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
cinemafocus.eu
Trailer italiano English trailer
Blade runner (di/by Ridley Scott, USA 1982)
La commistione dei generi implica ovviamente
una conoscenza e un apprezzamento dei generi
passati prima che si possa iniziare a rivisitarli,
riattivarli o reinterpretarli. Come abbiamo già
notato, a partire dalla "New Hollywood" (a volte
chiamata anche "Rinascimento hollywoodiano"),
le nuove generazioni di registi esperti di storia del
cinema utilizzano spesso questa consapevolezza
dei generi passati per costruire le proprie visioni e
storie. Senza dubbio ciò ha avuto conseguenze
sulla produzione e la ricezione dei film, con le
industrie cinematografiche sempre pronte a
sperimentare formule miste per soddisfare le
esigenze e le preferenze di un pubblico
diversificato. Ciò è stato abbinato alla
disponibilità del pubblico stesso ad accettare e
apprezzare la mescolanza dei generi e la rete di
riferimenti che si stabilisce tra i film.
The mixing of genres obviously implies a
knowledge and appreciation of past genres
before one can start to revisit, reactivate or
reinterpret them. As we already noted, starting
with the "New Hollywood" (also sometimes
called "Hollywood Renaissance"), new
generations of directors well versed in cinema
history often use this awareness of past genres
to build their own visions and stories. No doubt
this has had consequences on the production
and reception of movies, with the cinema
industries always ready to try out mixed
formulas to cater for the needs and preferences
of a range of diversified audiences. This has
been matched with the readiness of audiences
themselves to accept and appreciate genre
mixing and the network of references that is
established between and among movies.
UN MOMENTO PER RIFLETTERE
* Guarda i video qui sotto e cerca di rintracciare le
tracce dei generi cinematografici che più
chiaramente si percepiscono in ognuno di essi.
(N.B. I video in italiano e in inglese a volte sono
diversi.)
* Per fare ciò, fai riferimento ai temi/argomenti
tipici nonché alle convenzioni tipiche di genere e
giudica come sembrano "riemergere" in questi
film.
* Se dovessi assegnare "etichette di genere" a
ciascuno di questi film, potresti assegnarli a un
singolo genere o preferiresti descriverli come una
miscela di più generi?
* Poi leggi i miei commenti qui sotto.
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STOP AND THINK
* Watch the videos below and try to track down
the traces of film genres that can most clearly
be perceived in each of them. (N.B. The Italian
and English videos are sometimes different.)
* To do this, refer to the typical themes/topics
as well as to the typical conventions of genres
and see how they seem to "resurface" in these
movies.
* If you were to assign "genre labels" to each of
these movies, would you be able to assign them
to one single genre or would you rather
describe them as a mixture of several genres?
* Then read my comments below.