Genre presentation script
Slide one: Title Slide two: about genre Genre is a way how film makers can define audiences and target certain films at different types of people. Genre help the film industry make more money and they help expand audiences. Slide three: genre characteristics Genres are used to organized into films into similar characteristics we see in films such as film techniques, sound, music, type of action, scripting and many more. Setting, mood, and format help up what a film genre is for example Schindler’s List and The Pianist are set in the wartime context, while the first emphasizes themes as solidarity, sacrifice and valor of human life without differences of beliefs; the second films examines the themes of sense of survival and horror of the World War II during the Holocaust Nazi. Slide four: genre used in two ways Genre is used by audience and producers in two different ways. It is used by audiences to find a film they like so they don’t go and waste their money on any old film e.g. say a person particually like action films and they like the look of some new action film so they go and see it instead of some other new film out with a genre they often don’t like. Producers use genres to try and maximise audiences thus maximising profits. The way they do this is by making hybrid genres so they can target audiences from 2 or 3 different genres. Genres also help producers limit risks when making film because they can persifically make a film for a genre that they know theres an audience for. Slide five: genre conventions Genres are identified by genre conventions. The conventions include locations, props, characters, costume, sound, cinematography, narrative and themes. Slide six: locations
Locations in epic films are often vast expensive back drops with on location shooting on a grand scale, the locations can be historical or imagined, depandant on the sub genre of the epic is it, e.g. war epics, mythical epic, science ficton epics, historical epic, and animated epic. In like the 1900 a lot of the locations were set based like the 300 spartans but now most of it is cgi based like king arthur. Slide seven: props Props in epics are often things they would use in the time period that the film was set in e.g. there might be props like weapons, bowls, chairs, a broom, cutlery and a bucket. Props in epic films havent really changed over time they've mainly stayed the same e.g. in a medieval epic say made in the 1950’s compared to one made in the 21st century there wouldn’t be much difference in props apart from maybe more of them or more complicated props. Slide eight: characters Characters are also another example of a convention in the epic genre that hasn’t changed much over time. Because there is still some hunky hero, with his friendly companions by his side to help him through the tough situation and some evil villain with lots of evil minions. Even epics that arent biopics they still have a good character with there companions that is portrayed in a good light, they may not be some super hero or some evil minion but characters in epic are still based around some sort of historic figure. Slide nine: costume Costume in epics have changed slightly over time but not a big deal. Costumes that were used in some of the earlier epics like in the 1930’s weren’t as expensive and as lavish as the costumes used today. I think in todays epics a great deal of thought and time is spent on costume and the way the characters look maybe a little more so then they did when epics first began. Slide ten: sound
Over time there has been a great deal of change in the use of sound in epic films. Considering epics started of as silent films they have come a long way since then in terms of sound. Over the years sound has evolved in epics from starting with the first epic film with sound in 1934 to sound becoming more widely used and the quality of sound gradually improving over the years. Now we have massive cinema surround sound. Slide eleven: cinematography Over the years cinematography hasn’t changed a great deal e.g. in films they still used still shots, mid shots, long shots, over the shoulder shots and panes like they did in the 1900’s. But the variety of shots they use have increased e.g. now a days they use birds eye views to show battle scenes as well as stills, they also use low angle shots, high angle shots and extreme close ups as well as conventional shots like mid shots, long shot and over the shoulder shots. Slide twelve: narrative The narrative in epics hasn’t really changed over time. The only reason the narrative would change is if it’s a different type of epic e.g. the narrative of a war epic would be different to one of a religious epic. But generally mainly in the sub genre of epics biopics the narrative is the same a hunky hero saves the world/ defeats the bad guy and gets the girl or they will die trying. Slide thirteen: themes Themes in epics haven't really changed over time but they have become more complicated e.g. there are 2 or 3 themes going on at the same time. Themes of epics only really vary in the sub genre is different e.g. a western epic will have a different theme to a war epic. Slide fourteen: reception Over the years the audiences for epics have become more defined because now epic films mainly target people that like action films, adventure films, war films and to draw in a bigger female audience romance. Now the benchmark for epic films have been set and people know what to expect. Overall I think the change in epic films has widely been well received and people are pleased that they target a bigger audience. Epics are good hybrid genres.
Slide fifteen: classifcation The hayes code that was introduced in 1934 and abolished in 1968 had particular control over what epics could show through out the 30’s to the 60’s. before the hayes code films didn’t really have many rules and they could be produced how the director saw fit. One important rule that the hayes code stated is that the film can’t be made so the audience feels sympathy for the evil villan that is doing something sinful or miss leading. The hayes cold also stated that law, natural (I think nature) or a human being could be ridiculed so it meant that an epic film could not show someone being ridiculed. Brutal killings were also not allowed to be shown in detail so they had to be careful how they depicted violence. The hayes code stated that the film makers could not show adualtry attractivley and the could only show passionate scences if it was essential to the plot. Slide sixteen: classification Hayes code, read some out Slide seventeen: changes in society Epic films have changed over the years because of changes in society and peoples tastes changing. Over the years epic films have increased in the amount of action shown in them. There has also been an increase of the amount of biopics made because it is one of the audiences favourite sub genres of epics. As it is very action packed, with a hint of adventure and romance. The plots now a days are not as in depth but there is a noticable plot and is not that hard to follow the story. Slide eighteen: metz circle of genre Film theonist Christian metz proposed that genre passes through 4 stages in its cinematic life. Experimental films that use the key elements that become the defining conventions of that genre; Iconography, Narrative structure, Mise en scene ect. Classic the films that best exemplify the conventions of the genre. Parody when the genre expectations generative humour. Deconstructive essential elements of the genre are gone.