How useful is the concept of genre to media producers and audiences? Discuss with reference to specific examples.
How useful is the concept of genre to media producers and audiences? Discuss with reference to specific examples. All areas of media such as film, TV and music can be classified into recognisable types also known as genre. These can be divided by what is known as sub-genre. For example a film such as 'Rush hour' can be classified into category of action-comedy. The main element of the film is action but has comedy within it so would fit into the sub-genre of action-comedy. Generic codes repeat with regularity and are useful to the producer of the film, the people who make it and the audience alike. Genre is a very useful tool, for the people whose idea it is to make the film, to the audience who finally consume it. The use of genre makes advertising a particular film an easier process. A film poster is quite an important aspect of a films advertising. This therefore means what is advertised on the poster is very important. The genre of the film must be instantly recognisable by a potential consumer of the film. 'Cabin Fever' is a film where the genre is quickly recognised by the audience. The poster shows a hut in the distance, with a forest around it but only red and black colours are used. The use of the colours signifies to the audience blood and horror. The designer of the poster has used these colours because of the way audiences sub-consciously or not recognises
A critical analysis of how Vladimir Propp’s The Morphology of the Folk Talecan be applied to mainstream Hollywood cinema.
A critical analysis of how Vladimir Propp's The Morphology of the Folk Tale can be applied to mainstream Hollywood cinema. Vladimir Propp was a Russian literary theorist and critic whom analysed 100 Russian folk tales during the 1920's. His book, The Morphology of the Folk Tale, was published in 1928 in the light of his findings. During his studies he found that there is a standard set of classifications that can be applied to the characters within traditional fantasy stories, and that these classifications accurately depicted (and in fact predicted) the characters' role within the narrative. I suggest that his theories are still valid today, but that they are not necessarily as applicable to contemporary cinema as they are to a traditional fairytale. Various film theorists have contributed to the study of narrative structure, often supplementing and confirming Propp's original framework. In this essay I will identify Propp's findings, investigate how they work within the context of narrative theory, identify those theorists that have contributed to the narrative theory of film, and apply Propp's framework to two mainstream Hollywood films; Jaws and The Princess Bride. In The Morphology of the Folk Tale Propp identifies eight character roles and thirty-one narrative functions that, he believed, were present in every classical fairy tale narrative. The eight character
Mise-en-scene. The film I have chosen to analyse for this assignment is 'Shaun of the Dead', the 2004 summer blockbuster from Simon Pegg
Mise-en-scene The film I have chosen to analyse for this assignment is 'Shaun of the Dead', the 2004 summer blockbuster from Simon Pegg. The film is basically a parody of George A. Romero's cult horror 'Dawn of the Dead', described by its makers as a 'Rom-Zom-Com' which stands for Romantic Zombie Comedy. The first scene I have chosen to analyse is where Shaun (Simon Pegg) is walking back from the shop with a Cornetto and a can of Diet Coke whilst blissfully unaware that he is surrounded by blood thirsty zombies in a street full of destruction. It is 26 minutes and 5 seconds into the film. I have chosen to look at colour, the camera frame and movements in this shot. Colour stands out in this scene, especially around our leading man. We see Shaun in the same work clothes as the previous day, his white shirt, black trousers, red tie and red badge. We can see red ink on his shirt from a leaky pen yesterday morning, combine this with the red tie, red badge, the red packaging of a strawberry Cornetto and the clear red 'Coke' sign on the can and it is clear that he is surrounded by the colour. As we know, red is a very powerful colour with several meanings, one could be to emphasis that he is key role in the love interest in the film. It could be there to symbolise passion and love. I feel however that he is portrayed in this way not because of passion or love but blood
Critically analyse the Representation of the American Dream in American Beauty and Rocky.
The University of Adelaide Politics, Power and Popular Culture Major Essay November 2009 Marius Zanin a1141224 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness' (The Declaration of Independence, 1776). Critically analyse the Representation of the American Dream in American Beauty and Rocky. The American Dream is 'that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement' (Adams 1931). 'It is a desire of people to be recognised by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. It is to dream of opportunity and success, with the promise that regardless of ascription or background (race, class, gender) hard work and fair play will almost certainly lead to success' (Cao 2009). It definitely sounds appealing and therefore it's no surprise that the storyline of the American Dream plays a role in many popular Hollywood films. Some films, such as Rocky (1976) support the idea of the American Dream while others such as American Beauty (1999) criticise it. The American Dream began back in 1776, when the idea of freedom being a right and that tyranny could be successfully opposed was the
Macro Analysis "Silence of the Lambs".
Macro Analysis "Silence of the Lambs" Focussing on the macro aspect of the opening sequence of Silence of the Lambs (1991), the genre of the film is clear. The establishing shot is of a dark, spacey forest (woods near Quantico, Va), which leads into a vulnerable looking woman who appears to be running alone. This gives a traditional horror movie setting. Also, the cinematography of the scene backs up the horror genre because of the subjective camerawork. There are many p.o.v. shots which make the character appear to be being chased, building up the tension and suspense, again backing up the horror genre aspect. Some other techniques used are: the eerie orchestral music, use of steady cam so it could sometimes appear to look like you're seeing through the eyes of the person who's supposedly behind her, and the use of cold dark blue colours. This gives everything a gritty grim quality in the tradition of classic film noir. Also the use of omniscient view, as if we knew she wasn't getting chased we wouldn't have that suspense and horror genre feel that has been created. It turns out that the woman isn't infact being chased. The young Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy trainee is undergoing a physical challenge of endurance, an obstacle course, alone in the woods. Straight away this shows her independent character. This part of the scene also focuses on her
Tim Burton: An Auteur?
Tim Burton: An Auteur? 'My movies just sort of ended up being representative of the way I am' - Burton In Hollywood, where film making is a business ruled by profit and loss columns, and respect and admiration are bestowed upon film-makers by virtue of their films' box-office success. Tim Burton is considered to be a genius blessed by the Midas touch. But while his films have to date reaped nearly a billion dollars worldwide, they are as far from being slaves to common-denominator commercialism or audience demographics as Burton himself is to fully embracing the Hollywood mainstream in which he has rather uneasily existed throughout his career. Burton began as an animator at Disney and has continued to operate within the studio system ever since, though he has remained largely removed from its financial imperatives and corporate mentality. Burton's characters are generally outsiders, misunderstood and misperceived, misfits very often encumbered by some degree of duality. They operate on the fringes of their own particular society, tolerated but pretty much left to their own devices. In many ways Burton embodies that contradiction himself: he is embraced for his successes, but in all other ways Hollywood and he maintain a respectful distance from one another. Consequently his work has remained as idiosyncratic, imaginative, delightful and refreshingly inventive as his
