Deconstruction of genre

Deconstruction of genre

 

What is Genre?

 

The definition of genre in film is "the method of categorizing films based on similarities in the narrative elements from which films are constructed or the emotional responses they elicit. Most theories of film genre are borrowed from literary genre criticism."

 

What are Sub genres?

 

Sub genre are the identifiable sub classes within the larger film genre, with their own distinctive subject, matter, style and iconography. For example, Horror is the larger film genre with Possession Horror being the sub genre.

 

Our Trailers genre

 

In creating our teaser trailer we decided on the sub genre Crime Drama with is from the larger film genre of Drama. Drama films are serious, plot driven films, portraying realistic characters, settings, life situations and stories involving intense character development and interaction. Now, as our trailer is a crime drama it would be more centred around the a single character and their involvement or progression throughout the film in terms of the crime or involvement with crime that they have.

 Examples of crime drama include: Pulp fiction, The Wolf of Wall Street, Black Mass, Legend and The Departed. 

 

 

Common Conventions of Crime Drama films i.e. Narrative, Mise-en-scene etc.

 

• Narrative: Conventionally follows the main protagonist and presents their involvement and or progression in a big 'job' or series of criminal activities that comes to a pinnacle conclusion of equilibrium. For example, in the Crime Drama Black Mass it tells the story of Gangster called Whitey Bulger and the progression of his rise in criminal power in Boston but then gets arrested.
• Mise-en-scene: Within this genre that are explicit scenes of criminal activities which are contributed through mise-en-scene, which most noticeably is through the mise-en-scene of drugs, prostitutes and killing/violence. For example, in the first picture their is direct scene of drug use through the mise-en-scene of cocaine sniffing with a rolled up note. Additionally, in the image on the left of Legend, through the mise-en-scene of a gun at the breakfast table it infers there is going to be some sort of violence in the film.

 

• Editing: This wont really have an effect on the form of our trailer because, generically, all teaser trailers have a similar structure of equilibrium to disequilibrium with enigmas throughout and the editing pace will increase and cross cut as the trailer progresses. However, with the editing, in relation to our genre, we have to make sure that with cross cuts and jump cuts the restrictive narrative allows the audience to identify the film as a crime drama, this may be helped along with titles.

 

Evaluation

• Having now researched more into the genre, when it comes to the production and post production, we will be able to identify whether or not our trailer is conforming to its genre conventions.
• Even though these films I have used as examples do not completely fall down the same narrative route as our trailer, they are still good examples of what to included in the genre of Crime Drama to use as a basis to be inspired from.