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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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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.

78

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.

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