Genre

Genre

The element of genre greatly affects our interpretation of what we see on our screen. This means that we react to movies with different genres differently, we feel different feelings about different genres and of course, we prefer certain genres more than others. Every film is now categorized with a certain genre to give people a rough idea of whether or not it would be ‘their type of film’. People see types of genre as a form of identification of what they are about to watch.

Some genres are more popular than others. This is because people’s taste varies and they like certain genres. Over time, the films that people generally watch the most have been given the most attention (e.g. bigger budgets and bigger actors/actresses). For example, some people prefer horror movies or thriller movies because they are thrill seekers and the human mind naturally has a craving for the emotion of being ‘scared’. Others prefer romance movies. This could be because they are envious, in admiration or even to be inspired. Really, it is down to one’s taste. It is extremely similar to the way some people like different types of music. Maybe some people prefer rap for the beat, rock for the instruments, or pop-punk for the emotion. One thing is certain however, and that is that the most popular names are normally in the most liked genres. The three most watched genres in film and TV are action, comedy and drama. The three most popular actors/actresses in film and TV (judged by IMDB) are Tom Hanks, Meryl Steep and Leonardo DiCaprio. These three stars usually play a part in a film that is one of these three genres. Another reason why some genres are more popular than others is because of the reviews that some film media outlets write about them. Websites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB are generally quite trusted by people, especially when they want to pick a film. If the trend at the time is for horror movies to be big (usually around Halloween) then the reviews for films around that time may be higher. The same occurs for when romance films are released around valentine’s day.

Different things and different people can define a genre. For example, if Kevin Hart plays in a movie it is likely to be a comedy movie as he has been in many before. If Robert Pattinson is in a movie, it is unlikely to be horror movie as he has never been in one before. Some stars have even picked up a reputation for being leading figures of certain genres. Bruce Willis is highly considered to be the best action based actor of all time, and Jennifer Aniston is one of the most popular rom-com actresses. Another factor behind determining what kind of genre a movie is can be its advertising. This involves commercials on TV, posters on billboards and pop up adverts on websites. A romantic film may have a man and woman on it, maybe a relaxing background or a less serious colour, and will of course have actors and actresses who relate to the genre. On the other hand, a horror movie may have a serious background that sets the tone for the movie, it may have a scary and imposing figure, and it will generally have an edgier feel to it. Something else that could decide a film’s genre is where it is set (and usually the nationality of the people in it). This is the case for most Bollywood movies where most of the characters are from Indian decent.

There are quite a few basic genres in film. These include drama, documentary, action, war and romance. However, these aren’t the only genres that can help people see what type of film it is. Some films are titled with a mix of two different genres. For example, the TV series Preacher is described as an adventure-comedy series. This is to show people that although it has a serious plot, it also has funny parts to it too. This can be seen in it with the overall plot being Preacher Jesse, his girlfriend Tulip and their friend Cassidy searching for God. Along the way, they face a lot of difficulties and a lot of foes such as The Saint of Killers. However, Cassidy is a very dark, hilarious character who people love. In theory, there are limitless amounts of genres because there will always be new mixes. One of the most popular genres that is a mix of two is romantic-comedy movies. These are often referred to as ‘chick flicks’. Some movies in this genre include Remember Me, Love Actually and Knocked Up. There are target audiences for certain genres and for this it is predominantly women that enjoy this.


In conclusion, genre is essentially the movie itself. The genre is self-explanatory in telling people what type of movie or TV show they are about to witness.

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