Genre Conventions

Horror

Themes: A theme in a typical horror film would be calmness gradually leading to suspense and a 'storm' (metaphorically speaking) with an unexpected turn with rising tension and fear levels. I may also expect to see a relationship flourish between two vulnerable and desperate people followed by an aftermath that does not deliver the usual happy ending and instead delivers a sad, numb and depressing one - or possibly a cliff-hanger ready for a sequel.

Types of Characters: victims, friends, siblings, parents, possible girl/boyfriend and either a regular psycho-villain or a monster in an inanimate form that has come to life, for example a clown or a dead doll, maybe even a ghost.

Target Audience: The target audience for these types of film would usually be from the ages of 15-25 as that is the age when most horror films become appropriate to watch and past the age of 25 the majority of people may find horror films less interesting and thrilling.

Setting: The setting for these types of films would most likely be somewhere quiet e.g, a house where the victim is home alone and any other abandoned, dark and quiet location.

Examples of films in this genre: The Exorcist, The Conjuring, Scream, Paranormal Activity, The Purge

Genres it combines with and works well: Crime fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Sci-fi

Comedy

Themes: Comedy films are one of the most diverse in terms of what I would expect themes of the storyline to be because the plot could be anything as long as it was funny and made people laugh. Most comedic films would have a lot of adult humour in them and would most likely incorporate a time in the story line where something is dangerous or hard and could have the potential to go wrong however is overcome and instead delivers a happy, light-hearted and funny ending. Most often, I wouldn't expect a romantic relationship to form however, I would expect a friendship to form possibly between two unlikely characters - like in the film 'Stepbrothers'.

Types of characters: boy/girl, friends, siblings, parents, family and a 'villain' who is less of an actual villain OR enemy trying to humiliate or get the main character into trouble (such as an older/younger sibling - like in 'the diary of a wimpy kid').

Target Audience: The target audience will vary depending on what type of comedy film it is, if it is a comedy film with adult humour then the target audience would be 18+ as usually all people interested in comedy films would find the same thing funny and there's no limit to finding something funny no matter how old you are. If the film is a children's comedy such as 'The Diary of a Whimpy Kid' the target audience would most likely be 6-15 as at the age of 6 most children would understand the context and any person beyond the age of 15 would most likely find it 'boring' or 'immature'
 
Setting: The setting can vary, if it is a comedy aimed at children and a family the setting will most likely be in a home or school, for more mature comedy films the location will be different depending on the film, for example in 'The Dictator' some of the setting is in a palace, where as in 'The Hangover 3' some of it is in a hotel room. It depends on the storyline.

Examples of films in this genre: The Hangover, A Million Ways to die in the West, 21 Jump Street, Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Genres it combines with and works well: Romance, Western, Teen film, Mock-umentary, Musical

 

Drama

Themes: Common themes of a drama film would be that it tells and exaggerates a realistic story in order to emotionally connect to the audience. There is often conflict with relatable hardships that convey pain characters may be going through, where the story is explained in detail from start to finish through the performance and dialogue of them. There is also usually a romantic element to the film for example in 'Titanic'.

Types of Character: man, woman, friends, ex lover, enemy

Target Audience: Usually between the ages of 16-35 as they can often require mature intellect, it is more likely to be aimed at a female audience however, doesn't discriminate against males.

Setting: This will depend on the narrative and storyline of the film, e.g. 'Titanic' was set on a cruise-ship whereas 'Slumdog Millionaire' was set in a studio and a slum.

Examples of films in this genre: Titanic, The Fault in our Stars, Slumdog Millionaire, The boy in striped pyjamas, Hunger Games

Genres it combines with and works well: Historical, Romance, Teen,  Thriller/Adventure.

Teen Film

Themes: The typical storyline in a teen drama would be boarder-lining romance.  The theme would be that in the beginning the girl and boy meet, realise they like each other, flirt and eventually have a relationship. Someone will get jealous and begin to interfere, slowly get in between the two causing heartbreak, however most often this is overcome and the two lovers decide to forgive and forget. There can also be teen dramas where romance isn't at the forefront of the story, another theme could be bulling within a school, or the genre could be hybridised with a thriller (like 'Abduction) to make a teenage drama that is different to the stereotyped idea. The most common theme no matter what the genre is, is that there is a happy ending towards the end

Typical Characters: The characters you would see are; a girl, boy, an 'ex' or threat to the soon to be relationship, teachers, friends or people within school bullying and parents. This is because these are the majority of people an average teenager would see and interact with in their daily lives.

Target Audience: Teenagers, mainly girls between the ages 12-19, as these are the people that can most relate to the storyline and therefore enjoy it the most.

Setting: The typical setting for a teenage drama would be in a school, in a town (where characters would 'hang out' after school hours) and home.

Examples of films in this genre: Juno, Mean Girls, Clueless, Cyberbully, Wild Child, Twilight and Hairspray.

Genres it combines with and works well: Romance, Comedy, Drama

Documentary

Themes: In a documentary I would expect to be told a real life story that goes through the realities of a topic such as war, crime, somebody's life, wildlife etc. I would expect interviews with the people featuring in it throughout and would expect to be told the story in the order from start to finish, for example if watching a documentary about a criminal case I would expect it to go from a situation where everything was in harmony and gradually show us how the crime came about. After this I would expect to be shown everything from after the crime to the present day and how the criminals actions effected peoples lives. The documentary would usually be delivered in a 'timeline' style, even in a wildlife documentary talking about how animals give birth - the most recent events would be towards the end. I would also expect voice-overs.

Types of Character: People featuring in documentaries will vary a lot depending on what it is aboout, but usually it would be all those people that are affected by the topic of the documentary (parents, family, friends, doctors, workers in a centre - anyone so long as they are relevant to the story), an interviewer, presenter and possibly an expert too (e.g. in a wildlife documentary - a wildlife expert)

Target Audience: The target audience for a documentary will vary depending on the subject for example a wildlife documentary may attract more mature adults however a documentary about a reality TV star would attract late teenagers and young adults. Aside from this, the general/average target audience would be aged between 16-80.

Setting:The setting is also very versatile and could also be anywhere depending on what the subject was, if it was a look into what fast-food restaurants are really like it would be in the city in restaurants and most likely asking customers questions outside on the street as well as a possible lab where the food is being examined. There could also be an interview room.

Examples of films in this genre: 'This is us' One Direction, 'Part of Me' Katy Perry, Supersize me

Genres it combines with and works well: Culture+Society, Music, Wildlife

Mock-umentary

In a mock-umentary I would expect to see everything I have mentioned above in the documentary from the people that would feature in it to how the story would unfold. The only main difference would be that the person doing the voiceovers or people undercover would be subtly mocking the story and therefore providing entertainment to the public. The mocking may be to a certain extent rude or be seen as racist or maybe even homophobic on occasions but these are done extremely lightly and there is a line where it no longer becomes funny that I wouldn't personally expect to see from the genre. The people featuring in it that are not aware it is a mock-umentary would most likely be treated in a patronising way because they have no clue about the real intentions of the film, and that is why the public would find it funny (e.g. 'come fly with me')

Examples of films in this genre: The Dictator, Bruno, The Office

Genres it combines with and works well: Comedy, Culture, Parody

Romance

Themes:

In a romantic film a theme I would expect to see is two people meeting, falling in love, coming to breaking point as friends, parents, ex's or possibly an illness comes in between them. After this the couple will most likely overcome the issue and then live 'happily ever after'

Types of Characters: Types of characters I would expect to see would be a girl, boy, an 'ex' girl/boyfriend, parents and friends as these are all people that could directly influence a relationship.

Target Audience: People of many ages can appreciate a good romantic film, however the target is mostly females. The film 'Love Actually' would attract a wider audience age range because the characters in it have big age ranges, it would be from 18-70 however a film like 'Mamma Mia' would attract less of a variety and the target audience is more from 16-40 because of the characters in it and the fact it is a musical. Theres no close age range that can be set because of how popular this genre is, however on average the target audience for any romantic film would be 16+.

Setting: I would expect the scenery in romantic movies to be very beautiful with scenic or 'rich' views such as a city soaring with sky-scrapers, a beach with a sky-blue sea or a countryside with fields of natural green and peaceful land. This is because I believe the characteristics of these settings signifies things a good relationship can be (beautiful, happy, peaceful) and they are the types of places good memories can be made for the couple, like splashing in the ocean or late night strolls in Central Park.

Examples of films in this genre: Titanic, About Time, The Notebook, 50 First Dates, Love Actually, A Cinderella Story.

Genres it combines with and works well: Drama, Comedy, Teen

 

Thriller/Action

Themes: In a thriller or action film I would expect to be kept on constant edge, wondering what is going to happen. I would usually expect a discovery to be made somewhere along the line and then the main characters aiming to solve this mystery, get revenge, fight the evil or help the good. Story lines would be realistic enough to be believable when trying to relate to what is being put out as a 'real' story, even though we know its fictional but they are also far fetched sometimes. For example the film 'Taken' seems realistic and puts viewers on edge by building tension, however even though the story is realistic and could happen, its something that people would say 'only happens in films' because its so dramatic. I would expect to see fights, chases and possibly death.

Types of Characters: I would expect a boy/girl who finds out new information or seeks something from 'the other side', a parent, guardian or mentor to help them, an accompanying friend or someone that is helping the main character or hero, the villain or enemy and companions of each.

Target Audience: The target audience for thrillers would be 15+ as they create a lot of tension and may not always be appropriate for younger viewers. Even though I believe all films can be enjoyed by all ages I think the cut off point whereby this audience isn't thought of when coming up with a plot would be age 40+ as most people may think they would expect a different narrative, for example including elders in the film for the purpose of relating, however this is not the case. I don't believe there is a specific gender that is targeted for these types of films, however some films may target boys more than girls  and vise-versa, but the genre as a whole does not.

Setting: I would expect the majority of the storyline to be held outside where there is space to run and hide, and for some parts inside buildings of a working company or a secret hide out where the either the enemy or victim can be found.

Examples of films in this genre: Inception, Divergent, The Purge, Dawn of the Planet Apes, Taken, Abduction, Spiderman.

Genres it combines with and works well: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Mystery

 

Sci-fi

Themes: In a sci-fi movie I would imagine seeing a world of harmony followed by an idea that has good intentions (such as the Matrix) however there is then an unbalance in the harmony and some form of a war must be fought between good and evil that involves saving the world. Typically good conquers evil before the world returning to its balanced, harmonious state

Types of Characters: The characters you would most often come across in a film of this genre would be a villain, a hero, companions of each, police and a guide for the hero - for example the Oracle in the Matrix.

Target Audience: the target audience for a sci-fi would usually be for the ages between 15-30. This is because usually sci-fi films have a lot of modern hi-techology aspects to it where people of this age would take the most interest to

Setting: A typical sci-fi setting would be in a lab, outer space or a location with high modern technology, I would also imagine that the lighting may be dark in some scenes.

Examples of films in this genre: The Matrix, ET, Star Wars, Avatar, Rise of the Planet Apes, The Avengers.

Genres it combines with and works well: Fantasy, Adventure, Thriller

 

Musical

Themes: In a musical, a story will unfold, there is no dead set theme as it can be based around many things, however usually there is a romantic element as you find in Mamma Mia, Hairspray and Les Miserable. Like in most films, the storyline will be set out so that in the beginning there is harmony and the majority of people are happy, then there will be something to disrupt this and will eventually be resolved. The reason there is no set theme is because a musical is an element to a film rather than being the entire film; what I mean by this is you can take almost any genre and turn it into a musical just by singing dialogue and involving a lot of relevant music. It can range from a criminal musical to an animated to a romantic one. It all depends on what producers are trying to achieve, however musicals often have a romantic element to them.

Types of Characters: Depending on the genre there will be a range of characters, the most likely to see in a musical (give or take depending on the genre the film is paired with) are: girl/boy with a goal, someone that will get in the way of this (possibly an enemy, villain or a magical power e.g. in frozen), parents, romantic interest and companions of each.

Target Audience: Again, because of the variety and different genres a musical can be matched with this will vary. An animated musical such as frozen would be aimed at younger children but would also be something young adults can enjoy due to the fun and meaningful messages in it, whereas a musical such as 'Les Miserables' would be aimed at an audience from the ages of 16+ because of the mature performance and because it may require more intellect.

Setting: The setting can be anything depending on the genre it is paired with, all of the other genres I have spoken about in this post apply to this, e.g. in a romantic musical I would sometimes expect the location to be somewhere with nice views, as it emphasises the beauty not only of the place, but of the flourishing relationship.

Examples of films in this genre: Les Miserables, High School Musical, Frozen, Grease, Mamma Mia, Pitch Perfect, Aladin.

Genres it combines with and works well: Romance, Comedy, Teen

 

Fantasy

Themes: In fantasy films, Propps character codes usually apply very well. The main characters are often taking on a quest and the film may be emotional at points. Todorov's model also applies well in the changes of equilibrium as usually fantasy films start off where most characters are happy and something stops this and eventually a new equilibrium is found. There is almost always a happy ending in these films, especially due to the fact the target audience is usually younger. These films also often deliver a moral message or lesson to its viewers e.g. 'tangled' teaches us not to be too trusting of everyone. There is also usually a romantic element to most films in this genre too.

Types of Characters: (A) hero(s), villain, heroine, mentor, helper, parent/guardian, donor and a false hero with companions of each - Propp's character codes.

Target Audience: The target audience for fantasy films is from the age of 2-25, this is such a big range because depending on the film, the audience will require a certain level of intellect. There can also be a considerable appeal for older audiences too however the target is not to please them, its to please the majority of whom the film and narrative will appeal to.

Setting: This can vary depending on what the film is hybridised with, for example, partnered with an animated film the setting will often be around an exaggerated home e.g. shrek in a swamp or Elsa in a frozen tower. Partnered with a sci-fi film, such as spiderman the location will most likely be in a public place such as a city. On its own, depending on the storyline it could be anywhere, in contrast to horror films it would be in light places with people in it (not quiet).

Examples of films in this genre: The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Twilight, Narnia, Frozen, The Hunger Games, The Matrix.

Genres it combines with and works well:

 

Animation

Themes:Usually in animated films such as Disney, I would expect to be given a background story of some sort or an insight into it, such as the introductions in tangled and frozen showing the characters lives as children and growing up. It would be typical to initially see a balance where the majority of the characters are happy and there is no change for a while, however I would expect a change in that balance somewhere along the line where either a discovery is made, a situation goes wrong or the characters set out on a mission and after the balance is shaken it would eventually be fixed by some form of a hero because of the love they have for the one in danger.

Types of Characters:The characters you would see in this genre of film are most likely; a parent, child, sister, brother, hero, friend, lover and a villain role.

Target Audience:These are usually family/children's films and convey a moral lesson of the story, for example frozen teaches girls that the love between sisters is stronger than the love any lover could have for you and that you shouldn't let outsiders come between family.

Setting:The setting is usually in a home but exaggerated so that it has an element of fantasy, for example a swamp (Shrek), a tower (Tangled), a palace (Frozen) or a house floating in the sky held by helium balloons (Up).

Examples of films in this genre: Tangled, How to train your dragon, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Despicable Me, Kung-fu Panda.

Genres it combines with and works well: Fantasy, Comedy, Family, Romance.