GENREIn Media

WHAT IS GENRE? A category of artistic, musical, or literary

composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content

In media terminology it can be judged by the codes, conventions, mise-en-scene and the style of the media content

Texts from different mediums may belong to the same genre (e.g. a TV programme like Dr Who and a comic book like The Incredible Hulk can both be categorized as Science Fiction.)

Genre does not rely simply on what's in a media text but also on the way it is put together (constructed). This can be important, for example, when distinguishing between a horror movie and a thriller, which can deal with similar subject matter, and look the same — lots of action set at night — but belong to separate genres (a horror film takes the audience into a supernatural place, where a thriller sticks to reality).

HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHICH TEXT BELONGS TO WHICH GENRE? ContentAre the characters wearing this kind of hat? Then it's

probably a Western.

E.g. Westerns always have cowboys, whether they are set in the present day or the 1840s. Audiences have a set of

expectations as to what a genre text will contain in terms of transportation, costume, character, setting, mise en scene, soundtrack, stars etc, and they look forward to seeing genre-specific examples of content when they

experience the text.

StyleE.g. women's magazines always present an attractive model

on the front cover. Media texts follow sets of conventions in the way that they are constructed. You see a contents page in a magazine before any feature articles. In movies, a romantic comedy always ends with a wedding. Often content and style are closely interlinked.

Mise-en-sceneThis is an important determinant as the look of a certain text

appeals to the audience instantly without having to think about it. For E.g. The mise-en-scene of the horror movie will be set in a forest/mansion with big white draperies, candle lights, fog, etc.

WHY IS GENRE IMPORTANT FOR ...

Producers of media texts? Gives a pattern for construction, a template Genre pieces have an established audience who are easy to

market to Certain personnel can develop their skills working within a

particular genre (e.g. horror make up specialists) Stars can associate themselves with a particular genre Fans of a genre know the codes, so you don't have to reinvent

the wheel all the time

Distributors? Clear channels for marketing and distribution — easily

targetable audience Concentration of distribution resources — no point in trying to

get e.g.: football matches to a non-sports audience Fans of a genre as a whole can easily be persuaded to buy other

texts in the same genre e.g.: dance music compilation CDs Provides a structure for retail outlets  

GENRE THEORIES

Tom Ryall Genre Theory (1978) Ryall proposes the theory that the types of conventions found

in genres can be grouped within the following categories:

Iconographies - Symbolic symbols associated with the genreNarrative - Structure, open/closedRepresentations - Characters/StereotypesIdeologies - Beliefs and ideas of the 'ideal' concept, themes

If we recognise the genre of a text it enables us to feel at home and we gain enjoyment from "spotting the conventions" (repetitions) and making comparisons with other films of the same genre.

Steve Neale’s Idea of GenreSteve Neale’s perception is that “genres exist within the

context of a set of economic relations and practices”.

Economic factors may account for the perpetuation of a profitable genre.

Neale goes on to add that genre is constituted by “specific systems of expectations and hypothesis which spectators bring with them to the cinema and which interact with the films themselves during the course of the viewing process”.

Pleasure is derived from repetition and difference. There would be no pleasure without difference. We may derive pleasure from observing how the conventions of the genre are manipulated.

Neale implies that difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre, and that mere repetition would not attract an audience. Texts often exhibit the conventions of more than one genre.