Genre

Genre is a means of categorising different texts and being able to place them in a particular group based on codes and conventions as well as producer/audience relationships.

ANDREW GOODWIN

Found that music genres have their own music video style and iconography. Goodwin recognised that most artists have a trend of repeating certain actions within their music videos in order to establish this as their ‘trademark’ action and therefore making their songs recognizable due to it reoccurring often. He explains how music videos will generally stick to typical conventions within the genre of the song. More often than not, videos will display stereotypical characteristics that would be associated with the style. For example, heavy rock will include some sort of stage performance which could then intertextuality represent a type of film genre. So heavy rock may have horror film references or style. These intertextual references to film is quite common. However it is not just films, video can reference other music video, games, artists etc.

Goodwin also identified that the female body is often made to appeal as sexual especially in the very generic pop style. It could also be male, as it is the general gestures made by the people such as props or looking in the camera etc. This voyeurism is also seen as a selling point within media.

There is a clear relationship between music and visuals. e.g. either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting. The images within the video will reflect the lyrics of the song.

The artist’s record label will also play a big part in the music video and style. It is very common to see lots of close ups of the artist who will have an occurring motif that runs throughout their work, such as lady gaga who have many adventurous videos and looks. Andrew Goodwin identified 5 key aspects of music videos that we (the audience) should look out for which are:

Thought beats – seeing the sound.                    Narrative and performance.

The star image.     Relation of visuals to a song.    Technical aspects of music videos.

THOMAS SCHATZ

Suggested that genres will have a certain cycle, in the sense that there are a number of stages that are more than likely predictable.

STAGE 1 – INNOVATIVE – This is when genres will experiment with the typical conventions within that style. There may be merging of two existing genres which challenges the audience and put forward some originality.

STAGE 2 – CLASSICAL – The conventions within the genre are well established and the genre tends to be more specific and stable. At this point, genre texts are likely to generate pleasure through the reinforcement of predictable elements and the repetition of popular structures.

STAGE 3 – PARODY – A genre will play on the familiar conventions by drawing attention to specific features and the things the audience will recognise as familiar across that style. They are generally comedic and poke fun at certain aspects of which is fun for the audience as they can acknowledge what is being made fun of.

STAGE 4 – DECONSTRUCTION - Genre texts begin to challenge their generic elements by reformulating the conventions breaking, ignoring or altering the shared understanding of genre. The audience gains pleasure through the genre text’s ability to recognise and to subvert its forms and meanings. This process may redirect the genre back to the beginning of the cycle again.

How Audiences Use Genre

Certain genres can be deemed appropriate or inappropriate for specific age groups, hence why music videos/films can be rated, as certain genres will contain stereotypes of content that is only acceptable for certain ages. Genres will generally follow patterns of conventions of their genre allowing people to form an expectation of what could be featured in the film, video etc. People may identify with a specific genre, eg heavy metal fans may conform to a more punk sub-group.

How Producers Use Genre

Market their texts according to the genre that it fits into as people take pleasure from that type of text. It allows them to cut costs my conforming to standardise production. Follow or challenge genre texts to make to finished product more interesting.

Genre could be referred to as a contract between audience and producer as both parties can be clear on what to expect.

Steave Neal and Tom Ryall

Genre was a 3 part relationship between the text, audience and producer and that these 3 elements are linked, often referred to as Ryall’s Triangle.

Genre ... “Proposes a tripartite process of systems of orientations, expectations and conventions that exist between industry, text and subject (audience)” Steve Neale “The master image for genre criticism is the triangle composed of artist/film/audience. Genre may be defined as patterns/forms/styles/structures which transcend individual films and which supervise both their construction by the filmmaker, and their reading by an audience” Tom Ryall

Subgenres / Hybridgenres

Subgenre – develop in response to a text that challenges the genre and can cross the traditional features of a genre. They are genres within a genre that can make something more diverse, eg slasher is a subgenre of horror.

Hybridgenre – the aim is to frame a plot in a new, fresh way to keep people interested. They are essentially a mash-up of genres, such as romantic horror.

Christopher Booker’s Seven Plots:

Overcoming The Monster – Hero sets out to destroy great, threatening evil.

Rags To Riches – Hero is suppressed, they slowly rise into mature figure with riches, kingdom, the perfect mate.

The Quest – Hero learns of something great that he desperately wants to find, and sets out to find it, often with companions.

Voyage And Return – Hero heads off into a magic land with crazy rules, ultimately triumphs over the madness and returns home far more mature than when he set out.

Comedy – Hero and Heroine are destined to get together, but a dark force is preventing them from doing so; the story conspires to make the dark force repent, and suddenly the Hero and Heroine are free to get together. This is part of a cascade of effects that shows everyone for who they really are, and allows two or more other relationships to correctly form.

Tragedy – The flip side of the Overcoming the Monster plot. Our protagonist character is the Villain, but we get to watch him slowly spiral down into darkness before he’s finally defeated, freeing the land from his evil influence.

Rebirth – As with the Tragedy plot, but our protagonist manages to realize his error before it’s too late, and does a Heel Face Turn to avoid inevitable defeat.

Genre is tremendously important when creating something, as it will influence the text itself as well as the marketing style, the age group and everything that follows. Categorising things through many paradigms helps the audience understand it more.

Descriptive Approach

Comparing the aspects that make up something is the easiest was to categorise what style it should belong to. This approach relies heavily on the use of genre paradigms, or readily identifiable elements such as costume, location, character archetypes, shot transitions, or plot content. However, incorporating the concept of subgenres/hybrids means one video can be categorised and belong to many styles at once. The more stereotypical and obvious something has been created to fit a particular genre, the more predictable, but easy to classify it is.

Functional Approach

The genre is perceived as “collective expressions of contemporary life that strike a particularly resonant chord with audiences”. The repetitions of patterns in a genre are the repetitions of social questions that we need answers to, such as ‘what is the future’ (science fiction). These questions are asked throughout generations.

This approach considers the function and purpose of the genre to society and the lives of the audience, the functional approach looks at what is being represented. Genre texts have certain aspects which up hopes and promises to the audiences. They bring pleasure if they are fulfilled. They films reflect questions / anxieties / problems / dreams of society. If they are addressed they are satisfying.

Genre Evolvement

Genres will shift as time goes on, eg horror, what scared people 100 years ago is different to what scares people today. In todays society we are in the ‘postmodern horror’ stage. Moreover, certain genres become more common with the development of new technology, as well as being able to enhance and adapt genres.

Stability and Evolution

They will exist in one of two states if not at the same time.

A State Of Stability – Where films are being made that follow the same pattern.

A State Of Evolution – Where the genre is changing, more often than not as a result of audience or industry practices.

The Roland Barthes provide a distinction to help show the difference between the types of please felt from the use of familiar and unfamiliar elements.

Plaisir – Mundane, everyday pleasure i.e. the parts of the genre text that we expect

Jouissance – More challenging, intense pleasure i.e. the parts of a genre text that seem to step outside of the normal generic expectation.

Genres and Myths

Genres will evolve from technology, audience, new social concerns etc. Although, Jim Kites believes it is due to societies need for genres texts just like people have relied on myths to shape culture.

Levi-Strauss worked on the idea of myths and how they are more than just entertainment. It is essentially dealing with the values in fictional forms of a myth so society can defuse potential tension as a type of safety.

Therefore the role (or function) of a genre text it to help societies make sense of their worlds. They teach us the same universal values that we get from myths – what to be afraid of, how it is acceptable to behave, the importance of being ‘good’, the need to find partnership etc.