Since the birth of cinema, genre has played an important role on behalf of the studios producing films due to the simplistic nature of the term "genre" back in the golden age of cinema; a time when each genre was confined to a simplistic set of conventions in which the studios and the film-makers were able to produce and market films with the studio's original intentions whilst providing their audience with a film the audience wanted to see and the studio were happy to produce. However in 1954,the American film industry gave birth to the genre known as "Science-fiction".Due to the innovative concept of incorporating conventions to apply to the science fiction genre which ultimately gave film-makers a revolutionary way of exploring their own imagination which led to such cliché conventions that have established the science fiction genre due to their use of iconographies associated with the sci-fi genre such as
extra-terrestial beings,distopian/utopian futures,flying cars and space exploration adventures.
Particularly due to the success of the 1953's box office hit
"The War of the Worlds" audiences were in utter shock at the sheer scope and creative principles associated with the genre such as divine beings walking amongst us which lead the audiences craving for more and only wanting to see films like it: putting studios in a predicament.
During the following year of 1954,Universal studios had already produced a film titled "Creature from the black lagoon" which was intended to be marketed as a horror film but due to the profound love that the audience had in regards to Sci-fi,there was no space or interest for a horror film within the market at that moment in time.This resulted in the studio re-classifying their film from a horror to a science fiction film by marketing the creature within the story who'm is lead to believe is from outer space but in all honesty the creature's place of origin is exposed within the title of the project. This in the end was a successful cunning marketing scheme which Universal studios executed in order to gain attraction and profit from their film.
This marketing technic of studios re-classifying a particular film has played its role in many situations throughout cinematic history; which has ultimately proven it's ability for studios to ensure financial success but may in fact impact the way in which the film is received...
Back in 2011, the film "Drive" despite the fact that it was a captivating piece of cinematic gold in eyes of cinephiles due to it's breathtaking directing and writing with a strong character driven story ultimately creating a visually stunning film through it's cinematography whilst remaining immersive with its dramatic yet compelling character arches infused with outstanding directing talent to convey many themes and ideas within the film; which was all captured and crafted beautifully by the film's director "Nicolas Winding Refn". Unfortunately the general audience was unable to fully appreciate the story the film-maker had produced due to the fact that the team behind marketing and distribution (Film District) decided to market it as a heist film. The various forms of promotional contexts and media such as posters and trailers all conveyed the notion that the film is nothing more than a heist film: Due to the imagery within the posters and trailers supported through the way in which the film's trailer was cut and edited to included quick frames of a chase-sequence and various shots of guns and gratuitous violence to emphasis to the audience that this film contains elements of entertaining action sequences as a marketing ploy to lure audiences into seeing the film.
These promotional materials established the audience's expectations to include heists and car chases therefore causing the audiences to be confined to the fixation they may have in regards to the story alluding them away from the real story behind the film which is that of a stunt driver in search of a better life who'm from time associates himself with jobs involving him as the driver for thieves who'd participate in heists.
The term "re-genrification" in my opinion failed miserably in relation to this particular film due to the simplistic fact that it's been received poorly by the general public due to the misconceptions in relation to the film's genre causing the general public to receive the film poorly due to the way in which it was marketed and re-classified as an alternative film which it didn't fixate on any of the tradiational conventions a typical heist film would incorporate.
The concept of re-classifing a film's genre has changed my perspective on the way in which studios handle their productions simply because they never give any thought to the audience's appreciation of the film-makers work but more or less is anxious on the project's potential income and revenue.
Despite that this argument has flaws due to the nature that this marketing scheme does in fact result in a large financial profit for the studio but unfortunately "re-grenrification" does indeed play a interesting toll on the way in which the audience receive a given film due to the expectations being influenced on pre-existing information and imagery that convey a particular notion in regards to the film prior to it's release...
Good Post!
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