Analysing Genre A2 Media Presentation

1. Genre Theory
FABIO CHIARIZIA

2. What Is Genre?

3. Genre – Definition
 “Genre” is a French word, which is derived from Greek and Latin, meaning
kind, class and sort.

4. Genre Theorists

5. Daniel Chandler
 Daniel Chandler is a British born visual semiotician. Chandler believes that
genre is defined by the common conventions they display, such as the
themes, settings and style of a picture. For example, it is common in horror
films that unusual and paranormal events will occur in a spooky location,
causing the main characters distress and putting them in life threatening
situations.

6. John Fiske
 John Fiske is a media scholar who has taught all over the world. He
believes genre is a method of categorizing a wide range of texts/meanings
in order to create a from of structure, due to the vast amount of films and
texts in the modern day.

7. Barry Keith Grant
Barry Keith Grant, a professor in the Department of Communications, Popular
Culture, and Film at Brock University, teaches the idea of Sub-Genres. The
purpose of these Sub-genres is to further divide films into more specific,
targeted categories by identifying their characteristics and features. This, in
turn, allows smaller, specific audiences to be directly targeted.

8. Trailer Analysis – I.T (Clown)
 Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAUTdjf9rko
 Daniel Chandlers genre theory would suggest that the trailer displays many of the basic
conventions of films belonging to the horror genre, such as the use of a frightening
supernatural enemy (the clown), people, mainly children, being placed into life
threatening situations, spooky derelict buildings being explored and scenes containing
low lights, such as when the clown is seen lurking in the sewers.
 John Fiske’s genre theory would suggest that the basic conventions used in this trailer,
such as the eerie music, dark scenes and a supernatural clown make the film easily
identifiable as one belonging to the horror genre, creating structure amongst film types
by a means of categorising them.
 Barry Keith Grant’s genre theory would suggest that the trailer manipulates different
types of horror genre conventions, such as dark and mysterious locations and the
clowns un-clear motives for kidnapping children in order to create fear of the unknown
within the audience. By doing this, we can place the film in the sub-genre of
Psychological Horror, as it plays with the minds of the audience.

9. Trailer Analysis – The Women In Black
 Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXXRS3Kghh4
 The strong presence of spooky, eerie music in the trailer creates tension within
the audience, and when paired with the scary toy dolls, grave markings and
various supernatural occurrences, fear is also created. In the eyes of Daniel
Chandler, the trailer would qualify as one belonging to the horror genre.
 John Fiske would put forward his idea that the music, props and supernatural
happenings (as mentioned above) would help to clearly categorise the film
into the horror genre, hereby creating more structure amongst existing films
and texts.
 Similar to the previously analysed film, Barry Keith Grant’s genre theory
would once again suggest that the dark scenes and unexplained supernatural
occurrences, paired with the mysterious entity called ‘the women in black’
would place this film into the sub-genre of psychological horror.

10. Trailer Analysis – SAW
 Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-1QgOMQ-ls
 The use of props such as lethal weapons (knives and saws) and strange
costume (Jigsaw’s mask), matched with gory, suspense fuelled scenes and
creepy music would place this film in the horror genre from the perspective of
Daniel Chandler. This is due to the basic features conventions of horror films
being displayed, as mentions previously.
 John Fiske would mention that the features and conventions used in the
trailer, such as the dark scenes, creepy music, scary consume and props and
gore, match those which are in films belonging to the horror genre, clearly
categorising the film and creating structure amongst films and texts in the
modern day.
 Due to the knives and saws used as props in the trailer, coupled with the use of
gothic ideas and scenes, Barry Keith Grant would place the film in the sub-
genre of Gothic Horror, due the features and conventions it uses throughout.