Genre Theory - Thursday 16th October lesson write up

Steve Neale

Western

• Cowboy hat
• Horse
• High key lighting (sun)
• Desert
• Revolver
• shoot out

Comedy & Animation aren't genres they're styles.

Jason Mittell - 2001

Argues that genres are cultural categories that surpass the boundaries of media texts and operate within industry, audience and cultural practices as well.

Industries use genre to sell products to audiences media producers use familiar codes & conventions that very often make cultural references to their audience knowledge of society and other texts.

Genre also allows audiences to make choices about what products they want to consume through acceptance in order to fulfill a particular pleasure.

Pleasure of genre for an audience.

Rick Altman - 1999

Argues that there genre offers audiences a 'set of pleasures'

• Emotional - the emotional pleasures offered to audiences of genre films are particularly significant when they generate a strong audience response.
• Visceral - Refers to internal organs and are 'gut' responses and are defined by how the films stylistic construction has a physical effect upon its audience. this can be a feeling of revulsion, kinetic speed or a 'roller coaster ride'.