http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/intgenre/intgenre.html
Film Genre
Film genre is an important concept for critics, film-makers and audiences, as well as media theorists. Film genre has both academic and practical applications as films are categorised by genre at every stage of their existence, from the initial approach the screenwriter takes, to where they end up on the shelves of your local store, to how their impact on cultural history is assessed. A lot of formal study has been conducted into the categorisation of film through various paradigms, and into how that categorisation informs our understanding of the film as text. There is also a lot of commercial interest in the way people classify and choose to watch movies — this is very important for the initial marketing of a movie, and for companies like Netflix or LoveFilm, who rely on genre categories to help their customers make their picks.
There are two basic approaches to the study of film genre:
Descriptive Approach to Film Genre
The first, and most straightforward approach to analysing film genre is descriptive, which involves viewing a film as belonging to a category, or as being an example of an established type. The film is perceived as sharing aspects and attributes (such as structure, theme, or visual style) with other films in the same category, and is analysed comparatively. This approach relies heavily on the use of genre paradigms, or readily identifiable elements such as costume, location, character archetypes, shot transitions, or plot content.
The descriptive approach involves putting a large number of films into a small number of groups — sometimes individual movies defy this kind of rigid categorization. Depending on how genre boundaries are drawn, a single film can be defined as belonging to several different genres at once. The descriptive approach sometimes means an over-emphasis on the formal and stylistic qualities of films, and doesn't take into account how a film's meaning and impact may change over time, and when viewed by different audiences. Genres can be as much about the differences between two films as about the similarities — if films are too similar to other examples within their genre, they're likely to be rejected by audiences as unoriginal.
Functional Approach to Film Genre
The second approach is functional, where the genre film is perceived as "collective expressions of contemporary life that strike a particularly resonant chord with audiences" (Experience & Meaning in Genre Films BK Grant, Film Genre Reader 1986). The repetitions of patterns in a genre film are the repetitions of social questions that we need answers to as part of our shared social experience e.g.
- What is frightening, or what possibilities do we fear? (horror films)
- What is criminal, or what are the boundaries of social morality that we must not cross? (gangster films)
- What is morality? (melodramas)
- What is acceptance and belonging? (romantic comedies)
- What is alien? (science fiction)
- What is the future? (science fiction again)
These questions get repeated from generation to generation, as values change. Therefore genre films are a product of their socio-historic context; watching them becomes a cultural ritual whereby hegemonic values are examined, and either shift or are reinforced.
A combination of these two approaches is perhaps the most successful one - whereby a film is considered as both part of a paradigmatic set, and as the product of a time and place.
I have started to think about ideas for my music video within the key concept areas, for genre I have thought about doing 'pop' music as I think this will be fun to make and I can use songs and actors which will produce this well
Music video Analysis
The music video 'You belong with me' by Taylor Swift has the genre of pop/country rock. It starts with narrative showing a boy on the phone whilst Taylors character looks through her window at him, they then hold up cards to each other as this is how they communicate ( they are neighbors). The narrative has a typical teenage film feel to it with Taylor dressed up as a nerd and then again plays the role of the boys evil/bitchy girlfriend, its clear from the start where the story is going- by the end of the video Taylors nerd character ends up with the boy.
Godwins theory is appropriate in the video, he proposed there to be a relationship with the visuals in the videos which amplify the lyrics and this is true here, the narrative story playing is guided by every line of the song, the video supports the lyrics and helps us as audience understand and identify with the artist and song more.
There is also evidence of close ups used on Taylor whilst the others are in the background, which again supports Godwins theory, and the locations and settings are typical of a pop genre music video, with high key lighting and bedrooms, school halls and park benches.
Voyeurism dosent really take place in this video as it is a young female singer, the girls in the video are portrayed as innocent as this type of genre does not portray woman in a real sexual way.
