GENRE

DEVELOPING RESPONSES TO MEDIA PRODUCTS S1

https://youtu.be/8_tGvktfjjk
 WHAT IS GENRE?

THE WORD 'GENRE' COMES FROM THE

FRENCH WORD MEANING 'TYPE' OR
'CLASS'
WHAT DIFFERENT FILM GENRES
ARE THERE?

list as many as you can think of?

WHAT ARE THE MAIN FICTION FILM GENRES?

Action Historical
Adventure Horror
Animation Romance
Comedy Sci-Fi
Crime Thriller
Drama War
Fantasy Western
 IMAGERY

• Find a movie still or poster that describes

visually the different genres listed on the
previous page.
• Create a new page on your
website called "Task 4 Developing Responses
to Media Products"
• Add the images and a brief description of each
genre as an illustrated and annotated list
 THE
HORROR
GENRE
THE HORROR GENRE

In groups discuss the following codes and

conventions that define Horror movies:
• Narrative structure
• Themes
• Settings and locations
• Character types
• Cinematography
• Editing
• Music & sounds
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE

• Standard Chronological Structure with beginning,

middle, end (Conflict, Struggle, Realization)
• Often there is heavy foreshadowing to build
tension
• The problem the protagonist faces is caused or
exacerbated by being isolated, unprepared, or
naive
• The narrative is built to cause tension, anxiety,
and fear in the audience
• Story plays on standard human fears: the dark,
strangers, isolation, death, violence, insanity,
creepy monsters
THEMES

• Good vs. Evil

• Religion and the Supernatural or Beyond Death
• Nightmares, Madness, Insanity, Suicide
• Childhood Fears and Issues
• Revenge
• Science gone bad
• Murder, Death, Hate
• Darkness, Demons, Satanic Ritual
SETTING

• Hospitals, Insane Asylums, Mental Institutions or

Hotels (long hallways and lots of rooms)
• Graveyard or Cemetery
• Churches or Convents
• Isolated communities or remote locations (cabin,
abandoned mansion, haunted house, ghost
town, farm field, dark woods, tunnels) – deserted
places
• Basements, Attics, Science Labs
CHARACTERS
• Hero (protagonist – usually lives) – fights villain
• Victims (protagonists – usually die) often are
immoral teenagers, stupid beautiful young
women
• Villain (antagonist – evil force – aliens, vampires,
creepy children, monsters, ghosts, demons,
zombies, clowns, possessed toys, scary creatures)
• Police or “Helpful” authorities – may be good or
evil
ICONOGRAPHY AND PROPS

• Dark colored clothes, costumes, settings

• Weapons (rarely guns – usually a stabbing or cutting
weapon like knives, scythes, axes, chainsaws)
• Religious or Demonic Symbolism
• Blood. Lots of blood.
• Monsters (vampires, evil scientist, werewolves,
zombies, possessed people, mass murderer)
• Lots of black and red
• Mirrors, masks, peepholes, stalking, chasing
• Running and then tripping and falling (being chased)
CINEMATOGRAPHY AND EDITING

• Unnatural camera angles – very high, very low,

canted (to show dominance and innocence and
power relations)
• Extreme Close-Ups on victim’s face to show fear
• Long take with a sudden jump cut to frighten
viewer
• Point of View (POV) shots from the view of the
villain
• Handheld camera adds terror
• Shallow depth of field – makes whatever is
behind the protagonist blurry to build suspense
SOUND AND MUSIC

• Ambient Diegetic sounds (footsteps, chainsaw,

breathing)
• Violent sounds (screams, weapon hits)
• Orchestral (violin)
• Silence used to build tension
TASK 1 – DUE 12TH NOVEMBER

• On your page Task 4 Developing Responses to Media

Products add a subtitle HORROR GENRE
• Describe using text and a collection of images and/or
movie clips the key codes and conventions of the horror
genre
TASK 2 – DUE 19TH NOVEMBER

Choice 1
• Shoot an image that could be immediately recognises as a
Horror movie still or poster

Choice 2
• Compose a short piece of music using Garageband that could
be immediately recognised as a Horror theme

If you want to be super cool.. Do both