Objectives

In completing this module, you will be able to:

• understand and apply different approaches for analyzing genre: formalist, audience analysis, and ideological

• understand the history and evolution of advertising and the forces shaping that history

• devise different genre analysis activities for use in the classroom

• understand and analyze characteristics of different types of genres for the genres described in this module

• present specific characteristics of specific genres not necessarily included in this module to your peers

There are a wide range of different types of film genres: detective, action/adventure, mystery, science fiction, horror, gangster, romance, comedy, musical, comedy, animation, detective, spy thriller, as well as specific television genres: game show, prime-time drama, sports broadcast, soap opera, musical, medical drama, news, pro-wrestling, reality-television, talk-show. It is often difficult to identify a particular movie or television show as a primary example of a particular genre because a movie or show may contain elements reflecting different genres. The television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer contains elements of science fiction, horror, action-adventure, and comedy. Click here for links to different genres of television shows.

A genre may also have its own original format invented for or original to a movie or show (Creeber, 2001). While genres are not original, format is “a production category with relatively rigid boundaries that are difficult to transgress without coming up with a new format” (p. 7). For example, certain talk shows such as The Jerry Springer Show or wrestling shows exploit the format of “live” television — the spontaneity of unpredictable action that occurs when a show is broadcast live.

Google: film genres

JahSonic.com: film genres

Science Daily Encyclopedia: film genres

The Free Dictionary: film genres

Moviegoods: film genres

Click here for a film genre curriculum: Film Education: Genres

Dan Chandler: an overview of genre approaches to media

Module 7: Word document

Different Perspectives on Genre Study

Audience-based Approaches to Film/Television Genre Study

Critical/Ideological Analysis of Genres

The History and Evolution of Genres

Devising Genre-analysis Activities

Different Genre Types

Action/Adventure

The Western

Gangster/Crime

Detective/Film Noir

Comedy

Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Horror/Monster

Suspense Thriller/Spy/Heist

Soap Opera

The Talk Show

Sports

Game Shows/
Reality TV

Animation

Comics

Graphic Novels

Teaching Activity

References

Teaching activities on genre developed by students in CI5472, Spring, 2004