Genre research

I decided to research some basic genres of film to gain a holistic understanding of the film world. I want to make a valid decision on my chosen genre based on my research of all genres.

Comedy:

The main purpose of a comedy film is to amuse and induce laughter, it deals with unusual behaviour, designed to entertain an audience. This 'feel good' genre is extremely popular among all ages and genders, however most modern comedies are rated a 15 as taboo language and inappropriate storylines are used. There are many types of screen comedy such as

•  slapstick :which involves over exaggerated physical movement (films like 'happy Gilmore')
•  comedy of manners: a comedy based on the class system or a scandal, it can be classified by its witty dialogue (pride and prejudice)
• spoof: this satirizes other films by pointing out their flaws and making fun of them (Airplane! / Scary Movie),
• romantic comedy: provides a spin on the usual boy meets girl relationship to please audiences (27 dresses/ knocked up)
• comedy horror: mainly rated 15 or 18, these films put a light-hearted spin on the usual comedy.
•  black comedy : discuss taboo subjects (often inappropriate subjects) such as drugs, war and murder whilst adding a comic element. (Dr. Strangelove)

Action:

Action films involve one or more heroes solving various challenges requiring physical traits and achievements, extended fights, extensive stunts and car chases. Story and character development are generally secondary to explosions, fist fights, gunplay and car chases. Both historically and currently, action films have wide commercial appeal and enjoy box office success. The action film does revolve around a narrative, but more importantly, it revolves around a hero. What often springs to mind when you think 'action films' are the specific actor, such as Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham) and the obstacles their character(s) must overcome. 

•  Action adventure film: an adventure film that follows some action film conventions, such as car chases and firearms, this sub-genre is mainly targeted towards families as it often includes some slapstick emelemts .
•  (Raiders Of The Lost Ark),
• The cop action film: follows the story of one or more 'cops' trying to solve a case, this sub-genre often has a comedic spin attached to it. (Bad Boys 2),
• The sci-fi action film: follows a sci-fi plot but involves the ise of battles, firearms and futuristic weaponry. (Aliens),
• The martial arts action film (47 Ronin),
• The action comedy: an action film featuring comedic elements, usually rated 15 as their is strong, bloody comic violence involved. (Hot Fuzz),
• Military action: set during a war or conflict where the plot follows particular soldier, can be both historical or futuristic. (Fury)
• 'girls with guns' : portrays a strong female protagonist who makes use of weaponry, male characters in the film are often at her command.( Lara Croft: Tomb Raider)
• Spy action: a secret agent is sent on a secret espionage mission and make use of both 'cool' gadgets and firearms. ( The James Bond Franchise)

Crime:

A crime film focuses on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach can portray grittily realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures and criminal heists. In this genre, criminal acts are almost always glorified.

• Detective: This follows a detective and usually, his associate, solving a complex crime committed by a notorious criminal. This genre often features highly complex and clever plots to allow the audience to make their own conclusions about who committed the crime and why. (Sherlock Holmes)
• Courtroom Drama: This presents law as a fictional drama, it often sees the case from the lawyers point of view (The judge)
• Murder mystery: A film that revolves around a homicide(s) where a detective tries to figure out the culprit, often putting their loved ones and other people in danger. (The silence of the lambs)
• Gangster:This sub-genre focuses on gangs and criminal organizations  Gangsters are the subject of many movies, particularly from the period between 1930 and 1960. (The Godfather)

Sci-Fi:

A sci-fi film often embraces futurism, technology, and space travel. Science-fiction in the 50's dealt mostly with invasions of Earth by aliens or  mutations. Special effects feature strongly and as technology grows, more and more Sci-Fi's are available in 3D using the latest camera equipment.

• Apocalyptic/post apocalyptic fiction: this sub-genre depicts a world set after a disaster such as war, plague, zombies etc., it focuses on the traits and minds of the survivors and how they interact with each other and the end of a human civilisation. (The war of the worlds)  Post apocalyptic films take place in a society where their is a lack of technology/modern resources. (The Hunger Games)
• Hard science fiction: this is where the science is the main focus and could be seen as realistic, scientific focus is considered a main part of the plot. (Jurassic park)
• soft science fiction: soft science fiction isn't really concerned with the science involver, but the more social side of it. (The Planet of the Apes)
• Military science fiction: essentially military elements added to a sci-fi (edge of tomorrow)
• Social science fiction: this genre is more concerned with the humans in the scientific society and highlights human behaviour and interactions. (Gulliver's travels)
• Space opera: emphasises space travel and shows how humans cope with a space lifestyle. (Prometheus)
• Planetary romance: this shows exotic alien worlds and focuses on the physical background of the setting. This genre is more concerned with the adventures on the planet, rather than the transportation to that location. (Avatar)

Horror:

Horror films designed to frighten or shock the viewer through the violence or supernatural, this genre can sometimes overlap with science fiction. The impact of horror films has drastically changed thorough the decades, something once scary in the 80's such as the shining, would now be categorized as a psychological thriller. Today,  the term "horror" is  applied to films which display more explicit gore (Saw/ Texas chainsaw massacre) as audiences are becoming less and less impacted upon by horror films.

Ghost story: This sub-genre concerns dead spirits haunting the living world and how humans react to them (The woman in black)  

Monster: a genre depicting a monster/ mutant/ werewolf/ zombie that terrorises the population causing both death and despair, often monster films refer to creatures of traditional folklore.

Occult stories: discusses themes to do with the 'opposite of good religion', such as devils, demonic possession, antichrist, exorcisms, witchcraft and  daemons. (The exorcist/ the devil inside)

Slasher: this sub-genre usually features a male serial killer hunting down a group of people, the violence is extreme and detailed. Most of these films are rated 18 or X as they touch upon very disturbing topics.

Survival horror: this genre follows a protagonist who has to overcome some sort of obstacle such as zombies, a murderer or even themselves (28 days later)

Romance:

This genre deals with a sentimental relationship between two (or more/ love triangle) characters as its basis. Possibly the biggest purveyor of escapism in film, the romance film creates an assumption of what romance is like. The basic structure for these films are when two lovers who meet, fall in love, and then must deal with the obstacles thrown in their way, often portraying great sacrifice from one of the individuals. Many sub-genres have stemmed from this main genre to attract a wider audience, yet the main audience is predominantly women who truly immerse themselves in this world of fictional escapism.

Contemporary romance: this is a romance film set at the time they were written, in films before 1970, the women tend to be housewives while after 1970 the women have careers. (The Notebook)  

Historical romance: focuses on a romance between two characters in a period setting where issues from that period such as women's rights, threaten the relationship. (Jane Eyre)

Romantic suspense: Often the heroine is the victim of a crime , and works with the hero, who is often a protector, such as a police officer, FBI agent, bodyguard. At the end of the film, the mystery is solved and the interaction between the hero and heroine has developed into a solid, often cliche relationship. (An officer and a gentleman)

Paranormal romance: this often blends a variety of sub-genres such as horror, paranormal, sci-fi and thriller to produce a romance that appeals to both sexes. (Ghost)

Science Fiction romance: a romance film in a futuristic setting (Avatar)

Fantasy romance: A key feature of romantic fantasy involves the focus on relationships and social, political, and economic factors^. They are often completely fictional and tend to exaggerate a romantic relationship to suit the epic scale of the films budget. (Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves)

Fantasy:

This genre is commonly associated with the fantasy worlds of imaginary lands. Key motifs include fairy's, knights, mythical creatures, wizards, epic battles, chivalry, pirates and fairy tales. Most of these films are aimed at children or young adults, children watch them because it depicts their imagination on screen, young adults watch them as they are often franchises that they have grown up with. This genre could be seen as a form of escapism as completely inaccurate and fictional worlds come to life on screen, creating a sense of awe and wonder. Many of these films are big budget blockbusters and a conglomerate film production company is needed to fund the countless special effects and stellar cast.

Fairy Tales: a genre about various magical creatures and folklore fables (Snow White and the Huntsman)

Epic/High fantasy: this genre expresses the use of highly sophisticated worlds and developed characters to produce a highly commercially successful film (Lord of the Rings/ Harry Potter)

Heroic fantasy: this chronicles the tale of fantasy lands and epic hero's who 'save the day' (Hercules)

Science fantasy:  A fantasy story  with mythical elements that can be scientifically explainable, basically combining science fiction elements with fantasy elements. (The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy)

 

Historical:  

This genre deals with historical events and the real historical figures involved in it. Sometimes these films can be over romanticised or are adapted from fiction novels, however, historical events and themes are at the heart of all these films. These films pay a lot of attention to detail to re-creating events that have shaped the world we live in today. The type of films that deal with completely fictional characters in historical settings would be called costume films or period dramas. Some other films dealing with historical past would relate to some other genres and types, such as westerns, musicals, fantasy, war dramas, biographies, etc

• Autobiography: a persons life story, often narrated by themselves (Mr Turner)
• Biography: somebody's life story as told by someone else (Marie Antoinette)
• Memoir: similar to an autobiography but it only shows a snippet of someone's life.
• Historical fiction: This entails a story that takes place in the real world, with real world characters, but with several fictionalized or dramatized elements.
• Alternate history: this genre poses a "what if" scenario where  some historical event occurs differently (or not at all), so the course of history is alternated (never let me go)
• Period piece: where a historical backdrop is used but the plot, themes and character may be over dramatized (Amadeus) 
• Costume drama: Lavish costumes and locations take center stage 

Thriller:

This type of film features suspense, excitement and tension. Every genre could have thriller elements to it, like mystery, detective movies, gangster movies, crime, spy films, science fiction, film noir, occult and horror genres. Information is often withheld  from the viewer as an important device, also  action setpieces such as gunfights and chases are rare. Violence is only used for pivotal points and only where necessary, unlike a slasher film where sporadic violence is frequent. Thrillers often present a vision of the world and society as dark, corrupt and dangerous, often the ending is positive, however, extreme sacrifices have been made. After World War II, thrillers became increasingly more menacing, filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock leading the way, but the gore, explicit violence and sexuality that define  the genre today didn't appear until after the Hayes Code was abolished in 1969. Since then the genre has been stretched with films by various directors who each continue to twist and expand thrillers into new areas. Famous thriller filmmakers include, Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, Neil Jordan, Ridley Scott and Roman Polanski.

Disaster-thriller: where a disaster is the main point of focus, something like a weather related disaster or a disease epidemic (contagion)

Psychological thriller: here, the psychological condition of the protagonist or, antagonist is highlighted. The plot is often complex and has many layers of meaning and possible outcomes (Shutter Island)

Crime thriller: this revolves around detectives and the crime they must solve, the plot is usually extremely suspenseful. (The Silence of the Lambs) 

Techno-thriller: where technology is the main culprit of the film (The Terminator)