Genre questions

Genre Questions

Media Fact sheet 3 questions:

1. What example is provided of why visual iconographies are so important?

Visual iconographies like codes and conventions are so important because they can indicate what genre it is to the audience members.

2. What examples are provided of the importance of narrative in identifying genre?

One example is TV Westerns and the other is News broadcasts.

3. What is the difference between character representation in action movies and disaster movies?

In action movies, they tend to only have one 'hero' character within the movie and the focus is solely on how they save the say, even if there are characters who help, there will only be one real 'hero'. In disaster movies, the focus is more on a group of people who play this 'hero' role and the focus is distributed between them. 

4. what are the different ways films can be categorised according to Bordwell?

It can be Period or country, Director(star), technical process, style, series or audience.

5. List three ways genre is used by audiences.

• Using any prior knowledge about the genre
• They can choose which genres they prefer
• Compare it to other media form of the same genre

6. List three ways genre is used by institutions or producers.

• They can use it to attract certain groups of audiences
• Different genres usually have some sort of pattern and they can use this as a guideline accordingly
• They can emphasise on certain points to make the genre more obvious.

7. What film genre is used as an example of how genres evolve? What films and conventions are mentioned?

The genre used as an example was the 'gangster' genre. 

Media fact sheet 126 questions:

1. List five films the fact sheet discusses with regards to the superhero genre.

• Super
• Iron Man
• Scott Pilgrim vs The World
• Chronicle
• Avengers Assemble

2. What examples are provided of how the super hero genre has reflected the changing values, ideologies and world event of the last 70 years?

An example that they have given us is the movie superman. Throughout the past superman movies, there have been different problems used within the movie addressing that period of time, for example, events such as the world war two were addressed in some of the older superman's and the ones from more modern times are addressed to problems that are more recent problems that occur in modern time.

3. How can Schatz's theory of genre cycles be applied to the superhero genre?

Innocvation can be used to take a comic book story and adapt it to become a movie where certain features of the comic book story like flying hero's or transforming armours can be brought in using CGI (computer generate imagery) works. For classic films, the genre can be shown through the cliché story line which tend to be expected form the audience. Parodies tend to add in comedy aspects and involve a lot of irony and jokey scenes despite the serious side of the superhero genre.

Own genre analysis questions:

The First Purge

1. I recently watched the first purge on TV so I decided to choose it for this section of the homework.

2. I watched it on television on some TV box that has a ton of movies. I first heard about it from a friend and decided to watch it when i saw it on the list.

3. I understand the devastation built up anger can cause especially when you give people the chance to commit crimes with the reassurance of no consequences. The movie shows the true wants that people hold when they are truly free.

4. Genres include: Action, Horror, thriller, Crime and Adventure.

5. I quite like this genre of films because theirs always sudden scares and it keeps me wondering what would happen in the next few scenes. I like how the genre of film can make me feel a number of different ways within the time of the start of the movie to the end of the movie.

6. Some of the traits in other same genre films are also shown in here like the dramatic and loud music to the low key lighting and the serious atmosphere throughout the film.

7. I would say it is quite typical as many scenes take place at night and in the dark which is very like most thriller movies. There are also a lot of loud and dramatic sound effects and soundtracks to build up the tension within the film.

8. When I watch a thriller or a horror, you expect to be scared you expect to be shocked. The music should add to it and create an eerie and intense atmosphere around you.

9. There is a lot low key lighting to create shadows and intensify the feeling that something is about to happen even when sometimes nothing happens. So the thrills and sudden shocks are used a lot throughout the movie. (IMDb)

10. People decide that horrors and thrillers aren't supposed to be for younger audiences and they tend to aim it at 15+ audiences. Also, they probably do not expect the elderly to go and watch a horror or a thriller so they will add in effects and ideas that suit mainly teens to maybe people at 40.

11. The First purge really follows the guidelines in the horror/thriller genre. By using the dark lighting in many scenes and the shadows and the intense loud music, it doesn't really differentiate itself from other horror/thrillers. Those are clear signs that the movie you are watching is a horror.

12. In my opinion, I think it is extremely generic as most scenes are just dark scenes with shadows and chasing. To further emphasise on how generic it is, even the story line is very over used. Someone gets hurt, wants revenge, ends up running away. There is nothing much that makes it very different from other films of the same genre.

13. You could argue that the sole idea of 'the purge' was different as not many movies are about 12 hours where any action is legal including murder theft etc. This is something that differentiates itself from others of the same genre and also the fact that they do not use any 'ghosts or monsters' also makes them different.

14. The relationship between two characters could have been classified as romance but I don't think that was the initial idea of having the two characters to have a past relationship with each other.

15. A lot of violence and illegal acts. The rough clothes. Aggressive tones within the characters.

Mode of Address:

1. I feel like the target audience is around 16+ as there is a lot of violence involved.

2. If you like a lot of tense moments and not knowing what will happen next, you will divert yourself towards the horror and thriller genres s they will satisfy that want of on the edge watching.

3. A thrill seeking person who likes to try new stuff. you want to do something even if you know the risk to it. The adrenaline fuels you up.

4. Male, 16-20s, working class, any race

5. More activities that have a chance of injury like free running, paintballing, sky diving, bungee jumping etc.

Relationship to other text

1. The First Purge is a reference to another movie from Blumhouse Productions coming out in 2018: The sequel to John Carpenter's Halloween. Also, the KKK hoods were used in the movie which is a reference to racism as they decided to use the hoods of a well know group of racist people called the KKK.

2. The purge is very similar to Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City.

3. Both movies are about legalizing criminal activities for a period of time. 

4. The difference is that in Zebrama, acts are legalised everyday for 1 hour whereas in the purge, it is a 12 hour time period which happens once a year.