1. Film genre A recognizable type of movie, characterized by certain preestablished conventions.

2. Genre film categories • Western • Sci-fi film • Thriller • Love story • Fantasy • Film noir • Coming-of age • Screwball comedy • Horror • Mad slasher • Buddy film • Woman’s film • Farce

3. Advantages of genre story telling • Economy of storytelling • Focus on archetypal ideas • Comfort of the familiar • Creativity within a norm • Custom fit to ideas being explored

4. Disadvantages • Trades in stereotypes and clichés • Constricts creativity within a formula • Eliminates narrative suspense or surprise

5. Westerns • Foundation westerns • Morality tales • Nostalgic or ironic tales

6. Horror films • Mad scientist films • Slasher films • Zombie films • Human abomination films • Ghost stories

7. Features of horror films • Unfamiliar invading the familiar • Threatening situations • Nameless fears and anxieties • Feelings of guilt • Familiar terrain • Contrast the known with unknown • Creatures, monsters, crazed individuals • Dissonant music • Feelings of helplessness • Safe world made unsafe made safe again

8. Science fiction • Utopian • Dystopian • Near future • Distant future • Space westerns

9. Features of scifi films • Confined by laws of physical universe (liberally interpreted) • Engage in scientific discourse • Engage in technological discourse • Space travel • Aliens • Socio-political subtexts

10. Documentary • Topical • Polemical • Artistic

11. Features of documentaries • Nonfiction • Actualities • Documentation • Window onto the world • Always have a point of view • Structured • Has effect on events being filmed

12. Life cycle of genres • Primitive • Classical • Revisionist • Parodic • Homage

13. Primitive • Naïve • Great emotional impact • Establishes conventions • The Great Train Robbery • Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde • The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari • Golddiggers of 1933

14. Classical • Genre’s conventions well established • Balanced and rich execution of conventions • Stagecoach • Dracula • Frankenstein • The Wizard of Oz

15. Revisionist • Turn to symbolic • Ambiguous relationship to values • Complex • More intellectual/less emotional • High Noon • Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nelly • Invasion of the Body Snatchers

16. Parodic • Mocks the conventions • Exposes clichés • Produces laughter • Blazing Saddles • Rocky Horry Picture Show • Scary Movie

17. Homage • Revisits the genre • References conventions without mocking them • Updates conventions • Open Range • Chicago • The Ring

18. Comedy • Uniqueness of appearances and plots • Ability to affect audience attitudes • Ability to generate laughter and good feeling

19. Comedy II • Constructed public ritual that: • Generates laughter • Enables us to acknowledge shameful desires • Helps us recognize contradictory beliefs • Subverts traditionally sanctioned self-delusions

20. Types of comedy • Sight gags • Screwball • Slapstick • Running gags • Sentimental • Romantic • Black or dark • Parody • Satire