Descriptions will ideally include examples and links to short films or scenes. A guide to conducting research in film studies at yale. These could be similar narratives, characters, filming techniques, or other formal features. Notice that unlike other topics on cinema, many of these subject headings use the term films, not motion pictures. Identifies and examines a movie by associating it with a director e. On page 8 of genre study, the three goals of this book are stated. Steve neales genre and hollywood 2000, and rick altmans filmgenre 1999 take on board these a genders both offering a different theoretical approach to the topic, which i will analyze then voice my own conclusion on my findings. The idea that the director is the single misunderstood artistic genius responsible for creating a. Vrije universiteit looking for genres the effect of film figure. The research presented here will provide an empirical basis for existing genre theory. Nearly every film has at least an implied ideology, because the director has their own sense of.
Using genre theory in studying hollywood movies film studies. Rarely are any film authorship theories compared with specific examples. Subgenres are identifiable subclasses within the larger film genre, with their own distinctive subject. The story of film presents the history of the movies in a way never told before. Listed below are some of the most common and identifiable film genre categories, with descriptions of each type or category. A french term meaning black film, or film of the night, inspired by the series noir, a line of cheap paperbacks that translated hardboiled american crime authors and found a popular audience in france. Emphasizes methods of interpretation and critical theory in studying the relationships of artistic expression. T film 220 film and the arts 5 vlpa examines connections between film and other art forms, such as literature, painting, music and theaterperformance. Using genre theory in studying hollywood movies film. All about genre genre is very important to both film producers and film audiences because the producers need to engage their target audiences in order to be successful, whilst the film audiences need to be interested and engaged in the genre so that they go and watch the film and get pleasure. Through the inquiry approach, students will construct knowledge about genre that will help them think, talk, and read texts with deeper understanding, as well as write effectively across different genres. This lesson uses the theme of justice to explain how different.
A companion to film theory by toby miller and robert stam. Students explore multiple genres through genre studies. Mar 20, 20 in 1984 rick altman set out to scratch an itch that he claimed no one working in the field of film genre criticism seemed to even feel 6. It has to be accommodating and accurate to the structure and picture of the story, otherwise, you make it hard on your audience. If youre interested in the chronological history of film by decade visit the section on film history by decade or the multipart section on. Watching a films moving image, other than just for pure entertainments sake, is usually enhanced by viewing it with an informed awareness of how a film works, and with some understanding, skill and background training in the elements of the craft of filmmaking. What are methodologies in film studies that could be used. Which of the following best applies to the national cinemas approach to studying film. Genre theory film studies 2270 introduction to film studies. Which of the following best applies to the auteur approach to studying film. Whether youre preparing to study film at university or you simply have a passion for cinema, having some of the essential info under your belt before you get underway can really help you set out on the right foot.
Whether seen as a genre or a style, definitely dark, deadly and delicious. Genre has occupied an important part in the study of cinema for years. All about genre genre is very important to both film producers and film audiences because the producers need to engage their target audiences in order to be successful, whilst the film audiences need to be intereste. If youre interested in the chronological history of film by decade visit the section on film history by decade or the multipart section on milestones in film history. The study of a genre in this way examines the structural elements that combine in the telling of a story and finds patterns in collections of stories. Additional case studies address key genres swashbucklers and the film musical, film movements dogme 95, individual actors christian bale, judi dench and amitabh bachchan and directors alfred hitchcock and guillermo del toro. Make your own genre crossword puzzle activity create a crossword puzzle with clues for the following 20 genre related terms. Nearly every film has at least an implied ideology, because the director has their own sense of what is right and wrong. Orlikowski massachusetts institute of technology drawing on rhetorical theory and structuration, this article proposes genres of organizational communication as a concept useful for study.
Talking about films in terms of classification by common patterns of form and content. Which of the following best applies to the genres approach to studying film talking about films in terms of classification by common patterns of form and content. The word genre comes from the french and originally latin word for kind or class. Mark cousinss chronological journey through the worldwide history of film is told from the point of view of filmmakers and moviegoers. And if a screenplay is a puzzle, think of genre as the box it came in. Film studies as an academic discipline emerged in the twentieth century, decades after the invention of motion pictures. This page includes a huge array of genre activities to give your students the practice that they need. From studentcentered projects to powerpoint slide shows, this page has all of the genre activities that you will likely need to teach your students about literary genre and subgenre. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies. You also develop a broader range of skills, including.
Sometimes, this means adding a political aspect to the film that may or may not be prominent. Genre lesson 2 an awesome and animated powerpoint slide show explaining genres and subgenres of literature. Literary genre studies is a structuralist approach to the study of genre and genre theory in literary theory, film theory, and other cultural theories. Film studies film analysis and covers the history of cinema, national and global cinemas, film theory and genres, documentary film, and contemporary visual culture. True to life focuses on the use of film to represent reality based on the power of photographys ability to render the real world objectively 507. According to this approach certain features would identify the extent to which an. This discourse aims to examine the advantages and limitations of using genre theory in studying hollywood film. Genres, styles, categories, series film studies research guide. Art house avant guard bmovie biopic blaxploitation cartoons. A guide to conducting research in film studies at yale university, including key resources and crucial search strategies. According to this approach, some texts would be widely regarded as being more typical members of a genre than others.
In the late 1960s, the concept of genre became a significant part of film theory. Film studies is less concerned with advancing proficiency in film production than it is with exploring the narrative, artistic, cultural, economic, and political implications of the cinema. It combines an emphasis on critical thinking, research, problemsolving, written expression, and cultural literacy with the disciplines unique attention to visual. It does not attempt to ignore personal creativity, or reduce a film to a collection of genre ideals. Following are a few of the most helpful theoretical methods used in film studies. From the fantastical to the terrifying, there is a massive and growing. Apr 10, 2020 genre studies typically refer to processes by which someone approaches the study of literature, film, or another medium of storytelling through categorization of story types. Studying film with different film theory approaches dummies.
The novel takes a modernist approach to classic literary conventions by mixing up elements found in comedy, farce, epic and romance genres. Current genres go through phases or cycles of popularity such as the cycle of. Blair witch project shaky camera, long shots, homemade, supposes the characters are real people, not actors. Now all you need to do is choose your film and discuss it in some of these ways. How different literary genres approach similar themes. Which of the following best applies to the formalism approach to studying film. Mar 17, 2015 ultimate list of film sub genres posted on march 17, 2015 march 17, 2015 by zeke as a species, weve always been keen storytellers and weve never stopped finding and inventing new ways to tell those tales. Integrating the genrebased approach into teaching writing in. Oct 31, 2016 genre theory explores the following issues. Using science such as neuroscience and psychology to help explain how audiences. Genre theory involves classifying a film into a category that contains other films that have similar aspects. Instead, it helps highlight ways in which genres sponsored personal creativity. Which of the following best applies to the auteur approach to studying film identifies and examines a movie by associating it with a director e. This article studies film genre theory and provides a brief assessment of genre theory in the twentyfirst century.
The concept of the auteur theory is a crucial development in film theory, moving away. A screenplay is a puzzle made up of pieces you cut yourself that you fit together to form a picture you make up as you go. First, theory is explored through primary and secondary sources to give a background and understanding of the main arguments in authorship. Second, genres are highly structured with some constraints in terms of context, form, and linguistic features. An introduction to genre theory university of washington. This means that stories are often categorized according to a number of established genres to make comparison and differentiation between these stories easier or more precise. Cinetext is a bilingual primarily english and german internet forum for film and philosophy, located at the university of vienna austria. The idea that the director is the single misunderstood artistic genius responsible. Watching a film s moving image, other than just for pure entertainments sake, is usually enhanced by viewing it with an informed awareness of how a film works, and with some understanding, skill and background training in the elements of the craft of film making.
Theoretical skills are based on the analysis of film and you develop skills in areas such as film and culture, national cinema traditions, specific film genres and how directors approach their work. Which of the following best applies to the national cinemas approach to studying film ways of seeing the world and ways of portraying the world in the movies differ for each country and culture, and it is necessary to understand the cultural conditions that surround a movie if we are to understand what it is about. Film, among other types of media, is a great way to express ideologies that filmmakers want to share with the world. This lesson includes ten practice problems at the end to help you informally assess your students. Movie categories that the film industry uses to streamline production and market a film to its target audience. A film genre is a motionpicture category based for example on similarities either in the. Ultimate list of film sub genres new york film academy. Genre is a concept used in film studies and film theory to describe similarities between groups of films based on aesthetic or broader social, institutional, cultural. The widely acclaimed 1975 film one flew over the cuckoos nest can be studied from the film as social history approach, due to its view on mental health care during that time in american history, but due to its overwhelming critical acclaim and adoration from fans, the film would more appropriately fit under the aesthetic approach. Genre are dependent on various factors such as story line, whom the. Such an approach to studying genre is not reductive. Also, the movie that will be examined are western genre which is shane steven 1953 directed by george stevens and the searcher ford 1956 directed by john ford. Apr 06, 2014 a screenplay is a puzzle made up of pieces you cut yourself that you fit together to form a picture you make up as you go.
What are methodologies in film studies that could be used to. The topic of hollywood and genre is multifaceted, dealing with definitions, characteristics and the social cultural roles genre performs. As a species, weve always been keen storytellers and weve never stopped finding and inventing new ways to tell those tales. Third, context plays a major role in framing the structure and the function of each genre. Genre studies is an academic subject which studies genre theory as a branch of general critical theory in several different fields, including the literary or artistic, linguistic, or rhetorical. Descriptions of the film genres will range from 7501,000 words. Understanding film theory and mastering all its components is a long process of study. Film genre study module description module coordinator dr mikel j koven m. Genre theory is used in the study of films in order to facilitate the categorization of films. Film theory sometimes seems difficult and complicated, but fundamentally its a range of different tools that you can use to explain how film works.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Cinema verite claymation comedy crime cult documentary. Genre studies typically refer to processes by which someone approaches the study of literature, film, or another medium of storytelling through categorization of story types. Integrating the genrebased approach into teaching writing. Jan 04, 2016 the widely acclaimed 1975 film one flew over the cuckoos nest can be studied from the film as social history approach, due to its view on mental health care during that time in american history, but due to its overwhelming critical acclaim and adoration from fans, the film would more appropriately fit under the aesthetic approach. Different genres may approach themes in different ways, but similarities are always present when dealing with complementary ideas. Understanding film theory is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to film theory. Used by the film industry as a term for all kinds of films, tends to mean glossy, emotional womens pictures in film studies. In an enlightening article, raindance lists 10 techniques that sell.
Film genre theory genre theory involves classifying a film into a category that contains other films that have similar aspects. Steve neale robert stam rick altman rick altmans ambitious a semanticsyntactic approach to film genre 1984 proposed studying genre by combining the semantic view of genre study definitions that depend on a list of common traits, attitudes, characters, shots, locations, sets, and the like, with the. These could be similar narratives, characters, filming. What are methodologies in film studies that could be used to analyze the disney animation film big hero 6. Watching a films moving image, other than just for pure entertainments sake, is usually enhanced by viewing it with an informed awareness of how a film works, and with some understanding, skill and background training in the elements of the craft of film making. In 1984 rick altman set out to scratch an itch that he claimed no one working in the field of film genre criticism seemed to even feel 6.
Aug 27, 2004 the story of film presents the history of the movies in a way never told before. The above approach also does not try to define genres as rigid laws, which directors must obey. In his essay a semanticsyntactic approach to film genre he claims that the field is befuddled with uncertainty, confusion and contradiction because it lacks an adequate theory. Not to be confused with the technical aspects of film production, film studies exists only with the creation of film theorywhich approaches film critically as an artand the writing of film historiography. Rick altmans a semanticsyntactic approach to film genre. In his essay a semantic syntactic approach to film genre he claims that the field is befuddled with uncertainty, confusion and contradiction because it lacks an adequate theory, an adequate means of reconciling the differing opinions which were then stalemating advancements in genre study. Which of the following best applies to the genres approach to studying film. They may study films of specific genres to find examples.