A2 media studies film genre research for short film coursework.

1. By Atika Khanom
FILM GENRE

2. FILM GENRE
• In the film world, film genres can be
categorized into many categories.
• It is important to do this so that the film
can be presented or sold to the correct
audience.
• Most film genres contain particular
convention or code, for example the
Mystery genre usually ends with the
mystery solved.
• A film can fall into more than one
category and can also contain sub
categories.
• Some of the main genres will be analysed
in the following slides.

3. DRAMA
• This genre is the broadest genre from all.
• It usually deals with in-depth character
development and explores real emotion at the
same time.
• It can be sub-categorised into:
• Crime drama
• Historical drama
• Docudrama
• Romance drama
• Comedy drama
• Psychodrama
• Melodrama
• Tragedy drama

4. ACTION & ADVENTURE
• Action and adventure movies are quite
similar and both can be .
• Action movies contain a protagonist who
is usually in a desperate situation. This
usually contains, car chases, explosives,
fight scenes etc.
• Adventure movies usually contain a
protagonist who goes on a quest or
journey in order to accomplish something.

5. COMEDY
• Comedy is a broad and open genre
and its main aim is to make the
audience laugh.
• These can consist of:
• Parodies- which satirizes of mocks other
genres
• Romantic comedies
• Comic fantasy
• Comedy horror
• Comic sci-fi

6. CRIME
• The crime genre focuses on the crime
being committed or have been
committed. Sometimes, it recounts a
criminal account or the path to
solving the crime.
• It often falls into the action,
adventure, mystery or thriller genres.
• Some sub categories it consists of are:
• Detective stories
• Murder mystery
• Legal thriller
• Gangster

7. FANTASY
• This is usually based on supernatural or
magic stories.
• Many animation films fall under this
category.
• This can divided into:
• Contemporary fantasy
• Dark fantasy
• Fairy tales
• Legends
• Science fantasy
• Mythic fantasy

8. HISTORICAL
• This is usually based on a real
event or person or a version
of a historical event or simply
a fictional story set in the
past. E.g.
• Some sub genres include:
• Biography
• Autobiography
• Historical fiction

9. HORROR
• This genre’s main aim is to frighten the
audience.
• It is usually by playing on the audience’s
emotions through suspense, shock or
violence.
• This can be divided into:
• Ghost story
• Monster
• Occult stories, which consist of religious
philosophy ; such as demons, witch craft
or demonic possessions.
• Slasher
• Survival horror

10. THRILLER
This genre usually has a serious or dark
theme to it and contains fear and
excitement. It often mixes with the
drama, mystery, horror, action or
adventure genres.
Sub genres include:
• Psychological thriller, where its
mainly based on the protagonists
mental state.
• Disaster thriller, where the
protagonist has to ‘save’ himself
and others from an event.
• Crime thriller
• Techno thriller

11. ROMANCE
This genre usually focuses on a
character’s relationship, mutual
attraction or about a woman or a
man’s attraction .
The romance genre can be
categorized into:
• Romantic comedy(rom-coms)
• Romantic dramas,
• Romantic thrillers,
• Romantic action
• Chick-flicks.

12. SCIENCE FICTIONThis genre is extremely similar to the
fantasy genre however, this genre
uses scientific understanding.
Computers, machines and
teleporting are usually features in a
Sci-fi movie.
This usually coincides with the
adventure and thriller genres.
This can be sub categorised into:
• Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic
fiction
• Comic science fiction
• Social science fiction
• Space opera