Comprehending time

In the feature film, jack reacher, released in 2012, the plot is that:

1. Firstly 5 people are shot dead by a elite sniper who has left the army.
2. Police evntually arrive on the scene and start to investigate, and eventually interrogate a man named James Barr
3. Barr then tells the detectives to talk to Jack Reacher.
4.  Reacher soon shows up on the scene and begins gathering clues with the aid of talented defense attorney Helen Rodin, the daughter of the DA. 
5. Meanwhile, when Reacher is assaulted in a local bar, he correctly thinks that someone is determined to interupt his investigation..
6.   His suspicion plays out when he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a young woman shortly after. Now, with the police closing in from one side and a gang of ruthless killers gaining ground on the other, Reacher must use his formidable detective skills in order to catch the gunman 
7. Then his heroin (Helen) gets caputred by her father, who is actually a villain
8. Reacher then enters a shooting range where he finds out more information about the investigation from the shooting ranges owner, Cash.
9. He puts his life in danger to go and rescue her, fighting Emerson (Helens father), who Reacher eventually shoots and saves Helen.
10. Helen then tells Barr that she has enough evidence to prove Barr innocent from shooting the 5 people. which was shown at the beginning and that it was Emerson who actually killed the 5 people. All thanks to Jack Reacher.

• Jack Reacher finds out about the shootings in the beginning of the film, when he sees the shootings on a news report at the start of the film.
• Helen finds out about the shootings when she is told about the story when she becomes a lawyer for James Barr, (the suspected killer).
• James Barr finds out about the shootings at the very start of the film, as he is the original suspect of the shootings. But, towards the end, he finds out that he is not guilty of the crime.

The plot is what keeps the audience intrested on what is going to happen during the film, like in 'Jack Reacher', we don't know that James Barr is innocent and Emerson is guilty, until the very end of the film.

The Narrator is also a key part of a film because, when we discover who is telling the story, our point of view among characters can change, and the narrator also holds vital answers to questions that the audience whats to know. However the narrator will always:

• reveal the events which make up the story
• consider those events for the audience 

• sum up those events for the audience 

• The narrator also tends to position the audience into a particular relationship with the characters on the screen.

Aristotle

His famous quote:

"...the most important is the plot, the ordering of the incidents; for tragedy is a representation, not of men, but of action and life, of happiness and unhappiness - and happiness and unhappiness are bound up with action. ...it is their characters indeed, that make men what they are, but it is by reason of their actions that they are happy or the reverse."

Audiences

Audience

Audience - An individual or group of people who read or consume any text
                - Al texts made around an audience, When the film is being made, it is important to think about whether a film has an audience, and if not why not.
                Audiences also bring in money and therefore profit to a company.

Demographic audience - The audiences age, race, gender, class/status, nationality
Psychographic audience - the audiences interest, beliefs, and hobbies.

Without audience there would be no media.
Film makes want to make a profit. But, profit - no audience = no profit
The mass media is becoming more competitive,  so film makes have tried to attract audiences in different ways in order to still maintain a profit.

How audiences use media and the gratification they receive from it
The belief that audiences passively receive messages does not exist anymore
Two theorists Katz and Blumler discovered from their research into audience behaviour that audiences use media texts for a variety of reasons:

1. Information
finding out about events, satisfying curiosity and gaining a sense of security.

E.g.: newspapers

2. Personal Identity
reinforcement for personal values, finding models of behaviour into peoples incite into themselves.

EG: Facebook, Twitter (add people you are interested in) 



3. Integration and social interaction
incite into circumstances of others, social, empathy, identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging, enabling you to connect with friends and family.

E.g. and TV soap East Enders or Coronation Street


Mass Audience - often termed 'broadcast audience'. Those who consume mainstream media or popular texts like soaps and sitcoms. Media and communication that targets large groups of people like men, women, children, adults, etc.

Examples or mass audience films are - Ice Age, Top Gear, Friends,  Harry potter films, 007 Films, Star Wars.






Niche Audience - A much smaller but very influential group of films or TV dramas. A niche market is a very small, select group of people with a very unique interest.

Examples are: Racecar engineering, Sumarine film, This is England.

















The Impact of New Technology on Audiences

Old media (TV, Print, Radio) which have used high audience numbers, have had to work harder in order to maintain their high audiences

Digital technology has lead to an increase in uncertainty over how we define an audience, with the general agreement that a large group of people reading about the same thing at the same time is outdated and that audiences are now fragmented.




















Fragmented audience - audience that has become divided


Michael Winterbottom
He is a person a director who specialises in many niche films like: 24 hour party people and Butterfly Kiss.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935863/

Three Act Structure

Three Act Structure

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThreeActStructure

3 act structure, showing tension



Basic 3 Act Structure

Act 1

Act 1 - This is the first quarter of a film also known as a period of equilibrium. So for a 2 hour film, the first act would tend to last around 30 minutes.

What Happens in Act 1 (setup)

This is the part of the story that introduces the main characters, their relationships, and what place and time period they are set in.

 

Act 1 also introduces the main characters, the dramatic premise, and the dramatic situation.

Main character - the person in the story who has an objective to achieve and who's action drive the story.

Dramatic Premise - What the story is about

Dramatic situation - the circumstances surrounding the action

Inciting Incident - An event that changes the plot. It often occurs halfway through a film.

The "Plot Point" - The plot point is  a point that separates one act from another. It is an event that thrusts the plot in a new direction, loading into a new act of the screen play. Experts have suggested that the plot point separating act 1 to act 2 is when the hero takes on the problem. 





Act 2

Act 2 covers half of the film (the middle two quarters of  film). So if the film was 2 hours long,  Act 2 would last for 1 hour, after act 1.

What happens in Act 2 (confrontation)?

Obstacles - Throughout act 2, the hero encounters multiple obstacles that prevent him from achieving his goal.

First Culmination - A point in the film, where the hero is close to achieving his goal, but then everything goes wrong, leading to the midpoint of the film.

Midpoint - The lowest point for the hero in the story, and at this point, he is the furthest he will ever be from achieving his goal.

The "Plot Point" - The plot point is  a point that separates one act from another. It is an event that thrusts the plot in a new direction, loading into a new act of the screen play. Experts have suggested that the plot point separating act 1 to act 2 is when the hero takes on the problem. 

Act 3

Act 3 covers the final quarter of the film. So in a 2 hour film, act 3 would be the last 30 minutes of the film.

What happens in act 3 (resolution)?

Climax - The point at which the plot reaches its maximum tension, and the opposite forces (hero and villain) have either a physical or emotional action.

Denouement - The brief calm part of the film, at the end where equilibrium is restored.





time in narrative

Narrative

Sucessful stories require actions that change the lives of the characters. They also contain some sort of resolution, (where that change is registered), which creates a new equilibrium for the characters involved.  Narratives are not just those we encounter in fiction. Even news stories, advertisements and documentaries also have a constructed narrative.

Narratives are also described as linear and non linear. These are used to describe the sequence in which the story is told.

Codes and Conventions of Narrative

The conventions of narrative that audiences look for in narratives are:

• genre
• character
• form
• time
• We also use our knowledge of these conventions in order to aid us interpret a text. For example, we use time in order to interpret a text by highlighting slow motion shots of scoring a goal. which emphases "the time of the thing told, and also the time of telling."

Comprending time

Very few screen stories happen in real time, usually an entire life sotry can be cut down into a film of just 90 minutes. An 8 month siege can he cut down into only an hour long part of film. An example of how time can be used to represent a long amount of time, within a few minutes, is in Raiders of the Lost Ark, on the plane journey.

http://www.slideshare.net/Hazzagold1/media-flashbacks-flash-forwards-point-of-view-and-rep

Flashbacks
dream sequences
different characters point of views
real time interludes
flash forwards
repetition
pre-figuring of events that have not yet taken place.

Narrative

Narrative
Narrative is the order in which a film is told. It is different from a story as a story tells you what happened, while narrative is the explicit detail or the order in which things happen. This could lead to a film being either really good, or realty bad.

Narrative Enigmas
A narrative enigma is a question that undermines the film, and may or may not be answered at the end. These are used in order to entice the audience into watching the film, and creating a feeling of interest and suspicion
http://www.superglossary.com/Glossary/Technology/Television_(TV)/Narrative_Enigma.html


Technical Code
Takes in anything that goes into the narrative process, such as sound, camera angles, design and editing. This could be to make the audience feel a certain way, for example, a red text would portray a different effect on the audience then a pink text. Also, a low camera angle will make the character seem powerful to the audience in contrast to a high camera angle which makes the character look vulnerable and weak. A good example in 'Rear window'.

Verbal Code
The way language is used in written and spoken to convey the story. This could be through the charcaters, but also through voice overs. A good example of this is 'the Shawshank Redemption'

Symbolic code
Clues with in the narrative, for example, someone driving an old car could be seen as being poor, as he can not afford a more expensive, modern car. A film that is a good example of this is Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carroll' who is always wearing a suit, which represents his vast amounts of money.

Torodoorvs Structure
Usually have a beginning, middle and end. Tordorov's came up with a theory that each narrative was split up into 3 parts:
 1. Equilibrium (When everyone is happy at the start).
2.Disequilibrium (when something disturbs the equilibrium, and could make the characters angry).
3. New equilibrium (when the hero restores equilibrium at the end of the film).
This the stereotypical structure for a film, however, the narrative can change from this structure with the use of flashbacks, and flash forwards.

Character
These are the typical types of character you can expect to see in a film: 
Protagonist - the stories hero
Antagonist - the stories villain.
Heroin - Love interest for the protagonist
Father - commanding figure who rewards the protagonist for storing equilibrium
Helper - Someone who helps the hero, usually a sidekick
Doner - give the protagonist something to help them in there quest (mission/aim)
Mentor - teacher and guide of the hero

Narrative Conflict
Levi Strauss was a 20th century theorist who believed that every narrative is moved forward by conflict and that conflict was derived from two opposing forces, like rich and poor, love and hate.




NARRATIVE - HOW THE STORY IS TOLD



PorppNarative Devices
Vladimir Pro suggests a structure similar to Tordorovs, but in more detail and is more complex.

Preparation - intro to the story
complication - keys or clues to the direction of the story
Transference - the donor events
struggle - dealing with difficult circumstances
return - return home, but issues still remain
recognition - loose ends are solved

Propps theory with regard to character:

the villain
the donor - prepares the hero or gives then a special object
the magical helper - helps the hero throughout the film
the princess - what the hero desires, sought for during the narrative
the princesses father - rewards the hero
the dispatcher - Charcter who sends the hero off.
the hero (victim/seeker) - reacts to the donor, marries the princess completes the quest.
the false hero - anit hero

Genre Typecasting of actors

Thriller Typecasting of Actors
In the thriller genre of films, there are many actors who you will see time and time again. For the thriller genre, the most common actors and actresses are: Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise and Joan Allen along with many others:  http://movies.toptenreviews.com/actors/list_thriller_actor.htm

Harrison Ford is famous for starring in many high profile film series like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. These films series contain multiple films, which gave Harrison Ford the opportunity to star in many thriller films.. this then gave the audience that he was a'typecast' for a thriller film, so he is now often associated with thriller  films, (a thriller typecast).

Similarly, Tom Criuse is often considered a 'thriller typecast' espite appearing in manhy action movies. This is due to his part in 'Rain Man' and 'Risky Business', which has led to him also being thought to be a 'thriller typecast'.

Joan Allen, is considered a 'thriller typecast' because she is often starred in many thriller films, and is therefore often associated with the thriller genre. She is famous for starring in films like the 'Bourne Ultimatum', 'Manhunter' and 'Ice Storm'.











Comedy Typecasting of Actors
In the comedy genre of films, there are many actors and actresses who you will see time and time again. These people are 'comedy typecasts', as they are typically casted in many comedy films. These actors and actresses include: Ben Stiller, Rowan Atkinson and Eddie Murphy among many other.

http://www.imdb.com/list/Mq71J2UTC-Q/

Ben Stiller is often starred in many comedy films, as he is a 'comedy type cast'. He has starred in many films like A 'Night At The Museum' and 'The Heist'. These are all under the comedy genre, along with many of his other films, so he is therefore considered a 'comedy typecast'.








Rowan Atkinson is famous for starring in many comedy films, but his most famous film series was 'The Mr Bean' series in which he plays the main character, Mr Bean, who ends up getting into lots of trouble. Rowan Atkinson has also starred in another comedy series: 'Johnny English', which is a funny re make of The James Bond series.








Eddie Murphy is another 'comedy type cast' because he has made multiple films that are all in the comedy genre. This means that if you see his name in the starring list of a film, you can garuantee that it will be funny. This all down to the fact that he is a 'comedy type cast'. He has starred in many films like: 'Norbit', 'The Nutty Porfessor' and Doctor Do Little'.






Action Typecasting Of Actors
In the action genre of films, there are many actors and actresses who you will see star in a film more than others. These actors and actresses are know as 'action typecasts' because they typically star in action films. Some 'action typecasts' include: Dwayne Johnson, Matt Damon and Bruce Willis, among many others.

http://www.imdb.com/list/rMzuEE_tStc/

Dwayne Johnson is a 'acting typecast' because he is often seen staring in many action films like 'G.I.Joe: Retaliation', 'The Mummy Returns' and 'The Race To Witch Mountain'. These films were very popular, so fans often expected him to be in action films, so that is why Dwayne Johnson is considered an 'action typecast'.





Matt Damon is considered an 'action typecast' because he starred in many action series, like 'The Bourne' series, in which he really got recognized by a mass audience as a 'action type cast'. He has also starred in other films like: 'Saving private Ryan' and 'Oceans Eleven'. These are all under the action genre title so, that is why he is considered an 'action type cast'.





Bruce Willis is another 'action type cast'. He has starred in many action films over the years, and is often associated with action, whenever his name is on the front of a film cover. The most famous series that he took part in was the 'Fast and Furious' series that was full of action. from car chases, to fights. This is one reason why he is an 'action type cast', but he has also starred in many other action films, that would get him recognized as an 'action type cast' like: The 'Die Hard' series, and 'Red'.

Thriller Mood Board

http://www.pinterest.com/harrydenn/thriller-theme-board/

Sub Genre

Sub Genres are identifiable sub classes, almost like a sub heading, within a larger film genre, with their own distinctive subject matter, style, formulas and iconography. It can also be seen as a genre within a genre or sub category.

Political thrillers,
Espionage, (Spy films)
Action adventure Sub genres include:In the case of "Skyfall"
Martial art films,
Races against time

Eddie Murphy

Action is a genre that has many sub genres. One of the sub genres is action comedy. The first action comedies dates back to the 1930's in the film 'Swashbuckler'. However, the sub genre did not really take off until the 1980's when stars like Eddie Murphy entered on the scene. The action of 'Fast and Furious' is mostly lighthearted  with very little death or serious injury,  making it a action comedy film. The buddy film is another example of a action comedy when pairing odd couples in dangerous situations. Another sub genre of action is action thrillers. Featuring guns, cool explosions, and amazing set pieces, this movie type was first made in the 1970s in such films as Dirty Harry and The French Connection and became the example of the Hollywood mega-blockbuster in the 1980s in such works as Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. These films often feature a race against time, lots of violence and a clear evil person. Though they may involve elements of crime or mystery films, those aspects take a back seat to the action. Other significant works include Speed.

Finally, another sub genre of action is action science -fiction.Sharing many of the conventions of the science fiction film, sci-fi action films emphasize gun fights, space battles, and invented weaponry. Through the Terminator films, Arnold Schwartznegger became the most visible hero of the genre, and James Cameron it's main film director. In both The Terminator and Terminator 2, as well as Aliens, his focus was on the often brutal violence that could be inflicted with futuristic weaponry. Paul Verhoeven managed a more individualistic and satirical blend with action in his films RoboCop, Total Recall, and Starship Troopers, while they remained in the genre of the action. The sub genre was most popular in the late '80s and early '90s, for its response to the more violent but cooler future, as it changed to survive in the film industry.

Casino Royal spoof - (1967)

Spy films also have sub genres, one of which is spy comedy.The rise of the Cold War and the success of the James Bond franchise spurred on the popularity for the production of a spy comedy film. Graham Green's script for 1960's Our Man in Havana served as an early version of this sub genre, even if its failure at the box office didn't exactly inspire other film makers to follow suit. Instead, the film re-makes of Ian Fleming's popular James Bond novels, Casino Royale (1967), a spoof in which Agent 007 only reluctantly agrees to bed women and save the world. Similar films and television series followed, but the type would enjoy much greater success with the absurd, gag-laden Austin Powers comedies, created by and starring comedian Mike Meyers.

Rambo - popular war adventure film, in the 1980's

Finally, the adventure film genre also has a sub genre of war adventure. An adventure film using the battles of a war (usually World War II) as either a setting or a starting point for the action. The most title category of this film is the "men-on-a-mission", in which a group of soldiers must work together to complete a mission crucial to the victory of the battle. Films like The Dirty Dozen, Kelly's Heroes, and The Guns Of Navarone portrayed these soldiers as tough, no-nonsense men of action who put aside their differences to get the job done. Though the subgenre had its most active period in the '60s and '70s, the war adventure returns periodically the Rambo series of the 1980s.







Really good website! : http://www.allmovie.com/subgenre/action-comedy-d513

Hybrid genres

Hybrid Genres are a combination of two or more genres.  They have a larger audience due to appealing to more people through their multiple genres. This would be more lucrative (money making) for the film company. Some people consider them to be more creative and exciting then films with just one genre.

As horror movies are perennially popular film makers might start with a set of paradigms to guarantee audience interest, before throwing other types into the mix.
by warren Buckland"Genres are not static, but evolve. Therefore, their common attributes change over time. most films are hybrid genres, since they process the common attributes of more than one genre."

Warn bodies - Horror romance film

Examples of Hybrids are: 
Horror historical drama, 

Horror war,
Horror romance,
Horror Rom com,

Another Hybrid genre is the romcom genre. This is a genre that combines the romance and the comedy genre. There are many famous actors associated with this genre like Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock. Romantic comedies are movies with light-hearted, humorous and dramatic stories centered around romantic ideas such as a "true love" with an element of comedy, like the Hangover. Romantic comedy films are a sub-genre of comedy films as well as of romance films. The basic plot of a romantic comedy is that two people, usually a man and a woman, meet and then split up due to an argument or other difficulties. Initially, these two people do not become romantically involved, because they believe that they do not like each other, because one of them already has a partner, or social pressures.. However, the the writers leave obvious clues that suggest that the characters are in fact attracted to each other, or that they would be a good match. There are many variations on this basic plotline. Sometimes, instead of the two lead characters ending up in each other's arms, another love match will be made between one of the principal characters and a secondary character (e.g., My Best Friend's Wedding, like the Hangover).

The Appartment - Comedy Drama film

Comedy dramas are another example of a hybrid genre. This hybrid genre consists of the comedy genre, and the drama genre. It is a genre hybrid that merges dramatic film with comic elements, in situations that do not necessarily end happily. Instead of presenting the world as neat and clean and full of only laughs and resolution, these films often add dramatic touches like tragedy, subtle actions and relaxed while maintaining a light tone. Beginning with Charlie Chaplin and the modern, lighthearted tragedy of Buster Keaton. During the Golden Age (1927 -1963), filmmakers Preston Sturges, Howard Hawks, Ernst Lubitsch, and George Cukor mixed drama and comedy well, while Billy Wilder perhaps perfected the genre, creating  comedies often addressing dark social and lifestyle issues with Ace in the Hole and The Apartment.

House - A Horror Comedy Film

Finally, another hybrid genre is the horror comedy genre. This is a combination of the horror and comedy genres.A specialized type of horror film in which the death are portrayed using a humorous, tongue-in-cheek approach. Often favoring shocking, graphical violence over suspense, these films leave audiences laughing and grossed out at the same time. Originating with films like The Blob and The Old Dark House, these films heighten horror conventions to the point of absurdity (weird and bizarre). Modern day examples include Dead/Alive, Evil Dead 2, The Frighteners, The Fearless Vampire Killers. Another variation is the horror parody. These include House, Young Frankenstein, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and Fright Night,which mock the conventions and formulas of a typical horror film.

Information on hybrid genres:

Hybrid genre blog: http://tanny1993.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/hybrid-genres.html
All movie website: http://www.allmovie.com/subgenre/horror-comedy-d581
http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevel.php?pageID=filmgenre
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-hybrid-genre.htm

A Case Study on Genre

The western genre is a genre that has had attracted a lot of viewers, partly because of its ‘mythical’ (legend) context. Due to the fact that the films are often set in locations that are isolated, and removed from the rules of modern society, it gives the film writers a lot of freedom to explore uncomfortable issues among modern society, without ignoring everyday factors. Typically in western films, there is a fight between the good and bad, and the heroic cowboy becoming victorious, and the audience’s faith is restored. However the western films have experienced a series of changes, adaptations and revivals in its life time at the cinema.

During the 1920’s and 1930’s, western films followed a similar formula, and was considered one of the most main genre. Alan Lovell, (as cited in the cinema book), identified four key conventions that made up the western genre. They were:

·        A structure from the 19^th century melodramatic theatre, which involves a hero and villain, who menace a heroin.

·        An action story , made up of violence, chases and crimes appropriate to be a place like western America in the 19^th century.

·        The introduction of the history of migrating westards and the opening  to a place.

·        The revenge structure, which was present in the film ‘Billy the kid’ in 1930.

These were the primise (ideas) from which westerns were developed and from which all other westerns have been created.

In 1939, ‘Stagecoach’ was released. This film was seen as the first ‘modern western’ film, which was a significant development in the genre. This was because of our sympathies for an outlaw and a prostitute who he befriends. After this film, came a series of films starring John Wanye, sticking to similar themes, and flawed characters, the, most recognisable being  ‘Mr Darling Clementine’ and ‘The Searchers’, which John Wayne plays an outsider obsessed with revenge against the Indians who had kidnapped their niece. This period also saw a new section of ‘stylised westerns’ like ‘Johnny Guitar’ and ‘High Noon’. This period has often been sighted  as a ‘classic’ period of western films. This ‘classic’ period is seen as the pinnacle of western films, and is now facing a downward trend in terms of popularity, especially during the 1950’s. In the 1960’s, westerns saw a new rise in popularity due to the ‘spaghetti western’ in the late 1960’s. the name came around due to the Italian producers like Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci, who often stared Clint Eastwood in the films like ‘A fistful of dollars’and its sequels. In these films, the Mexican bandits were up against a much less romantic, and more violent loner, travelling from town to town. The films were also much more violent in content, in keeping with social change and the relaxing of censorship. In 1969 ‘The Wild Bunch’, was a film that told the film from the the view of the outlaws rather than the typical law abiding settlers. The film is clearly influenced by the Vietnam War, which is why there is more violence and instability throughout the film.

Throughout the 1970's, 1980'sand 1990's, the western genre saw a huge decrease in popularity. The genre did not appeal to modern audiences, meanwhile other genres like horror and science fiction did manage to attract the attention of the younger generation of film watchers, especially with the age of VCR's.Throughout the 1970's, 1980'sand 1990's, the western genre saw a huge decrease in popularity. The genre did not appeal to modern audiences, meanwhile other genres like horror and science fiction did manage to attract the attention of the younger generation of film watchers, especially with the age of VCR's.

However, towards the end of this period there were small adjustments made to making westerns. In 1988, "Young Guns" was released, putting together key conventions of a western, including a 'bratpack'of actors. This is a group of actors that were very popular acting together, and they were used along with a modern entrance theme, in order to try and restore peoples desire to watch films under the western genre. Also, in 1990 'Dances With Wolves' was a western film made to be politically correct, showing native Americans (Indians) in a better light, in an attempt to gain the western genre more viewers.

Soon after, even main characters, which were white heroes and key to any good western film, were replaced by 'black westerns' such as ' Posse' and 'Ferminst westerns' like 'Bad Girls' and 'The Quick and The Dead'. In 1992, Clint Eastwood chose to direct films,as well as act in them. In 'Unforgiven' the film decided to use political allegory, (a political allegory is a story or painting that, on the surface, tells one tale, but has a hidden political meaning underneath), commenting on the American government at the time. There other new workings in the genre since then. 

This is not  the full history of the genre, but gives an indication of how one genre has had to adapt to survive in the film industry.

Genre - why we categories films

Genres function according to a set of rules and conventions, which govern their capacity and range. They respond to these rules and conventions by developing formulas and patterns (paradigms) Over time, these formulas and patterns may acquire not only typical, but even archetypal force, dominating ways of seeing and of representing the world around us.

PARADIGM - The overall pattern created by a film that helps categorise it.
CONVENTION - The individual elements which help specify which genre the fill belongs to, E.g. the convention of action. - weapons, explosions, car chase.

Paradigms are broken down into iconography, structure and theme

Iconography - The main symbols and signs that you see or hear.#

Theme - the ideas and thoughts in the film

Structure - The was the film, writing is put together.

We have genre so we can select what type of film we wan to watch!
Genre originated from books.#
The USA was the first group to use genre, like Hollywood in the 1920's/30's

Why We Categorise Films
Hollywood in the 1920's/30's was the first place to use genre in film when the major studios were developed. Film produces wanted ways to attract people and make a profit. So they established what kinds of iflm people liked to watch and produced them in large numbers. Marketers could also give films a label so that audiences knew what film sot expect, therefore getting them to visit the cinema. genres became formulas of predictable convention that audiences liked.

Audiences - Retailers also Certain genres are often made for specific audiences, of certain ages and genders in society. people have a certain expectation of going to see a film judging on the genre they have chosen, its the marketing responsibility to produce the films their audience expects to see, through the conventions they watch.

The Positives and Negatives of genre
On one hand, rigorous conformidity to established conventions (or paradigms) while giving the audience what they want, can actually lead to stagnation of a genre as "they are all the same" judgment passed.

Some films are subversive which means that they go against what you expect to see from a typical film. A good example of this was how Westerns have developed in order to keep attracting audiences, and surviving as a film genre.



Mediaknowitall website : http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevel.php
MediaEdu website: http://media.edusites.co.uk/


Iconography

Iconography - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iconography

Genre

Genre is used to group (categorize) similar groups of film, based on there conventions. There are multiple genres in film, such as: comedy, horror, action, romantic comedy and many more. Different genres attract different types of people. Those who go to watch comedy films, would tend to think that they are watching the wrong film if they saw many conventions of horror films (paradigms), like its settings, themes and situations that tend to be dark, eerie and gory  which are present through most horror films. Instead, they would expect to see stars that keep recurring in comedy films like Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, featuring on white backgrounds looking happy and funny. Also, other comedy paradigms include native events and moods throughout the film. (meet the fockers little fockers director : Paul Weitz)

Action films are another genre that share certain paradigms, that make it a unique genre from other types of film genres. They contains conventions like recurring icons, motifs and situations. The James Bond film, Casino Royal, contain many  that make it similar to other "Bond" films. The iconography of the sight down a gun barrel, instantly tells the user, that their film is going to be about action, as a gun is a traditional symbol of action films. Also, the iconography of the sight down the barrel of the gun, is repeated among, many action films.. The structure of the film is also a common convention, which consists of a huge series of pure action, in a gun fight, car chase, or an explosion. While these scenes are being shown, there is music being played in the background, which is just another convection of a typical action movie.
(James Bond : Casino Royal, Director : Martin Campbell)

Romantic comedy, is another genre of film, that has many conventions. One of the main paradigms is the stars of the films. Most romantic comedies are played by the same actors and actresses like Jennifer Anniston, Renee Zellweger and Julia Roberts, who play similar characters in similar scenarios.
(Bridget Jones Diary, director : Sharon Maguire) This then leads to another convention of romantic comedies, theme. Most romantic comedies start with a boy, who meets a girl, they get into difficulty, and end up happy at the end of the film. In the case of Bridget Jones Diary, the front covers of the film have the common convention of featuring the main star in the film. this leads the viewers to think that they are indeed watching a romantic comedy, and not a horror, because the same actors do not act in a horror film. Also the iconography of the front covers, make it apparent that it is a romantic comedy, with the use of pink, and hearts, which are often associated with romance.

Finally, horror films have very distinct conventions. The music is very dark, slow and jumpy, this gives the atmospheric tension. Psycho, is a classic example of a horror film, which uses music in order to create the conventional atmosphere that is expected in a horror movie. Another convention of horror movies is the iconography of the covers and characters. these are often black, red or dark colours, with blood stains on the cover. This kind of iconography would not been seen on a comedy film, as the black and red blood stains, are not perceived as being happy, funny things. the themes of horror films, is also another paradigm that brings the genre of horror together. Most films feature the same actors, which is another paradigm that the horror genre has over other genres.
(Psycho, director : Alfred Hitchcock)

In conclusion, many genres of film have lots of conventions that make then unique from each other. the main ways to group genres is through themes, structure, iconography, stars, settings and many more. Genres may share the same conventions, like themes etc, but that is what makes them different. The structure of a horror film, is much different from the structure of a action film, which is more lively, and fast paced. These differences between genres has led to many people prefer different film genres, and thats why there are so many different genres in the film industry today.