Genre

What this unit covers

Genre sits in the strand Media Language, Representation and Audiences, within Media studies. Most of the resources here are mind maps, and many focus on horror and thriller. The mind map Codes and Conventions of Horror-Thriller films covers technical conventions such as tilted angles that disorient the viewer and extreme close-ups that stress feeling. Thriller: Codes and Conventions looks at sound and how music builds suspense and tension.

Genres and examples

If you want breadth, start with film genres, which lists action, comedy, crime, horror, science fiction, musicals, war films, westerns and more. HORROR MOVIES breaks horror into sub-genres such as slasher, psychological, monsters and paranormal, with film examples. There are also maps on Zombies Genre, The Western, Science Fiction Conventions, Key Conventions of Teen Drama and Double Indemnity. The flashcard deck Crime Genre asks why audiences watch crime stories.

Theory and representation

For theory, try Genre Theorists and the flowchart STEVE NEALE GENRE THEORY 1. The maps Repertoire of elements and Genre Concepts help you link theory to films. For representation, open Horror Character Research, which looks at who plays the victim in horror, and the map on how female or male characters are represented in studied horror films.

A sensible order

1. Read a broad map such as Genre or film genres.
2. Choose one genre, such as horror or thriller, and work through its conventions map.
3. Test yourself with the quiz Thriller - Genre and Narrative Quiz or A2 Media: Genre Theory.
4. Go back to the maps for any answer you missed, then use flashcards to fix the key terms.

Teachers can set a single map as a starter, then use a quiz to check what the class remembers.

Make it your own

Every resource was made by GoConqr users, so compare a few maps on the same genre and notice where they differ. Then pick one film you know and make a short set of flashcards on its conventions.