Genre

Factsheet 3 - Categorising texts

1) An example provided to show that visual iconographies are important would be the section about star trek and star wars, as they share characteristics and key conventions that are associated with sci-fi movies, despite the fact that some aspects may be used differently.

2) The examples given to show the importance of narrative would be the comparison of a soap opera to a sit-com, as it explains how although they might have similar storylines, they are structured differently and the way situations and characters are portrayed comes from a different point of view.

3) In action movies the character/hero is portrayed as more isolated;a 'lone wolf', who may be considered as immoral and unconventional at times. This is different to how the hero is typically represented in disaster movies, as instead of placing the heroic role within one single character, it is often given to a group of people, who each have their own particular strengths, who collaborate together to overcome the situation.

4) Bordwell came up with 6 categories to put movies into:

• period or country - eg: US films of the 1930's
• director/star - eg: Ben stiller films
• technical process - eg: animation
• style - eg: german expressionism
• series - eg: the Bond movies
• audience - eg: family films

5) Genre is used in a number of different ways by an audience, such as to compare a text through its shared characteristics with another. Audiences may also use genre to decide whether they reject or accept a text, for example if they dislike horror, they are likely to avoid texts with those characteristics. They may also use their prior knowledge of a genre to anticipate whether they are likely to enjoy a text.

6) Genre is used not only by audiences, but is also used by institutions and producers. One way they use genre is as a paradigms/templates. For example if a media producer wanted to produce a new sit-com, there are 'rules' that must be followed (key conventions), which makes it easier for them as they don't have to constantly be inventing things from scratch. Producers and institutions may also use genre to attract an audience as some genres have loyal fan-bases, which can help minimise the risk of failure when releasing a new media text. Another way they use genre is when they are marketing texts, for example movie trailers attempt to clearly indicate what genre the film is by showing many of the codes and conventions, attracting fans of the genre. 

7) The genre of gangster movies was given as an example to show how genres evolve. The conventional and modern equivalents of gangster movies have similar codes and conventions such as violence and romanticising the gangster lifestyle and focusing on conflict between the police and criminals.

Factsheet 126 - Superheroes: A Genre Case Study

1) Films the factsheet discusses in regards to the superhero genre include:

• Scott Pilgrim (2010)
• Chronicle (2012)
• Super (2010)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
• X Men franchise (2000 - present)

2) In the 1940's Superman was shown needing to battle European villains who threatened the peace and security of the town, forcing him to become involved in conflict, despite wanting to live a quiet life. This reflects how in 1939 WW2 began and the US government realised that they might have to get involved even though much of the population didn't want to. 

Superman also battles against a wealthy businessman, who appears in the 1930's and in the 1978 film. Superman was raised in a rural community, which means he has attributes of 'greedy, city values'. In the 1930's the blame for the Great Depression was down to the greed of capitalists. 

In Spiderman 3, we see how he has to fight against 'Sandman'. Sandman was a man made of sand and venom, created by an oily substance which infects people, turning them into monsters. This reflects how wars had been fought in desert regions in the hopes of winning for oil. The feature of light and dark also links to the binary opposition between good and evil. 

3) Schatz's theory of genre cycles is about how he believed that genres are dynamic and go through 4 stages: innovation, classical, parody and deconstruction. This theory can be applied to the Superhero genre as it went through the innovation stage where codes were established, which were then repeated in other movies (this is the classical stage). Superhero movies then reached the parody stage as movies were created, that mocked the typical aspects and conventions in superhero movies as they had become cliched and predictable. Finally, the genre reached the deconstruction stage where modern values and ideologies were explored in movies, to make them more relatable to the audience.


General

1) I have chosen Eastenders as it is a popular, well-known tv series that i enjoy watching as it also has more than one storyline.
2) My mum and sister used to watch it when i was younger so i'd watch it with them sometimes.
3) I enjoyed the drama and anticipation at times and found the different storylines interesting.
4) Soap opera.
5) I think that because they have so many different storylines, and the fact that they are based on different families and their lives, it makes it easy for different audiences to relate to. The fact that it has also been around for so many years, and adapts to the way society and changes meets the audiences expectations attracts a lot more viewers.
6) Eastenders typically explores themes based around families and their struggles and how they react/overcome them.
7) It is a stereotypical soap opera as it includes a lot of drama and has a number of storylines - which are based on the day to day activities and personal relationships of its characters.
8) I would expect the show to be based around more than one character and their life events and relationships, and for characters to have links to eachother rather than having one central idea with focus on one single thing.
9) Some reviews brand the show as repetitive and dull
10) Some audiences feel that the show is overrated and is too similar to any other soap.
11) Scripts are based around topics such as financial struggles, love and relationships and general topics that 'ordinary' people can relate to/connect with.
12) This text doesn't really stray from the codes and conventions associated with this genre, and usually performs according to its stereotypes.
13) It doesn't.
14) n/a
15)

Mode of address

1) I think it is aimed at teenegers because of the drama and inclusion of many young characters as the storylines about them are relatable to this audience. I think it is also aimed at families who might have gone/be going through similar experiences.
2) The fact that there are a lot of relatable topics explored allows the reader to empathise with the characters, making the consumer feel as if they are part of the story.
3) This suggests that it assumes that you are an empathetic person who might enjoy watching dramas and have experienced similar events.
4) It also assumes that you are likely to be working class, and of any ethnicity - but most likely white British.
5)

Relationship between other texts

1)
2) It closely resembles other soaps, such as Coronation Street and Emerdale.
3) This is due the the structure of the shows and their storylines.
4) There aren't any major differences as they both follow the general guidelines and conventions of the soap opera genre.