Genre
The term genre comes from the French word for ‘type’. In Film and TV, genre is a way of grouping different types of stories based on their style, themes, and the emotions they create. By assigning a genre to a product, it can help audiences to know what to expect before they watch it.
For example, if you see a film labelled as horror, you expect it to be scary, with dark settings, eerie music, and suspenseful moments. If a film is a comedy, you expect it to be funny, with jokes, silly situations, and light-hearted characters.
Every genre has features like this that make it different from others, these are called conventions. Here are some common genres and their conventions:
- Action: Fast paced with exciting chases, fight scenes, explosions, and a strong hero facing difficult challenges. Often includes weapons and a clear good vs. evil conflict.
- Comedy: Light-hearted and funny, with jokes, misunderstandings and exaggerated characters. Often features witty dialogue and awkward situations.
- Horror: Designed to scare the audience with eerie music, dark lighting, jump scares, and creepy settings. Monsters, ghosts, or killers often appear as a threat.
- Sci-Fi: Set in futuristic or imaginary worlds with advanced technology, space travel, aliens, or time travel. Often explores what the future could be like.
- Romance: Focuses on love stories and relationships, often with emotional moments and dramatic twists. Usually features a couple overcoming obstacles before finding happiness.
- Thriller: Full of suspense and mystery, often with a character trying to solve a crime or escape danger. Includes tense music, unexpected twists, and moments that keep the audience on edge.
Photo by Studio Binder.
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