MAIN FILM GENRES

GENRE / EXAMPLES
Action
(Adventure, Martial Arts, Espionage, Disaster films)
Animated
(Stop-motion, CGI, family and adult animation, Anime)
Comedy
(Romantic Comedy, Spoofs/Parodies, Slapstick, Dark/Satirical Comedy)
Crime & Gangster
(Mobster movies, Film Noir, Mystery, Detective films)
Drama
(Historical Epics, Romance, Biographical films – “Biopics”)
Horror
(Slasher, Supernatural, Serial Killers, Monster movies)
Musicals
(Dance/Song/Choreography incorporated into the narrative)
Science Fiction & Fantasy
(Sci Fi - Space/Aliens, Futuristic Technology, Nuclear Havoc)
(Fantasy – less based in reality, more mythological/ dreamlike)
War (or Anti-War)
(POW tales, Military ops such as WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Iraq)
Westerns
(Eulogy to the American frontier… dusty towns, horses, 6-guns)

IMPORTANT DATES FOR THE REST OF THE TERM!!!

Genre Task: In a group of 3 or 4, complete the following simple steps for your assigned genre. Split the tasks evenly amongst your group members. You will be given a group mark out of 5 based on your presentation and handout.

1) Research the genre online, or in your local library (books about film or film history) and read up on it. Everyone in the

group should do this! Start with a Google search of your genre. Some good websites to try are:

2) Make a BRIEF handout (no more than one page) – TYPED - which you will hand in or email to the teacher. I’ll make a handout package containing everybody’s work for you to study from.

The handout should contain: a BRIEF explanation of the genre and its SUB-GENRES, a list of at least 6 CODES or CONVENTIONS of the genre, an overview of the genre’s HISTORY (i.e. how it developed from the early days of films in early 1900’s to today), a list of 10-15 KEY films in the genre (include the title, date of release, director and stars’ names)

3) Select a clip from a film from your genre which you will screen to the class. Bring a DVD movie and know exactly which scene to select. The clip should only be 2-3 minutes and should clearly demonstrate at least one major CONVENTION of the genre in question

(e.g. a horror movie clip might show a TRACKING SHOT of a killer following his victim, a blonde teenaged girl… both the shot type and the character types are conventional of the horror genre)

4) Study the handouts about the different genres. Your final test in May (a screening of another clip from “BUFFY” with questions to answer) will test both your knowledge of FILM TERMINOLOGY, and your knowledge of GENRE.

– This Buffy clip showcases elements of both HORROR and one other genre. (but which one???)