A possible approach to the Comparative Video Essay is Genre. Here is a reminder of how we use genre to study films:
Intro to Genre in Film:
Remember, genre is a comparative essay studying two films in the same genre. Often these films, as per the rules of the comparative essay, are separated by time and / or space.
To start exploring genre a key research task is to start understanding the conventions of a given genre and to identify film within the corpus and find example where the genre has evolved due to space and/or time:
Task
- List the conventions (repertoire of elements) of one of the genres in the list below:
Genre List
- Post Apocalypse Horror
- Super Hero
- Heist
- Westerns
- Thrillers
- Romance
- Science Fiction
- Slasher Horror
Find Examples of
- Two seminal / archetypical examples of the genre.
- One non-Hollywood example of the genre.
- One more recent example of the genre which subverts the conventions and/or representations.
The Repertoire of Elements
Complete some notes on a copy of this document for the genre of your choice.