Genres and Sub-genres of Movies

The history of film is the historical development of the medium known variously as cinema, motion pictures, film, or the movies.

The history of films spans over 100 years, from the latter part of the 19th century to the present day. Motion pictures developed gradually from a carnival novelty to one of the most important tools of communication and entertainment, and mass media in the 20th century and into the 21st century. Motion picture films have substantially affected the arts, technology, and politics.

Genre is a very important component of a film, because it defines which direction the plot line will go and allows you to prepare yourself for that film. Genre is a categorization of certain types of art based upon their style, form, or content. Even though video stores use about eight to fifteen genres to categorize their films, there are about five main genres that are big and popular.
Every indivudual has their own movie preferences. There are people who love the hard core action and there are some who prefer the slow paced drama and romantic movies. People may be turned off by a movie because of the Genre It’s in.

There are different types of movie genres out there are: Action, thriller, horror, comedy, kids, musical, wars, drama, teen and romance, crime, science fiction etc. Whilst having Genres, there are Sub-genres and it is a subcategory within a particular genre. They have their own distinctive subjects, matter, style, and iconography.

Drama

A prose or verse composition, especially one telling a serious story, that is intended for representation by actors impersonating the characters and performing the dialogue and action. It includes an exciting, emotional, or unexpected event or circumstance surrounding the main character’s life. The features included in drama genre are:

Sub-genres include:

Ø      Melodramas

The typical plot of this genre is a conflict between characters who personify extreme good and evil characteristics. Melodramas usually end  happily and emphasize sensationalism. Melodramas originally referred to romantic plays featuring music, singing, and dancing.

Ø      Road movies

This is a movie in which the main character travels and has adventures along the way. An example is a film called ‘Road’

Ø      Sport films

This list of sports films is a compilation of films in the genre covering sports activities. Example: ‘Happy Gilmore, Rocky’

Action

This genre of movie is mostly fast paced.  The story line always has to do with one or more heroes that are thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases mainly through a clash of physical forces. They occasionally have a resourceful character struggling against incredible odds such as: life-threatening situations, an evil villain, and/or being chased in several ways of transportation (car, bus, truck, etc.) with victory achieved at the end after difficult physical efforts and violence. This keeps the audience awake and excited with their non-stop action sequences. They are usually filled with fast paced chases, explosions, fighting, numerous stunts, and special effects. The Action movies are usually intended to entertain male audiences from the ages of 13 to the mid-30s. Examples of Action movies are:

Ø      Dark knight

Ø      The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kings

Ø      Inception

Ø      The Matrix

Ø      The Terminator

The Sub-genre of this includes features such as: Spy, Espionage, Martial arts, Race against time.

Romance

This is a genre that has been going on since the 1890s. Romantic movies are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centred on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus. Occasionally, lovers face obstacles such as finances, physical illness, racial, social class status, or sexual orientation discrimination, psychological restraints or family that threaten to break their union of love. Examples of romantic films are:

Ø      Casablanca

Ø      Forest Gump

Ø      City Lights

Ø      Valentine’s Day

Sub-genres include:

Ø      Historical romance

Romance that tells a story that takes place in the past.

Ø      Romantic suspense

This is where a Hero and heroine solve a mystery and find love.

Horror

These types of films seek to extract a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewers. Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a genre of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its audience; it gives them the feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural. The genre has ancient origins which were reformulated in the eighteenth century as Gothic horror.

Ø      The Thing, Alien

Ø      The shinning

Ø      Friday the Thirteen

Sub-genres include:

Ø      Slasher

Involves Psychopathic killer stalking, and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a chainsaw or an axe. Example of this would be ‘Friday 13^th’

Ø      Science fiction

This type of genre is based on stories whose central struggle is generated from the technology and tools of a scientifically imaginable world. They have featured content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, parallel universes, aliens, and paranormal abilities. Examples are: ‘Back to the future, star wars and Alien’

Comedy

Films based on this genre are emphasized mostly on humour; they are made to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedy films are mainly light-hearted Drama that is made to amuse and entertain the audience. Comedy movies are considered the oldest film genre and the most popular.  Examples of comedy films are:

Ø      I love you Philip Morris

Ø      You Again

Ø      Honey, I shrunk the kids

Sub-genres include:

Ø      Spoofs

These films impersonate, ridicule, or scoff at serious situations and people. These films rely heavily on satire and can be used as a means of social or political commentary.

Ø      Romantic comedies

Romantic-Comedy is a genre that attempts to catch the viewer’s heart with the combination of love and humor.

Ø      Black comedy

These films often explore concepts and topics that are considered taboo. Black Comedy takes topics and situations that are commonly held as serious and explores them in a comical way.

What is a Short Film?

Short movies are films that last from 5 minutes to 45 minutes and are designed to engage the viewer in a very small story that unravels in rapid segments. There have been a whole host of incredible short films and they were at there most popular in the 1920’s which is when they actually came to light. Short films are considered to be the equivalent of a short literature story or a poem. Short films come into the all the entertainment area, which includes: advertisement, music, documentaries and some animation. Short films can be created in different forms, they can be shot digitally, and 3D animated, this also allows the director and the producer and everyone else working on the film to be as creative as they wish.

Final Decision

Looking through the project briefs, I have decided to produce a Short Film, including a poster for the film and a radio trailer. I initially planned on making a music video, this is because I wanted to try something new and interesting. But I changed my mind and decided to go ahead with 'Brief 10'. The decision to make a short film over a  music video, was because a short film is much more practical and a great way to develop my media skills and it will also allow me to come up with an interesting and realistic story line. 

In AS I made an opening sequence film, which I wasn’t too pleased with the out come of the final product. I have decided to give it another go, and implement the knowledge I gained from making my first opening sequence into this, and hopefully progress my skills from AS to a much advanced standard in A2.

First Lesson Class Discussion

During our first A2 Media lesson we looked at the briefs to the project of our coursework this year, and we were asked to pick ones which took our interest. The briefs that took my interest were:

The first two pages of a new local newspaper, together with two of the following three options:

• A poster for the news paper
• A radio advertisement for the newspaper
• Two hyperlinked pages from the news paper’s website

A promotional package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with two of the following three options:

• A website homepage for the film
• A film magazine front cover, featuring the film
• A poster for the film

A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:

• A website homepage for the band
• A cover for its release as part of a digipak(CD/DVD package)
• A magazine advertisement for the digipak(CD/DVD package)

A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or animated or a combination of both, together with two of the following three options:

• A poster for a film
• A radio trailer for the film
• A film magazine review page featuring the film.