Introduction:

When approaching genre you have to see it as a method of categorising and differentiating films by relating them to certain themes. Often, genre is what allows us, as the audience, to understand what to expect from a film as there are a number of codes and conventions which feature in films and it is these features which can ultimately sum up how the film is going to be. Many see genre as a pathway to a collection of creative ideas and this can often be the case when genres are mixed.

Examples of mixed genres:

In 2015, Burr Steers released a movie titled, ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ which was somewhat a parody of the classic Jane Austen novel of a similar title. However, it also demonstrated a number of mixes within genre. For instance, there was romance which remained a reoccurring theme, there was horror with the ‘zombies’ which are easily placed into the horror genre and then there was the action elements where the protagonists would fight against the antagonists. So, although the reoccurring theme was romance as a whole the genres featured in this motion picture are; Horror, Action, Comedy and Romance.

In 2007, Edgar Wright released a movie titled, ‘Hot Fuzz’ which followed a police officer being relocated to a remote village in the countryside where a number of deaths point to something bigger on the horizon. Although, for a majority of the time, the codes and conventions of this movie relate to the Action genre as we are introduced to the deaths and conspiracies of the movie we begin to see elements of the Thriller genre leaking in along with the second most prominent genre Comedy. As the audience we would expect this movie to be an action comedy based on the publicity and the trailers. However, when actually tuning into the story line you start to realize there is room made for more creativity and thus a number of different genres introduced. One example would, of course, be the murders. In thrillers one of the key conventions tends to be murder and then from there the protagonist sets out to solve the mystery.

Short Case Studies (Horror Genre):

In 2013, James Wan released a movie titled, ‘The Conjuring’. As a whole, considering the advertising and appearances, this film would fall into the Horror genre. However, the characters which feature in the movie are based on real people and the events of the movie are based on real life events. With that said Wan’s box office smash hit falls into the biographical film genre. Both Horror and Biographical are two genres which have never particularly been paired until such films as ‘Wolf Creek’ and ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ but even these two examples are not as close to both genres as ‘The Conjuring’. The codes and conventions to be expected could be, Jump Scares as modern day horror is built upon these, death as with almost every horror movie this will occur within the story line and darkness; the visual story telling has to give more to the audience than the dialogue so for the most part the movie will appear dark and very negative. One convention most dominant in this movie is death; death is a typical convention within the genre of horror and, in this movie, plays an important role. There are several references to children being murdered and family members committing acts of murder, violence and destruction. There is even the convention of religion, the two protagonists are Christians and seek help from a priest. There is even the iconic scene which left many audience stunned where an exorcism takes place.

In 2012, James Watkins released a move with the help of Hammer titled, ‘The Woman In Black’. In this movie there are more than several conventions found only in the horror genre. For one, almost ever scene involves prolonged edited shots of the protagonist exploring the desolate house with only a candle as a light source. This is a key method, in the horror genre; darkness. It is used for building tension and it keeps the audience wondering what is in the dark. It also sets the mise-en-scene for horror being that there are very few light sources and colours. Another key convention in this film are the jump scares; It is more often than not that you will find jump scares in modern day horror movies as it is a way of locating the audience’s fears and provoking a reaction. Some audiences are not as affected by the story line of a horror movie as others and this is where jump scares can be useful; if one convention fails to affect the majority of its audience then another one will not. The jump scares can set the tone for the remainder of the film as the audience may spend the rest of their time expecting jump scares to happen and eventually end up outside their comfort zone which is what the director(s) set out to do. A jump scare in this movie would be when the protagonist is staring out of a window, alone, in the house. There are several prolonged eye line shots through the window before an exterior shot looking in at the protagonist. This shot continues for a matter of seconds before a face emerges from the dark over his shoulder and then disappears. We have the jump scare but we also have the overuse of shadows and darkness.

The Auteur Theory:

Another form of genre I will briefly discuss is the Auteur theory which follows the fact that people sometimes recognise and categorise films based on their directors. This is as an alternative to recognising films based on different styles such as Horror or comedy. An example of using the Auteur theory would be if you were to watch a Tim Burton movie; you would instantly know if the film you were watching was one of Burton’s as you may pick up on certain features in the film that he uses frequently. It is largely based on recognising individual directors and their artistic styles. Often, the scores in Tim Burton movies tend to be composed by Danny Elfman and also Burton tends to use the same actors in his movies. It is a unique and creative way of differentiating one film from another however, at times, directors can have similar taste and style therefore it is made slightly more difficult in finding the correct director for a film. It could be something as small as an actor who appears in every film directed by a certain person.

Auteur Theory (Matthew Vaughn):

Matthew Vaughn is an auteur for many reasons. One being that he always works with cinematographers sharing similar styles. Back in 2010 when he released, ‘Kick-Ass’ he worked alongside Ben Davis who recently worked on Marvel’s, ‘Doctor Strange’ with Scott Derrickson. Davis created a bright and slightly orange tinted filter over almost every scene creating the feeling of a comic book which the film was adapted from. Five years later, Vaughn had written and directed, ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ and worked with George Richmond. Richmond has a similar style to Davis being that they divert away from using dark colours. Richmond also has the subtle but effective orange tint over each shot giving a summer feel to the movie. As well as the story line Vaughn likes to make the visual equally as compelling to the audience. Also, Vaughn tends to bring us into his movies through one central character as opposed to several. This even moderately applies to X-Men: First Class as we start out following young Erik and then we are introduced to the people he will finally meet. With, ‘Kick-Ass’ we have Aaron Johnson’s character and there is the opening to the movie where we are introduced to his day-to-day curriculum before the twist is put into place to change this.

Also, Vaughn tends to work with music composer, Henry Jackman as he has already done so on movies such as, ‘X-Men: First Class’ ‘Kick-Ass’ and ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ as well as the sequel, ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ which is currently in post-production and to be released next summer. With Jackman’s composing he really tries to follow the same pattern and then throw in different notes and movements within each score. In, ‘Kingsman’ Jackman used a lot of strings and brass especially during moments where there would be a big reveal or a surprise. Jackman is known to build up a variety of scores but they always relate back to the main theme he creates for the movie and this is what makes Vaughn’s choice incredibly unique and entertaining. There is often a lot of violence in Vaughn’s movies and it is often during fast paced fight sequences so it seems to have less a horrifying impact and more an upbeat and thrilling feel to it. Vaughn often works with Mark Strong in his movies from ‘Stardust’ to ‘Kick-Ass’ to The ‘Kingsman’ series. He seems to cast him as strong spoken characters but often they are the villains of the story except for in Kingsman where he becomes a protagonist. Vaughn’s movies tend to be full of energy and although they encounter dark aspects of the story lines they manage to stay upbeat and many a time they are fell good movies.

Why we use genre:

Though, at times, genre can complicate a simple luxury such as watching a new release and knowing what to expect, it is also very helpful for decision making. When approaching  a group of films and trying to decide which one you believe you would enjoy the most genre can be the guidance you need and help you find the genre you enjoy the most along with the codes and conventions you look for.

In terms of writers and directors genre is paramount as it can be one of the stepping stones to helping them create a story line and ultimately understand what they want from the movie. For example, if a director or writer is pitched an idea for a horror comedy they can then begin to flag up different ideas and decide which ones they want to take forward. They can then go on to create characters and build a world around them. Since it is horror they can create an antagonist or complication. In terms of the comedy they can create scenarios and build up to them so that they feel confident that they will receive the reaction they want.

With the Auteur theory there are benefits for both the makers of a movie and the audience. If the audience are regular cinema goers and wish to see something by a certain director all they have to do is look for the regularly used themes, codes and conventions. An example would be if there was someone wanting to see a film by Tim Burton; they would scan through new releases and look for Gothic settings, for mysterious looking characters and for familiar actors.

In relation to how the Auteur theory benefits film makers, if there was a director such as Tim Burton and they were trying to formulate a new idea for a film they would look back at their earlier work and see how successful it was. From there they could work certain conventions and features into a script and make sure they use new and original ideas but still maintain certain aspects that the audience remember and enjoy. However, the method of realising a film based on knowing the director’s style can sometimes disadvantage others as you will find most of the credit being given to the director rather than the entire team behind the feature. This can also lead to people confusing directors and their films with writers who had worked with those directors and moved on to make their own films. This is due to the mix of artistic methods and can introduce problems within the Auteur theory and the understanding of it.