Film genres: features, functions, evolution
This Interactive workshop aims at exploring the origin of genres, their functions in cinema and their evolution, with particular emphasis on the latest developments. We first ask why we need genres at all and examine the variety of classification criteria that can be used. Then we focus on the specific features of genre films, analysing their conventions and their narrative structures. We then explore how different agents (from producers to audiences, from critics to film scholars) have used and still use genres, and highlight their economic, sociocultural and communicative functions. Finally, by taking a historical perspective, we explore how genres have evolved in the course of time and how modern cinema extensively use genre mixing and hybridization, thus pointing to the future of this important but complex category of film analysis. Part of the www.cinemafocus.eu research materials.
This Interactive workshop aims at exploring the origin of genres, their functions in cinema and their evolution, with particular emphasis on the latest developments. We first ask why we need genres at all and examine the variety of classification criteria that can be used. Then we focus on the specific features of genre films, analysing their conventions and their narrative structures. We then explore how different agents (from producers to audiences, from critics to film scholars) have used and still use genres, and highlight their economic, sociocultural and communicative functions. Finally, by taking a historical perspective, we explore how genres have evolved in the course of time and how modern cinema extensively use genre mixing and hybridization, thus pointing to the future of this important but complex category of film analysis. Part of the www.cinemafocus.eu research materials.
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
I generi cinematografici: caratteristiche, funzioni, evoluzione
Film genres: features, functions, evolution
cinemafocus.eu
I più conosciuti "loghi" degli studi
hollywoodiani/Best known logos of Hollywood
studios
I diversi "loghi" della franchise di Star Trek/The
different logos of the Star Trek franchise
Le industrie di Hollywood, così come i più
recenti sistemi di produzione, hanno sempre
cercato di raccogliere i frutti dei loro film, ben
oltre i film stessi: ogni film portava con sé
importanti risorse come il nome dello studio, le
star coinvolte, i personaggi e i titoli dei film -
tutti elementi che possono essere utilizzati più e
più volte, creando così una "catena" di vantaggi
extra che si estende da un film all'altro.
11. Le funzioni dei generi
Hollywood industries, as well as more recent
production systems, have always tried to reap the
full rewards of their films, well beyond the films
themselves: each film carried with it important
assets like, as we said, the studio's name, the
stars involved, the characters and the film titles -
all elements that can be used time and time
again, thereby creating a "chain" of extra
benefits that extends from a film to the next.
11. The functions of genres
Esplorare la natura e il significato dei generi
cinematografici è un compito multiforme che,
pur considerando i film "generici" come testi,
dovrebbe anche discutere le loro funzioni di
potenti elementi dei contesti socio-culturali del
cinema. Ciò implica la loro funzione economica
(cioè il ruolo che svolgono nel modo in cui i
film vengono prodotti seguendo le regole dei
mercati di massa), la loro funzione socioculturale
(cioè come esprimono e mediano tra
diverse visioni del mondo, ideologie e valori) e
la loro funzione comunicativa (cioè come il
pubblico interpreta un film, si relaziona con altri
soggetti coinvolti nel cinema, e quindi
contribuisce a plasmare i significati che i generi
cinematografici alla fine esprimono) (Nota 2).
Exploring the nature and significance of film
genres is a multi-faceted task which, while
considering "generic" films as texts, should also
discuss their functions as powerful elements of
the socio-cultural contexts of cinema. This
implies their economic function (i.e. the role that
they play in how films are produced following the
rules of mass markets), their socio-cultural
function (i.e. how they express and mediate
between different world views, ideologies and
values) and their communicative function (i.e.
how audiences interpret a film, relate to other
subjects involved in cinema, and thus contribute
to shape the meanings that film genres eventually
express) (Note 2).
11.1. The economic function
11.1. La funzione economica
One of the main advantages of establishing
Uno dei principali vantaggi di stabilire generi recognized, accepted and shared genres for the
riconosciuti, accettati e condivisi per l'industria cinema industry is the opportunity it offers to
cinematografica è l'opportunità che offre di standardize production, i.e. to offer audiences
standardizzare la produzione, ovvero di offrire al movies that meet their expectations and can thus
pubblico film che soddisfino le loro aspettative e guarantee a certain level of box-office success -
possano quindi garantire un certo livello di all this, of course, within the limits imposed by
successo al botteghino - tutto questo,
the master principle of "repetition and variation"
ovviamente, nei limiti imposti dal principio (as we saw in Part 1) - a successful film cannot
fondamentale della "ripetizione e variazione" be simply replicated, but should offer elements of
36