Genre

 Task 1: Genre factsheets

Read Media Factsheet 03 - Genre: Categorising texts and answer the following questions:

1) What example is provided of why visual iconographies are so important?

The example given is TV and Film westerns

2) What examples are provided of the importance of narrative in identifying genre?

The examples given are the sci-fi movies Star Wars and Star Trek

3) What are the different ways films can be categorised according to Bordwell?

• Period or Country

• Director / Star

• Technical Process

• Style

• Series

• Audience

4) List three ways genre is used by audiences.

. They use prior knowledge to anticipate whether they will enjoy the text or not.

. They compare the text to other texts with the same characteristics

. They use their knowledge to reject a text.

5) List three ways genre is used by institutions or producers.
. Attracting an audience: Some genres have loyal fan-bases. People will try out a new sit-com simply because it’s a new sit-com and this can help media producers minimise the potential for failure.

. Marketing: Good examples of this are film trailers which usually attempt to clearly define the genre of the film and then show as many of the codes and conventions in the trailer.

. Production: If a media producer wants to produce a new sit-com, there are certain ’rules’ that must be followed. This actually makes life easier for writers and producers as they don’t have to invent things from scratch.

Read Media Factsheet 126 - Superheroes: A Genre Case Study and answer the following questions:

1) List five films the factsheet discusses with regards to the Superhero genre.

. Scott Pilgrim (2010)

. Avengers Assemble (2013)
. Chronicle (2012)

. Super (2010)

. Batman and Robin

2) What examples are provided of how the Superhero genre has reflected the changing values, ideologies and world events of the last 70 years?

. Superman

. Batman Forever

. X-men

. Spiderman 3

3) How can Schatz's theory of genre cycles be applied to the Superhero genre?

Some superhero movies reflect their current time period.

Task 2: Genre analysis case study

Carry out your own genre analysis using the model provided by media theorist Daniel Chandler. Choose a film or TV text and answer the following questions - brief answers/bullet point responses are fine:

General
1) Why did you choose the text you are analysing?

I chose the DC show Lanterns because i've watched it and i like the show 
2) To what genre did you initially assign the text?

Superhero, buddy cop 
3) What is your experience of this genre?

I've watched many shows/films with those genres like the Avengers films and Brooklyn 99
4) What subject matter and basic themes is the text concerned with?

The show has a somewhat murder mystery theme;.
5) How typical of the genre is this text in terms of content?

6) What expectations do you have about texts in this genre?

Some action and drama should be included in similar texts .
7) Have you found any formal generic labels for this particular text (where - try imdb.com if unsure)?

DC, Cop drama, Superhero, Action, Crime, Drama
8) Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text?

Some character types and the genre of the text.
9) To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre?

I don’t think they do.
10) Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre?

The genre completely changes from buddy cop to murder mystery in the last two episodes
11) Which conventions seem more like those of a different genre (and which genre(s))?

Sci-fi, murder mystery
12) What familiar motifs or images are used?
Symbols from their inspiration which is are comic books
Mode of address
1) What sort of audience did you feel that the text was aimed at (and how typical was this of the genre)?

Dc fans, superhero fans, fans of buddy cop shows.
2) What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and ethnicity?

There aren’t any assumptions because the majority of the show is set in rural Nebraska.
3) What interests does it assume you have?

Watching superhero content, watching buddy cop shows.

Relationship to other texts
1) What intertextual references are there in the text you are analysing (and to what other texts)? Intertextuality is when a media product references another media text of some kind.

References Batman In a scene and other important characters.
2) In terms of genre, which other texts does the text you are analysing resemble most closely?

Possibly shows like Brooklyn 99 that use the same buddy cop genre.
3) What key features are shared by these texts?

Somewhat similar narrative and genre

4) What major differences do you notice between them?

One is just one season based on one big problem whereas the other is multiple seasons with a different problem every episode. Also one has little to no diversity to fit the narrative whereas the other has much more diversity since it’s set in a modern, city environment.