Genre blog tasks

 1) What example is provided of why visual iconographies are so important? This is because genres are recognisable through the repeated use of generic codes and conventions ( audience recognises as shared characteristics of a genre). Codes and conventions come from iconographies (specific visual or aural media language choices).

2) What examples are provided of the importance of narrative in identifying genre? 

For example ,in a soap opera it wouldn't be unusual to see one of the storylines follow a family having to deal with a domestic situation ( a family member having trouble with their boss at work). The situation would be portrayed as serious and the boss will be conveyed as the villain as he would most likely act in an abusive manner.

3) What are the different ways films can be categorised according to Bordwell? 

 .Using prior knowledge of the genre to anticipate whether or not they are likely to enjoy a text.

 .Being able to compare shared characteristics with another film/text

 .

4) List three ways genre is used by audiences.

.An audience can use their knowledge of a genre to reject a text.text. For

many of us there will be genres we actively dislike and therefore

will avoid accessing texts we assume to hold those

characteristics.

.They can use their prior knowledge to anticipate whether or not they are likely to enjoy a text. This helps when

selecting a media text whether it is a lifestyle magazine, a film

or a television programme.

.Can compare a text with another through shared characteristics. If you try to describe a TV

programme to someone who has not seen it, you are likely to

define its genre and then clarify what other text it is similar to.

5) List three ways genre is used by institutions or producers. 

.Production:Genres are paradigms or templates media producers can follow.

If a media producer wants to produce a new sit-com, there are

certain ’rules’ that must be followed. This actually makes life

easier for writers and producers as they don’t have to invent

things from scratch. They can also look to successful examples

of the genre and attempt to replicate what was popular and, of

course, avoid the mistakes made by texts which have

disappointed the audience.

.Attracting an audience:

Some genres have loyal fan-bases. People will try out a new sit-

com simply because it’s a new sit-com and this can help media

producers minimise the potential for failure.

.Marketing texts:Good examples of this are film trailers which usually attempt to

clearly define the genre of the film and then show as many of the

codes and conventions in the trailer. This acts to attract fans of

the genre and set up the expectations of the film.

1) List five films the factsheet discusses with regards to the Superhero genre.

Avengers assemble (2013),  Scott pilgrim (2010), Chronicle (2012) ,  Super (2010) ,The flash on sky

2) What examples are provided of how the Superhero genre has reflected the changing values, ideologies and world events of the last 70 years?

At each period of time we can see the superhero offers slightly

different narratives. He faces different villains, has to overcome

different obstacles and has different types of relationships with the

women in his life. The superhero genre has to fit in with the dominant

values of the day if audiences are going to be able to relate to such

a fantastical story. Genres replicate cultural myths and fears and by

addressing them within stories a culture is able to play out those

fears and concerns. Genres offer ideological reassurance when the

narratives offer a resolution that addresses these fears and especially

when the fears are overcome. Conventional superhero texts tend to

show the hero defeating the enemy so this is often seen as one of the

more reassuring of genres.

3) How can Schatz's theory of genre cycles be applied to the Superhero genre?

• Innovation: The visual codes for the superhero genre were

largely established via the comic books. As soon as film and

TV began to use the comic book characters other codes and

conventions regarding the presentation of the genre in moving

image were set. This can be seen in the early superhero shorts of

the 1940s.

• Classical: By the 1950s the superhero genre could be seen to

be in its classical stage with the codes and conventions being

replicated in the film and TV programmes of the time.

• Parody: Batman (1966) was intentionally funny and camp and

wouldn’t let its audience take the superhero too seriously. It

had an ironic tone that flagged up the daft nature of the genre

and allowed the audience to enjoy the awareness of that. After

Batman, the classical and parodic versions of the genre were

largely located in children’s animation, from Spider-Man whose

animated adventures were on TV from the late 1960s, to the less

than serious versions of the genre in Mighty Mouse (a perennially

popular cartoon first made in the 1940s), Atom Ant (from the late

60s), Captain Caveman (from the late 70s) amongst many more.

Task 2: Genre analysis case study

General
1) Why did you choose the text you are analysing? I chose to analyse this text because it clearly portrays all the characteristics needed for an audience to know what genre it is.
2) To what genre did you initially assign the text? This movie is a hybrid genre of fantasy and horror.
3) What is your experience of this genre? My experience of this genre is that it usually consists of a villain and a superhero that saves everyone.
4) What subject matter and basic themes is the text concerned with? Darkness, mystery, adventure, anticipation.
5) How typical of the genre is this text in terms of content? The content of this is like a typical fantasy/horror movie as it includes a villain that looks uncanny and a character that saves everyone and is liked by everyone.
6) What expectations do you have about texts in this genre?
7) Have you found any formal generic labels for this particular text (where - try imdb.com if unsure)?
8) Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text? Abandoned room, old/creepy house, moving to a new town, receiving random doll that is identical to you.
9) To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre?
10) Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre? The text starts to depart from the conventions of the genre when Coraline starts to enjoy being with her other mother and father rather than her real parents.
11) Which conventions seem more like those of a different genre (and which genre(s))? When Coraline goes to her neighbours comedy show. This portrays conventions that links to the genre of comedy.
12) What familiar motifs or images are used? inhumane/animalistic, black cat, mystery character.

Mode of address
1) What sort of audience did you feel that the text was aimed at (and how typical was this of the genre)? I think that this movie was aimed at teenagers and younger children because it's not a scary movie but you can enjoy it with your family/friends.
2) What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and ethnicity? Teenagers are disrespectful to everybody. Girls can't work certain jobs because they're for men.
3) What interests does it assume you have? It assumes that we don't have a functioning brain and that our characteristics don't fit the job we want to do in the future.

Relationship to other texts
1) What intertextual references are there in the text you are analysing (and to what other texts)? Intertextuality is when a media product references another media text of some kind.
2) In terms of genre, which other texts does the text you are analysing resemble most closely? Another movie that resembles 'Coraline' is 'Corpse Bride' as it also has the genre of fantasy and has the theme of death/bringing people back to life.
3) What key features are shared by these texts? They both have the same genre and are also animations.
4) What major differences do you notice between them? One major difference is that 'Corpse Bride' is a little more graphic and contains more death than 'Coraline'.