EVALUATION TEN: How have you established genre across three products?

Genre is often used by audiences to make viewing choices and discrimination. Issues of taste, preference, identity and pleasure are associated with particular kinds of film by individuals. Genre is taken into account by producers as they intend to make their product appealing to audiences. In recent years Adventure has been the most popular genre followed by Comedy and Action. For our production, we created a horror trailer named ‘Jokes on you’. We chose this genre as we felt it would be the most successful when pleasing our target audience. Moreover, the actors conform to the stereotypical idea of young vulnerable teenagers in a horror film.

Regarding Steve Neale’s theory of genres being created through repetition and difference, we understand that audiences want something familiar. Genres therefore create a clear idea for audiences about what is possible in films narrative world. In my coursework the use of close ups of the clown could be identified as a repetitive element of the horror genre as we want the audience to realise what the clown is and why its presence is important.

In our production, the use of vulnerable young teenagers, dark lighting, mysterious and tense soundtracks and an evil sinister antagonist appropriately convey our chosen genre as the conventions are stereotypical to horror. This reflects Barry Keith Grant’s theory whereby genres tell familiar stories with familiar characters in familiar situations. This means audiences usually have certain expectations due to the experiences in which they have already accomplished.   However, we have also used locations including parks which may subvert the typical ideas of a horror film. This reflects Robert Stam’s theory whereby he challenged whether genres really exist or whether they are merely made up by critics as films include many different conventions which may conform or subvert genre ideology. This explains that films don’t have a certain genre as producers like to incorporate different meanings to excite the audience which demonstrates hybrid genres.

Genre is important as producers use the concept in both production and in marketing as they hope to get the best reaction from audiences as well as creating a successful product. Audiences tend to have a favourite genre which helps persuade them to go and see that particular film. Fowler argues that ‘genre makes possible the communication of content’ this means that genres help portray the narrative to the audience making it seem useful. However, Hartley argues that ‘genes are agents of ideological closure, as they limit the meaning’. This clarifies that genre isn’t as important as is makes the meaning of the film less important. Overall, I feel genre is important as audiences usually have a favourite genre and tend to enjoy that variation of films more. This is reflected in the popularity scale whereby Adventure is the most popular and Documentary is the least popular.