Film 2120 1st Edition Lecture 24 Outline of Last Lecture I. Other elements of HitchcockOutline of Current Lecture I. Genre II. Ways to think about genre III. Audiences IV. Culture V. why does culture need genres? VI. A word on predictability Current LectureI. Genre-from French meaning “type” or “kind” of something-applies to almost all modes of culture but also has a more specific function in film1. Useful shorthand for a type or kind or sort of filmII. Ways to think about genre A. Production strategy 1. Generic formulae are used to formalize production practices at the Hollywood studios 2. Helps to make production practices and division of labor more routine and efficient 3. By 1930s you have five major studies in the U.S-each with a particular stylisticand generic identities - RKO pictures - Warner bros. - 20th century fox - Paramount pictures - MGM 4. Helps for each “house” to define its product and differentiate it from the others - Helps save money These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Product is predictable - Wont compete with the other studios 5. Not as simple as following a formula though - People wont go back to the theaters to see exactly the same film- Has to be a tension between similarity and difference in any genre III. Audiences A. Each of us has certain expectations for genres 1. Almost as if we are cognitively hard wired to separate between different “types” of experiences 2. We have expectations for what will be in different types of film-narratively and stylistically B. Studios work hard to appeal to genre fans when they make movies and market them1. Example: The village- market it as horror but it was more of a psychological film-people were upset about this IV. CultureA. Genres are at work in lots of domains of human experience B. Social scientists study genre across different disciplines C. Many scholars have studies in certain types of films that remain popular over spans of time 1. Example: superhero films-there is heroism D. different cultures have different types of genres 1. Bollywood films E. genres are a widespread phenomenon of human expressionV. why does culture need genres? A. Reason 1: Critics and scholars argue that genres function in society as a type of repeated patterned behavior 1. Genres can affirm or affirm certain kinds of cultural traditions and values- Example: romantic comedies o We want to know romance exists o Reaffirm our belief in romantic love B. Reason 2: Vicarious viewing 1. Genres allow us to “work through” some of the unresolved tensions in our society 2. Get to “live out” fantasies in genre films that are not satisfied in other ways - Example: gangster films: pretend to live through crime C. Reason 3: depends on historical periods 1. many scholars believe that to understand any genre you have to consider historical factors2. science fiction films today probably don’t mean exactly what they did before - example: Godzilla films from 1950s are often Japans response to HiroshimaVI. A word on predictability A. Predictability isn’t always bad B. The repetitive aspect of genre is what interest cultural historians about them as away of interpreting culture C. Films can be interesting precisely because they operate within established generic conventions 1. What extent does a film partake in established conventions? And to what end? D. You can usually identify various genre conventions even if you don’t like the