Introduction to AS Media

An Introduction to Genre

Over the past 3 lessons I've had of media, I have already learned the relevance and importance of genre within the media. For now we've been taught genre's impact within the film industry and the impact it has on not only the audience but may provide the films with a given amount of success depending on the audience's preference of genre at that moment in time.


Genre also provides film-makers fixed concepts for possibilities in regards to the telling of a story provided by the conventions established by the genre due pre-existing re-presentation of any given genre established within previous films. These conventions then play a toll on the cinematography, sounds and casting choices for the particular film project to embody the characteristics bestowed upon within the given genre.

In regards to the audience, genre plays an important role as acting as a way of luring them into seeing a given film simply due to their expectation.

Every genre has established their conventions by many films belonging to those genres using similar settings, archetypes and tone which then become formulaic ultimately helping the audience choose a film they'd like to see and due to their expectations;this allows some genres to catch the attention of their audience due to the assumptions that the audience has and the expectations in which they believe should be met mostly due to the audience's love for particular themes or story arks such as good triumphing evil in horror stories. 

However I believe that genres aren't just fixations of stories being repeated in many forms, I do believe that genres have a deep effect on the audience's mental well-being simply due to the profound illusion that those individual genres create: Genres tend to depict aspects of our reality and tend to either choose to exploit harsh aspects of the reality for those members of the audience or emphasis on our hopes/dreams/desires in life but either path leads to the same and effective outcome which is that the story within those genres are relatable therefore making the audience appreciate the film for what it truly and ultimately is which is in fact a window into another reality in which the audience can immerse themselves in for the duration of the film and for a brief moment to escape their reality and embrace a new one of a brief moment in time. Audiences can find the lessons and themes being highlighted through the film to be therapeutical due the compelling ideas associated within those stories within selective genres. Some genres do tend to re-enforce conventions of our reality and depict moral choices and the possible outcomes of those choices; which some may argue is another way for the media to control our behaviour implementing it through the overwhelming pressure of consequences. 

I've barely scratched the surface of the art that is "genre" 
I am already baffled at what I've unveiled and I'm curious to know what else I can learn and discover...