Terms to Learn
Genre Cycle, Hybrid…
What? Genre, a problem…?
You may be thinking that, ‘If films follow the same generic blueprint (repertoire of elements), why aren’t all genre films exactly the same?
Genre films tend to change, tend to evolve. In fact some theorists suggest that genre follow cycles: they are born, become popular, are overused and become predictable (even cliche), are parodied and then die….They are then reborn and freshly articulated for a new generation (think La La Land / Sin City / Unforgiven…).
Task 1:
So lets look at a film, which at first glance appears to be clearly within one genre:
- Which genre does this film belong to?
- What features of the scene point to it being a that genre?
- Why might it not belong in the that genre? What ingredients from other genres did George Lucas steal and mix into the film?
Task 2:
Watch this film clip and discuss what genre(s) it seems to fit into…
- What features of the scene point to it being a that genre?
- Does it look like a film from the same genre as Star Wars?
Task 3: Read
A great article on genre and why perhaps Star Wars doesn’t fit fully into the science fiction genre.