Genre: Blog Tasks :)

 Media Factsheet 03- Genre: Categorising Texts

1) What example is provided of why visual iconographies are so important?

Somebody sitting behind a desk- this isn't a specific genre but the elements of modern mise-en-scene and high-key lighting and the choice of media language combined creates an image of a news broadcast. 

2) What examples are provided of the importance of narrative in identifying genre?

The example how it isn't unusual for soap operas to have a storyline that follows a family dealing with some sort of domestic situation. Although this may also appear in sit-coms, sit-coms often tend to have a lighthearted nature which is the opposite of soap operas where they take on a much more serious tone in which the storyline continues over a long period of time (in contrast to sit-coms that find a solution to the problem by the end of the short episode). 

3) What is the difference between character representation in action movies and disaster movies?

In action, the 'lone wolf'action hero usually tends to be the most common stereotype - especially with characters such as James Bond that depend on a character's individual strength. Meanwhile in disaster movies, the heroic role is often placed within a group of people and they all have particular strengths that help solve problems and often work using teamwork- like the Avengers. 

4) What are the different ways films can be categorised according to Bordwell? 

According to Bordwell, films can be categorised through Period or Country (US films of the 1930s), Technical Process (Animation), Style (German Expressionism), Series (Bond), Audience (Family Films).

5) List three ways genre is used by audiences.

• Prior knowledge of the genre to anticipate their enjoyment of the text
• Shared characteristics with another show or movie
• Reject a text which is when someone actively dislikes a genre and avoids texts that they assume contain those characteristics 

6) List three ways genre is used by institutions or producers.

• Follow rules or paradigms of the genre to make writing easier for producers based on other successes and failures
• Loyal fan-bases to certain genres to minimise potential of failure 
• Clearly define the genre of the film and show as many codes and conventions in the trailer to attract fans to set up expectations of the film

7) What film genre is used as an example of how genres evolve? What films and conventions are mentioned?

The film genre used the example of gangster genre- the films mentioned were Scarface, Resevoir Dogs and The Sopranos while the conventions (genre that focuses on groups of criminals and often romanticises the gangster lifestyle) were the texts within the genre that are violent and deal with conflict between the police and criminals.

Media Factsheet 126- Superheroes: A Genre Case Study

1) List five films the factsheet discusses with regards to the Superhero genre.

• Superman
• Batman and Robin 
• The Flash 
• Arrow 
• Agents of Shield 

2) What examples are provided of how the Superhero genre has reflected the changing values, ideologies and world events of the last 70 years?

Superman (1940)- WW2 began in 1939 and the people from the US saw this as a European issue and the US government thought they might have to get involved despite most of the population not wanting to and this was reflected in Superman as he would have to battle Europeans despite not wanting to. Another example of this is X-Men (2000) and this movie was about mutants who were believed to be freaks by so-called 'normal' people. Some of the mutants reacted to the discrimination with violence whereas the others tried to work with the humans to try fit in. As this movie came out in 2000, it can be said that the mutants are metaphors and representation of the intolerance for racism and homophobia.

3) How can Schatz's theory of genre cycles be applied to the Superhero genre?

• Innovation: visual codes for the superhero genre were largely established by the comic books. When film and TV used comic book characters, other codes and conventions regarding the presentation of the genre in moving images were set.
• Classical: by the 1950s, the superhero genre was seen to be in its classical stage with codes and conventions being replicated in film and TV programmes of the time. 
• Parody: Batman (1966) was intentionally funny and camp so that the audience would not take the superhero too seriously- the ironic tone indicates the playful nature of the genre and allowed the audience to enjoy the awareness of that. After Batman, the classical and parodic versions of the genre were largely in children's animation. 
• Deconstruction: Superman (1978) introduced special effects with technology to create more realistic visual miracles- the Superman series and Tim Burton's Batman franchise treated superheroes seriously but also used camp comedy to show how the genre has been deconstructed and changed to help the genre find a new audience- this brings the genre back to innovation which allows new ideas to be developed within the genre. 
• The Cycle Continues: if the film or TV isn't well received, the genre needs to be deconstructed and re-innovated 

Genre Analysis

Grey's Anatomy

General

1) Why did you choose the text you are analysing?

I have chosen this text because it is my favourite show and it has 18 seasons so there is a lot going on and there are lots of plot twists that make the show very interesting and engaging for the audience.

2) In what context did you encounter it?

I used to see lots of people on social media talk about this show and I wanted to see what everybody was talking about but and once i started watching it, I realised that it actually talks about serious world issues and is not just a typical medical drama. 

3) What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the text?

I think I had a biased reaction towards the show because all of the posts I had seen about it were positive so I think that I was expecting it to be amazing and I matched my opinions to everybody else's.

4) To what genre did you initially assign the text?

I initially assigned this text to the medical drama genre but as I continued watching, I started to see that it also could be assigned to the drama and romance genres. 

5) What is your experience of this genre?

I to tend to enjoy drama shows a lot as they build suspense and leave the audience wondering what could happen next and especially with this show, there are a lot of plot twists.

6) What subject matter and basic themes is the text concerned with?

The subject matter is medicine but also drama. There is constantly some sort of drama going on between the main characters but also there are about two or three medical cases covered in each episode.

7) How typical of the genre is this text in terms of content?

The elements of drama are very typical in that there are lots of affairs and relationship issues as well as family issues. The medical side of the show is also very typical as they tend to cover lots of unusual medical problems- which lots of medical shows tend to do. 

8) What expectations do you have about texts in this genre?

On the drama side, I expect lots of relationship problems and cheating and affairs because that is a typical storyline for drama shows and on the medical side, I expect to see lots of blood and organs which is also very typical with a lot of medical shows. 

9) Have you found any formal generic labels for this particular text (where)?

I have found that this story text uses a lot of generic labels such as the forbidden love storyline and the "will-they-survive-or-not" storyline (cliffhangers which are not unusual for the drama genre). 

10) What generic labels have others given the same text?

Other generic labels that have been given are the unpredictable plot twists as well as the use of comedy quite frequently.

11) Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text?

There is a convention of the men having a higher status than the women because often, the men were medical chiefs, it was only until the later seasons when they made a woman chief. 

12) To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre?

Quite far because we don't see women as chiefs until towards the end of the show because primarily, men were the ones in positions of power. 

13) Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre?

Towards the end of the show and this is probably because of a high number of female watchers who didn't agree with the fact that women were not in power and because the show first aired in 2005, it wasn't unusual for men to be in power but as the show progressed and is now taking place in 2021, women are given much more power then before. 

14) Which conventions seem more like those of a different genre (and which genre(s))?

The comedic parts of the show seem like they belong in a comedy show itself because of the drama and medical cases that take place, it is unusual for comedy and humour to be taking place in a hospital which is where the show is based. 

15) What familiar motifs or images are used?

The forbidden love storyline takes place a lot, as well as cheating and affairs.

Mode of address

1) What sort of audience did you feel that the text was aimed at (and how typical was this of the genre)?

This text is likely meant for young adults or a mature audience because of the blood that takes place in almost every episode so I don't think this was intended for children or teens and this is very common for medical shows because all of them depict the gore that comes with medicine so it is not likely that any medical shows are intended for younger viewers. 

2) How does the text address you?

Although I typically don't like blood, this show really interested me as an A-Level student because I was considering different career paths so I was able to somewhat understand part of the medical field by watching this show and allowed me to decide what career I wanted to pursue. 

3) What sort of person does it assume you are?

Somebody who enjoys drama as well as learning things because despite the dramatic storylines, there is a lot to learn about the medical field. 

4) What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and ethnicity?

You can assume that I am working class because this show is not too fancy and you can also assume I am a female because of the drama that comes with the show which tends to attract females more often than males. You can also assume that I am either in my late teens or early twenties because that is mainly who watches this show recently. Regarding ethnicity, I don't believe this show was meant for a specific ethnicity so I don't believe that an assumption about my ethnicity can be made from the fact that I watch this show. 

5) What interests does it assume you have?

Interests towards medicine or problem solving as a lot of the time in this show, a cure can't be established right away so sometimes the audience has to pitch in and try think of alternative methods to try treat the patient. 

Relationship to other texts

1) What intertextual references are there in the text you are analysing (and to what other texts)?

I believe there is a relation to a show called "Station 19" and this is because both of the main characters in the shows introduce the episode at the beginning through a voiceover and then summarise the episode at the end also using a voiceover. Both of the main characters also seem to have a lot of death surrounding them and a lot of their loved ones die. 

2) Generically, which other texts does the text you are analysing resemble most closely?

Maybe another medical drama like "The Resident" or "ER". 

3) What key features are shared by these texts?

The drama that occurs between the main characters but also the fact that they focus on medical cases in each episode as well.

4) What major differences do you notice between them?

Grey's Anatomy tends to be serious at times but is balanced out with funny moments whereas shows like "ER" are more serious in tone and a lot more fast-paced.