Barry Keith Grant (1995) said that they are divided up into more than specific categories that allow audiences to identify them by their familiar and what become recognisable characteristics.
Steve Neale (1995) stresses that "genres are not 'systems' they are processes of systematization" i.e. they are dynamic and evolve over time.
Generic characteristics across all texts share similar elements of the below depending on the medium:
- typical mise-en-scene/visual style
- typical types of narrative
- generic types i.e. typical characters
- typical studios/production companies
- typical personnel (directors, producers, cast etc.)
- typical sound design
- typical editing style
- important elements, less important elements, elements of minimal importance
NOTE: Comedy and animation are not genres they are styles or treatments!
Jason Mittell (2001) argues that genres are cultural categories that supplies the boundaries of media texts and operate within industry, audience and cultural practices as well. In short, industries use genre to sell products to audiences. Media producers use familiar codes and conventions that very often make cultural references to their audience knowledge of society.
Genre also allows audiences to make choices about what products they want to consume through acceptance in order to fulfill a particular pleasure.
Rick Altman (1999) argues that genre offers audiences 'a set of pleasures' which are as follows:
- emotional pleasures - the emotional pleasures offered to audiences of genre films are particularly significant when they generate a strong audience response
- visceral (physical) pleasures - 'gut' responses
- intellectual puzzles - trying to unravel a mystery or puzzle
The main strength of genre theory is that 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.
The potential for the same concept to be understood by producers, audiences and students makes genre a useful critical tool. Its accessibility as a concept also means that it can be applied across a wide range of texts.
Christian Metz in his book Language and Cinema (1974) argued that genres go through a typical cycle of changes during their lifetime:
- experimental stage
- classic stage
- parody stage
- deconstruction stage
Music video is a medium intended to appeal directly to youth subcultures by reinforcing generic elements of musical genres:
- music videos are postmodern texts whose main purpose is to promote a star persona (Dyer, 1975)
- they don't have to be literal representations of the song or lyrics
- they are called pop-promos as they are used to promote a band or artist
David Buckingham (1993) argues that 'genre is not...simply "given" by the culture: rather it is in a constant process of negotiation and change'.
David Bordwell (1989) said that 'any theme may appear in any genre'.
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