Does a Film Genre Change Over Time? Answer With Reference To Specific Films You Have Studied.

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DOES A FILM GENRE CHANGE OVER TIME? ANSWER WITH REFERENCE TO SPECIFIC FILMS YOU HAVE STUDIED.

Genres are thought to have common codes, characteristics and conventions. When common and identifiable elements of films, music, television programmes etc… are grouped together, they are referred to as genres.

        The problems arisen with genre categorization are the different aspects of genre comparisons. Genres can never, and will never, be precise categories. Films, as cultural products, need to be individually distinctive for audiences to enjoy them. This is unlike industrial products that are usually made in a standardised form.

        Furthermore, some films may be so original that they’re not like any other film or it maybe a cross between different genres.

        Stephen Neale states that the previous genre theories are static, they only deal with listable entries. Neale believes that these ideas can’t deal with elements that operate through repetition. But genres aren’t static and therefore cannot be clearly defined.

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        New examples may develop the range of themes and characteristics. For example, the 60s westerns, starring Clint Eastwood were very different from the john Wayne westerns of the 1940s and 1950s. The ‘hero’ of such films was no longer clearly in the right, and the violence became much more explicit and bloody.

        Given the uncertainty of audience tastes and the general decline in cinema audiences, it’s not surprising that no genre productions are sure to be successful. Instead popular films are often made into mini-genres in the form of sequels which maybe numerous, e.g. Jaws I – III and the ...

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