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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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cinemafocus.eu

I generi cinematografici: caratteristiche, funzioni, evoluzione

Film genres: features, functions, evolution

molte altre fonti di informazione che,

direttamente e indirettamente, formano una rete

di discorsi comunicativi che si intersecano e

interagiscono con il rapporto principale tra i

produttori (le case cinematografiche) e il

consumatori (il pubblico), come mostrato nella

figura all'inizio di questo Dossier (Sezione 8). In

terzo luogo, guardare un film "generico" implica

sempre un processo dinamico di mediazione tra

l'autore del film (spesso, ma non sempre,

identificato con il regista) e gli spettatori: se

l'intenzione del primo coincide con le aspettative

e le interpretazioni di quest'ultimo, il processo

ha successo; se c'è una sorta di discrepanza, il

film può diventare difficile o addirittura

impossibile da decifrare, portando alla

frustrazione degli spettatori (o, in un contesto

più positivo, portando gli spettatori a costruire

un'interpretazione alternativa).

Questo spiega perché un'etichetta "generica"

attaccata superficialmente a un film può rivelarsi

un elemento di confusione piuttosto che di

comprensione: se etichettiamo come "film di

guerra" film diversi come Full metal jacket,

Salvate il soldato Ryan, La sottile linea rossa e

Dunkirk, potremmo scoprire (forse troppo tardi!)

che le nostre aspettative riguardo a un "film di

guerra" sono soddisfatte in modi molto diversi

da tali film - il che rende il "genere" solo uno dei

possibili modi di affrontare l'esperienza della

visione.

8). Third, watching a "generic" film always

implies a dynamic process of mediation between

the author of the film (often, but not always,

identified with the director) and the viewers: if

the intention of the former coincides with the

expectations and interpretations of the latter, the

process is successful; if there is some sort of

discrepancy, the film may become difficult or

even impossible to decipher, leading to viewers'

frustration (or, in a more positive context,

leading to viewers constructing an alternative

interpretation).

This explains why a "generic" label superficially

attached to a film may turn out to be an element

of confusion rather than understanding: if we

label as "war films" such different movies as Full

metal jacket, Saving Private Ryan, The thin red

line and Dunkirk, we may find out (perhaps too

late!) that our expectations as regards a "war

film" are met in very different ways by such

movies - which makes "genre" only one of the

possible ways of approaching a film.

UN MOMENTO PER RIFLETTERE

STOP AND THINK

* Hai visto, ti ricordi e/o hai familiarità con i

quattro film di "guerra" che abbiamo appena

citato (si vedano i video qui sotto). In tal caso, li

assegneresti semplicemente al genere "guerra" o

li differenzieresti l'uno dall'altro? Quali elementi

utilizzeresti per una tale differenziazione? (Puoi

prendere in considerazione l'elenco delle

convenzioni di genere di cui abbiamo discusso

nella Prima parte di questo Dossier.)

* Have you seen, do you remember and/or are

you familiar with the four "war" movies we have

just mentioned (watch the videos below). If so,

would you simply assign them to the "war"

genre, or would you differentiate one from the

other? What elements would you use for such a

differentiation? (You may consider the list of

genre conventions which we discussed in Part 1

of this Dossier.)

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