, modes of involvement, styles of interpreta5on and text-reader rela5onships.

What do genres do? Genres provide a form of implied contract between the producer of content and the audience An audience member knows what to expect Shared genre knowledge allows producers to draw on content from related texts without extensive exposi5on. Efficiency of presenta5on Audience members can enhance their experience by supplemen5ng the immediate viewing experience by recalling content they found enjoyable in the past. The interrela5ons of the prior and current content may generate even further enjoyable experience through imagina5ve recombina5on. Intertextuality

Expectations of Genre Audiences expect the genre film to offer something familiar, but they also demand fresh variations on it. The filmmaker may devise something mildly or radically different, but it will still be based on convention. The interplay of convention and innovation, familiarity and novelty, is central to the genre film.

Guide for produc5on Audience expecta5ons and exis5ng genre texts provide a guide for the produc5on of new narra5ves within the genre New texts within a genre always play off of and against exis5ng characteris5cs of the genre While adhering strictly to the rules of the genre tends to generate boring content, breaking all the rules leads to confusion and a nega5ve viewing experience

How are Genre Categories Used? They affect industry officials decisions about what films to make. They are shorthand for the media to characterize a film under discussion. For viewers, genre often provides a way of finding a film they want to see.

Marketed by Genre

What Places a Group of Films in a Genre? Subjects or themes A gangster film centers on large scale urban crime. A science fiction film features technology beyond the reach of contemporary science. A Western is usually about life on some frontier. Horror films feature a monster that threatens humans, often as punishment for folly. Sports films usually climax with a big game.

Other Ways of Categorizing Yet subject matter or theme is not so central to defining other genres. Musicals are chiefly recognizable by their manner of presentation. Detective films are partly defined by their plot patterns, including the protagonist. Some genres are defined by the distinctive emotional effect they aim for: amusement in comedies, tension in suspense films.

Genre Conventions Genres are based on a tacit agreement among filmmakers, reviewers and audiences. What gives films of similar type some common identity are shared genre conventions that reappear in film after film, such as swords in a Samurai film.

Examples of Genre Conventions Mystery films will contain an investigation. Revenge plotlines are common in Westerns. The gangster film usually centers on the gangster s rise and fall as he struggles against police and rival gangs. Biopics will contain major episodes in the main character s life.

Thematic Conventions Other genre conventions are thematic: Hong Kong Martial Arts films celebrate loyalty and obedience. A standard theme in the gangster film is the price of success. The Western often emphasizes the loner status of the hero, whose individualism is both representative of the American spirit and anathema to the community.

Conventions of Technique Still other genre conventions involve characteristic film techniques: Somber lighting in the thriller or horror film Rapid cutting and slow motion violence in the action film Poignant music in a melodrama High contrasts between light and shadows in film noir Sweeping cinematography in an epic

Iconography As a visual medium, cinema can also define genres through conventional iconography, which consists of recurring, symbolic images that carry meaning from film to film. A Tommy gun in a gangster movie Swords and kimonos in a samurai film Spaceships in science fiction John Wayne in a Western A kiss in a romantic comedy

The Broadness of Genres The question of categorization is complicated by the fact that genres can be more or less broad. We refer commonly to thrillers, yet that term may encompass horror films, cop movies, or hostage films such as Die Hard and Speed, among many others. Comedy likewise encompasses a number or different kinds of films.

Subgenres of Comedy Romantic comedy Slapstick Farce Parody Satire Black comedy Teen comedy Gross-out comedy Musical comedy Sex comedy

Genres are Flexible Genres are flexible, subject to constant process of change and adaptation. Generic boundaries can never be rigidly defined, and all generic groupings are susceptible to extensive subdivision. Oklahoma! (1955), for instance, is both a Western and a musical, and to suggest that it should be excluded from either category on the grounds that it belongs in the other would be to use genre classification in a very reductive fashion. Richard Maltby, Hollywood Cinema

Not an Exact Science Genres in film are really are only convenient terms that develop informally. Filmmakers, industry decision makers, critics and viewers all contribute to creating genres. Genres also change over time. Because of all this, defining genre boundaries can be tricky.

Straddling Several Genres Films often seem to straddle several genres. Is Groundhog Day (1993) romantic comedy or fantasy? Is Alien (1979) horror or science fiction? What about Being John Malkovich (1999) or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)?

Setting the Standard Most cinema genres and subgenres become established when one film achieves success and is widely imitated. After several films that resemble one another appear, people begin to compare and group them. Recent examples include: Blaxploitation (1970s) Slasher films and teen comedies (1980s) Gross-out comedies and indie films (1990s) Torture Porn (2000s)

Examples of Cycles Disaster movies in the 1970s Teen movies, slasher films, and buddy/cop movies in the 1980s. Urban black-themed films in the early 1990s. Comic book movies in the 2000 s.

Life of a Genre Cycle Rather than dying out, genres usually pass out off fashion for a time, only to return in updated form. The sword and sandal epic, popular in the 1960s, returned with Gladiator (2000). Science fiction, popular in the 1950s, came back with Star Wars in 1977. The Western seems to briefly come back about every ten years, since its mid-20th century heyday.

Genre Mixing A genre may also change by mixing its conventions with those of another genre. Science fiction and horror in Alien (1979) Teen movie and musical in Hairspray (2007) Science fiction and comedy in The Hitchhiker s Guide to the Galaxy (2005) and Sleeper (1973)

Social Trends Because genres are so frequently changing they often respond quickly to social trends. Depression-era comedies often reflected social inequality. Recent films such as 50 First Dates (2004) and Wedding Crashers (2005) have been tailored to a generation of single twentysomethings. 1950s monster movies reflected fears of nuclear energy and racial integration.

Hollywood s Complex Reflection One way of appreciating Hollywood s complex reflection of, and influence on, American culture is by looking at how such everyday phenomena as the family, romance, heroism, femininity or childhood have been represented in different genres at different times. Richard Maltby, Hollywood Cinema

Film within a Media Environment There has been a major shift in cinema, in how films work, at least in Hwd. Increasingly, films are no longer just films. A film no longer considered as a single product (much less as a work of art). Rather, part of a larger marketing strategy, which profits not just from theatrical box office, but from a wide range of ancillary media and products.

The Economics of Filmmaking The goal of Hollywood filmmaking is no longer simply to make money at the box office. Rather, the goal is to make films that can generate revenues from multiple media (video, television, music, theater, books, computer games) and licensing of ancillary products.

Media Conglomeration Generating profits from multiple revenue streams has become increasingly important as Hollywood studios have become part of larger media corporations. Moreover, each media form serves to crosspromote the others: what is called Synergy. This cross-marketing also extends to other companies, who advertise the film in exchange for "product placements" within the film or by advertising "tie-in" products based on the film.

The Hollywood Conglomerate All the major film studios owned by global corporations/conglomerates: Viacom/Paramount, Time Warner, Fox/News Corp, Sony, Disney, Comcast/NBC Vertical integration returns: Studios buy megaplexes Vertical Integration: control all levels Production: making of movies, sold by the foot Distribution: deliver films Exhibition: display films Horizontal integration across media markets: TV, DVD, Web. Diversification: Product Placement, Promotional Tieins, action figures, etc.

Basics of Distribution Distribution = the practice and means through which certain movies are placed in theaters, in video stores, or on television and cable networks (usually released with target audience in mind) Distributor: company that acquires the rights to a movie from the filmmakers or producers and then makes the film available to audiences by renting or selling the film to theaters or networks Premier of Feature Film (primary attraction, 90-120 minutes) Saturated Release = as many locations as possible Wide Release = couple thousand theaters Limited Release = few screens at first (platforms)

THE SPORTS FILM

Values What values are held dear and which are seen as less important or portrayed as harmful? When values are in conflict, which are presented as beeer or more effec5ve? Love v. honor Responsibility v. caring

Channeling Emotions Genre conventions arouse emotion by touching on deep social uncertainties, but then channel those emotions into approved attitudes. Unfortunately sometimes these approved attitudes are uncritical on how genres represent such issues as race, class, gender and sexuality.

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