Apply the concept of genre to one of your productions.
Genre as a concept which was teen drama in our AS film opening coursework. Genre is a style or category of which a production allots itself into. Neale describes genre as "instances of repetition and difference."
Our film opening's genre was a teen drama. Teen drama's typical conventions are: being set in a home or school location where cliques are prevalent, having stereotypical character types such as nerds, cheerleaders, jocks. There are usually teen issues, including peer pressure, wanting to leave the hometown, or being an outcast in a group of friends or family.
In AS, our coursework production was a film opening called Untamed. This was a in the genre of teen drama which focused on the disruptive relationship between a teenage girl, Aubrey, and her mother, Carol, who did not understand Aubrey's rebellious teenage characteristics. The film opening begins with Aubrey drunkenly stumbling into the house, then arguing with Carol about where Aubrey has been. Aubrey stands up to Carol, then the film opening ends with Aubrey running away from home in the night.
Chandler describes the conventional differences between genres being based on the notion which some particular conventions are constituted and formed that are shared by the texts which belong to them. He further states that every genre positions the audience and those involved in the production in that genre - as a reader or writer, story teller or listener, etc. Each position allows different possibilities for response. In each text there are assumptions about the ideal audience member, such as their attitudes towards certain subjects, their age, class, gender and ethnicity.
Chandler also describes that other pleasures come from sharing our experiences of genre with others in an 'interpretive community' which can be characterised with its familiarity of certain genres.
A second theorist is Neale. Neale declares the theory of genres being instances of repetition and difference, and that difference is "absolutely essential to the economy of genre", that there would be no pleasure without difference. Implying, repetition alone would not attract an audience. He argues Hollywood's success originates from the regime of guaranteeing meanings and pleasures for audiences, and to disregard the economic risks of film production by providing cognitive collateral against innovation and difference.
Neale also describes genre as being constituted by "specific systems of expectations and hypothesis which spectators bring with them to the cinema and which interact with films themselves during the course of the viewing process."
Our production of Untamed, we both challenged and conformed to the conventions of the genre of a teen drama. We conformed to the conventions by making the setting be at the teenager's house, by having family conflict and being treated as an outcast, and involving a romantic love interest.
We challenged the teen drama conventions by using a gay relationship as the love interest, not focusing on cliques/ friendship groups, and not being set in a high school location.
In conclusion, our group has participated in a significant amount of learning about genre and how to apply it to our own productions. The learning of media conventions was beneficial to know how to construct our own productions and make it more realistic.
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