Genre Theory...

In our class discussion we talked about the 'Theory of Genre'

The first question was: What is Genre?
Genre means a kind or a type.

We were asked to list as many genres we could, here is a list of mine and a few of my classmates:

• Vampires (Twilight)
• Documentary
• Horror
• Thriller
• Action
• Comedy
• Romance
• Cartoons
• Romantic Comedy
• SCI-FI
• Western 
• Fantasy
• Musicals

Music Genres:

• R & B
• Classical
• Pop
• Rap
• Hip-Hop 
• Jazz

Genres have characteristics features (certain things are linked/ the style of it)that are known to and recognized by audiences. (If they are aware of the genre). This formula is reproduced again and again. For example in Western we see similar characters, situations and settings. (A man on a horse with hat in a countryside)

Audiences and Genres

Why do audiences find genres satisfying?

Audiences develop an understanding that certain expectations may be fulfilled and they may find pleasure in predicting what will happen next. "It is not always about Narrative"

Example:

The Film 'Scream' tells us the 'rules' (Highlights genre- what the game is) of the genre- what's going to happen and the shows it happening. This movie is extremely clever postmodern movie as Scream begins within a film and the characters continuously talks about horror movies. It constantly makes references to other horror movies and it reminds the audience that it is just a movie.

Audiences recognise the key elements or conventions of a genre and respond accordingly. These key elements are called Paradigm. (Villain coming back from the dead)

There are two types of paradigm:

1. Iconographic: signs and symbols. (e.g the costumes, props and settings in a western) In Scream, the props were masks, knives and telephones)

2. Structural: how structures in the text deals with issues such as ideology and gender (e.g how gender is represented in a Rom-Com) This could be the representation of characters, e.g Women that are pure survived and those who are sexually active were killed. The women are seen as "an object of erotic desires" through the male triple gaze.

Genres appeal to a certain target audiences. For example Soap Operas such as Eastenders, Coronation street and Romantic Comedies, Sex and the City apply mainly to females. Whereas BBC News or Sports will apply to males.
Genre tends to become "tired" over a time (They go out of fashion however few years late they are re-introduced)  with the audiences becoming less interested. Dracula was a movie releases years back and the fashion of vampires came back with 'Twilight Saga"

Christina Metz identified four phases:

1. The Initial Phase
2. The Classical Phase
3. The Declining Phase
4. The Parody Phase (Comedy) 

An example of these four phases:

• The Disaster Movie
• Initial- Airport
• Classical- The Towering Inferno
• Declining- Airport' 80 The Concorde
• Parody- Airplane 

Clearer examples are found in more of the western and horror movies.

EXAMPLE!

Questions:

-Which genres on television are currently the most popular?

-Why are they popular?

-Which Genres are most popular in the cinemas?

INSTITUTION AND GENRE

 Types of institution:

-Recording studios

-TV studios

-TV Company

Producers are of generic narratives depend in a certain amount of immediate communication with the audience. They want the narrative to be easily comprehensible. Genres that use key components that are easily recognisable are particularly important. E.G All 6 movie of 'STAR WARS' start exactly the same way.

Audiences know what to expect from a genre but at the same time they want some variations to prevent dissatisfaction and even boredom. Thus any text in a genre is a combination of the familiar and the unexpected. -(Too predictable = boring!) 

Key Components of Genre:

• STOCK CHARACTERS
• STOCK PLOTS, SITUATIONS, ISSUES AND THEMES (e.g McGuffin)
• STOCK LOCATIONS AND BACKDROPS
• MUSIC AND SOUNDS
• GENERIC CONVENTIONS 
• Female Fatale - Thriller?

Problems of Genre:

• Actually defining a genre is inherently problematic.
• E.g What is the difference between an action/adventure film and a Thriller? or between a thriller and horror film?
• Is 'Seven' a thriller, a horror film or a Film Noir?
• Is Film Noir a Genre?!

How can the audiences identify the genres?

Narrative Theory

What is a narrative?
Narrative is the way the story is organised.

Elements of Narrative:

• Time - What period of time does it cover? Flashbacks?
• Closure - A particular way of ending so that the audience leave the cinema pleased and satisfied - No cliff hangers!
• Enigma- The problems created 

In Real life we have lots of problems unfortunately we don't always end up with closure. e.g Breaking up? However media texts seem to have closure. For example CSI  where at the end all the problems/ mystery is solved.

A Classical Hollywood Narratives usually are:

1. Linear (in chronological order: beginning, middle and end)
2. Few , if any, sub-plots
3. Tendency towards closure 

Not all movies are linear, there are also non-linear movies. For example "Memento" this movie ends where it started. Another movie is "Pulp Fiction" which is an extreme postmodern movie, the narrative of this movie is complex as it is all over the place.

Theories of Narrative:

1) Tzvetan Todorov - A Bulgarian Theorist

• Equilibrium -"Everything is fine"
• Disruption- "Something interrupts/ Enigma is introduced"
• Resolution - Solving the enigmas
• New Equilibrium -Characters have moved on and new story...

A good example of this is seen in the movie "Outlaw Josey Wales"

The Equilibrium is  "Ploughing the fields with a happy family"
The Disruption is the "army of horses and houses on fire"
The Enigma is "Who are these people? Where has the wife gone> and Why did they take her?"

2) Roland Barthes
Barthes described all texts as complex "bundles" of unravelled to create a whole range of different meanings. (Different interpretations)

According to Barthes texts can be:
-OPEN: with numerous 'threads to pull'
-CLOSED:  with only one obvious thread to grasp

Texts that can be read in a number of ways are known as POLYSEMIC texts. "Can it be read in different of ways?"

These 'threads that Barthes referred to are known as 'narrative codes'.
The most significant of these codes is the enigma codes.This is constructed to attract and hold the attention of the audience normally by creating a mystery or puzzle that the audience want to see solved. (A problem is created to be be solved by introducing disruption phase. The Enigma code is usually introduced in the disruption phase of Todorov's model. Enigma codes are designed to attract and hold the audience's attention. For example the use of these is Reality shows such as X-Factor, Britain's Got Talent and Big Brother. Before announcing the winner or results there is often the two mins break or straight cut to adverts or camera shots on faces which causes mystery.

3) Vladimir Propp
"All stories have only 8 characters"

-Analysed Folk Stories
-Identified 8 Character roles in these stories.

These are the 8 identified Characters by 'Propp':

1. The Hero
2. The Villain
3. The Donor (Provider)
4. The Helper
5. The Father
6. The Dispatcher
7. The Princess
8. The False Hero.

Propp argued that the characters could fulfill more than one of these roles and there can be more than one of each character type.

THE THREE ACT STRUCTURE:

In Hollywood films, the narrative tends to be organised in what is called a "three act structure". The writer 'Sid Field' (also known as the 'SCRIPT-GURU') has identified what he calls the 'ideal Paradigm three act structure. (All structured in a movie)

1) The Set up
In this structure, a film must be set within the first twenty minutes before the main character or protagonist experiences a 'plot point' that gives him or her a goal that must be achieved.

2) The Confrontation 
Approximately half of the movie's running time must then be taken up with character's struggle to archive his/her goal: this is the 'confrontation' period. - Adventures?

Field also refers, sometimes to the 'Midpoint' a more subtle turning that happens in Act 2- the confrontation which often has an apparently devastating reversal of the main character's fortune. (e.g The hero gets captured but he escapes)

3) The Climax
The final quarter of the film (the third act) depicts a climatic struggle by the protagonist to finally achieve(or not achieve) his or her goal and the aftermath of this struggle. (The Hero takes in the villain)

Levi-Strauss
Levi-Strauss and Binary Oppositions 
Levi-Strauss argued that a structure of narratives was a dependence on binary oppositions. A conflict between two qualities or terms. (This could be seen in a Romantic Comedy - it is set up most of the time in movies). These binary oppositions can form basis of narratives. E.g Young vs Old, Women vs Men, Rich vs Poor and vice versa.

For Example: 'GENDER' - Narratives can be organised through binary oppositions of gender stereotypes.

Binary Oppositions (Levi- Strauss): Constructions of gender roles in narratives lead to a series of binary oppositions. 'Dominant vs. Subordinate'

DOMINANT (Powerful):

• Male
• White
• Middles Class
• Middle aged
• Heterosexual 
• Able-bodied

SUBORDINATE (Less Powerful):

• Female
• Other ethnic groups
• Working class
• The young, The old
• Homosexual, Bisexual
• Disabled.