Conclusions about Genres

By India Loughlin

Teen Movie

• Teen movies have several codes and conventions unique to the genre. There is usually the set types of characters that are featured in teen movies, for example “the new girl” “the jock” and “the princess” and “the rebel”, this can be seen in movies such as Mean Girls, and 10 Things I Hate About You.

• The settings for these films are usually similar; the main setting being the high school, and popular destinations such as shopping malls for example, this could be done to show the audience the different types of cliques within the film.

• The plotline of teen movies, usually follow a similar pattern, with the main character being the “new girl” who is the underdog at the beginning and then triumphs over the “popular girl”.

• In teen movies, the plotline can sometimes leads up to a certain event like a school dance or prom, and the main issues can involve relationship issues, friendship problems, rebellion, and conflict with parents.

Period Drama

• Some period drama films as adaptations of classic novels, such as “Pride and Prejudice” or “Jane Eyre”, however some are works of fiction, whilst others are based on historic figures such as “The Duchess”. Period dramas can range from any date in history, for example a period drama could be set in the 1800’s or the 1960’s.

• This genre relies heavily on mise en scene, the costumes, props and lighting and setting are key to making a period drama look convincing of the era it is set in.

• The plotline usually centres on love, family and relationships. In period dramas the main characters are usually a young hero or heroine as the protagonist, and the antagonist. Period damas will usually include and criticise the dominant ideology of the time.

Sci Fi• Science Fiction films will usually be set in a utopia or dystopia,

but more often than not will be set in a dystopia, as it sets the scene for the story to develop. There are several themes in science fiction; global disasters, apocalypse, and technological advances to name a few. In this genre, the threat is sometimes a metaphor for “the other” in society, for example in the 1940’s the villains in science fiction were often a metaphor for the threat from the Nazi’s.

• In sci –fi there does not necessarily have to be aliens, the threat could come from something else, for example in the film “2012” the threat is global warming and the environment, or in “Inception” or the “Hunger Games” which are set in dystopia’s, the threat is technological advances, and in the case of the “Hunger Games” the government.

• The plotline of science fiction can vary a bit more than the other genres as there are many sub genres, such as sci-fi horror, mystery, superhero and fantasy, however they usually keep the format of the protagonist trying to defeat the antagonist, whatever that may be.