Consideration of genre.

Genre is a category a film is placed into, based on particular conventions to appeal different, mass and nische audiences. The different conventions are visual, audio and thematic. When comes to what makes up a genre, you look at the signifiers which are key things that are related with that genre.

In this part about genre, I am going to list the signifiers of the main genres for film.

Horror

• Knife (visual)
• Blood (visual)
• Screaming (audio)
• Use of black (visual)
• Supernatural (visual)
• Low pitched music(audio)
• High angles of vulnerable characters (visual)
• Psychological theme (narrative)
• Innocent victim (narrative)

Comedy

• Pitiable Protagonist (narrative)
• Romantic Comedy (narrative)
• Spoofs (narrative)
• Foul language (audio)
• Harmless violence ( visual)
• 'Chick flick' (narrative)
• High pitched music (audio)

Action

• Guns (visual)
• Fighting/Conflict (narrative)
• Male protagonist (narrative)
• Fast tempo music (audio)
• Innocent women in need of protection (narrative)
• Hostages (narrative)
• Slang language (audio)

Sci-fi

• Aliens (visual
• Space (visual)
• Supernatural (narrative)
• Aliens taking over the world (narrative)
• Protagonist Hero (narrative)
• Antagonist Villain (narrative)
• CGI (visual)
• Slow tempo music (audio)

Among these major genres, you get films that use one of these main genres and an another element added. These are called hybrid genres and normally appeal to nische audiences.