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.
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I generi cinematografici: caratteristiche, funzioni, evoluzione
Film genres: features, functions, evolution
(come abbiamo visto nella Prima parte di
questo Dossier) - un film di successo non può
essere semplicemente replicato, ma deve offrire
elementi di novità e sorpresa:
"Il genere può essere considerato come un
dispositivo pratico per aiutare qualsiasi
medium di massa a impostare la produzione in
modo coerente ed efficiente e a mettere in
relazione la produzione con le aspettative dei
clienti. Poiché è anche un dispositivo pratico
per consentire ai singoli utenti dei media di
pianificare le proprie scelte, può essere
considerato come un meccanismo per
strutturare le relazioni tra i due principali
soggetti della comunicazione di massa". (Nota
3)
L'idea di una sorta di produzione
cinematografica "a catena di montaggio"
appartiene sicuramente all'epoca d'oro degli
studios di Hollywood, ma anche dopo il crollo
di questo sistema, e nei decenni più recenti, è
ancora ampiamente accettato che poter fare
affidamento su un insieme di generi diversi può
aiutare a prevedere le aspettative del pubblico
(se non proprio controllare la domanda) e, allo
stesso tempo, differenziare la produzione per
soddisfare le esigenze e le preferenze di un
pubblico diverso, con l'ulteriore, importante
vantaggio di aggiungere standardizzazione e
stabilità al processo produttivo.
Tuttavia, rimane in primo luogo la questione di
come identificare un "genere". Altman (Nota 4)
chiama il processo attraverso il quale i
produttori stabiliscono e gestiscono i generi
"The Producer's Game", che ha alcune regole
cruciali:
"1. Dalle informazioni al botteghino, identifica
un film di successo.
2. Analizza il film per scoprire cosa lo ha reso
un successo.
3. Realizza un altro film adottando la presunta
"formula di successo".
4. Controlla le informazioni al botteghino sul
nuovo film e rivaluta di conseguenza la formula
di successo.
5. Usa la formula rivista come base per un altro
novelty and surprise:
"The genre may be considered as a practical
device for helping any mass medium to produce
consistently and efficiently and to relate its
production to the expectations of its customers.
Since it is also a practical device for enabling
individual media users to plan their choices, it
can be considered as a mechanism for ordering
the relations between the two main parties to
mass communication." (Note 3)
The idea of a sort of "assembly-line" production
of movies certainly belongs to the "golden era" of
Hollywood studios, but even after the collapse of
this system, and in more recent decades, it is still
widely accepted that being able to rely on a set of
different genres can help predict audience
expectations (if not really control demand) and,
at the same time, differentiate production in
order to meet the needs and preferences of
different audiences, with the additional,
important, bonus of adding standardization and
stability to the production process.
However, there remains the question of how to
identify a "genre" in the first place. Altman (Note
4) calls the process by which producers establish
and manage genres "The Producer's Game",
which has a few critical rules:
"1. From the box-office information, identify a
successful film.
2. Analyse the film in order to discover what
made it successful.
3. Make another film stressing the assumed
formula for success.
4. Check box-office information on the new film
and reassess the success formula accordingly.
5. Use the revised formula as a basis for another
film.
6. Continue the process indefinitely."
Although this "Game" includes the word
"formula" as one of its main principles, it is
definitely not a rigid set of "rules" - quite the
contrary, it is a highly flexible mechanism which
in based, on the one hand, on the constant
reference to box-office results (i.e. profitability),
and, on the other hand, on a continuous
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