What is Genre and How is it Used in Film

Genre films are commercial features which use repetition and variation to tell a familiar story line using familiar types of characters and situations (Grant: 1986: xi). Genre is helpful in limiting the scope of the film for the viewer, writer and director. Film genre helps the cinematic industry as a whole by helping the audience choose which film they want to see. In addition, it also allows actors to hone their talents and achieve popularity through a particular genre of film. In my essay I will discuss film genre, how the categorization of action films help define the product for the consumer, provide several examples of the action film genre, and show its importance.

By categorizing a film according to its genre, it makes the film easier to promote to a particular audience. Someone might have a personal preference for an action film over a romantic film or might enjoy the fear created by a horror movie instead of laughing at a comedy (Wright 2002: 01). Along those same lines, by allowing the audience to know what type of genre the movie is, they can appreciate the outcome of the film more by knowing that a certain conflict will be resolved. Consciously and unconsciously the viewer is able to associate certain parts of the film they are watching with other movies they have seen in the past that they enjoyed within the same genre, giving them a greater appreciation of the storyline and outcome (Grant: 1977: 40). It might seem strange that an individual would want to see more than one film of a particular style especially if they can predict the ending. However, audiences like to expect and experience certain emotions when they watch a film. Expecting to laugh or be scared plays a vital role in the choices a customer makes when choosing from a wide selection of movies available to them. In addition, there is a fascination and wonder at watching a particular genre because new ideas are added to a similar story line that gives it a twist to keep the viewer on his toes (filmeducation.org: 04).

Genres benefit actors because some actors may have had successful films within a particular genre and achieved popularity that way. (Wright 2002: 01). The more popular an actor becomes, the more money they can demand since they become more marketable to the general public under Hollywood’s star system. By promoting films by their genre it helps the film industry from an economic standpoint since certain genres are known to generate larger box office receipts than others. By looking at genre from an economic standpoint the film industry can anticipate the demands of the public and produce more movies of that type. (Calweti: 1976: 06). Producers of films look at the type of genre to try and determine if the film has the potential for succeeding at the box office. A film coming from a genre that is popular during a particular period in time will have a greater chance of succeeding since that type of genre is in demand among moviegoers (filmeducation.org: 05).

Finally, film genre is useful in helping the director of the movie. Film genre makes good directors better. Film genre enables directors to use symbols and settings from past movies within the same genre to appeal to human emotions. For example, in Hitchcock’s film “Psycho” he uses basement settings and haunted houses to trigger a sense of fear. This sense of fear comes from familiar anticipation if the horror that lies ahead based on the audiences’ past movie experiences. When the characters in a scene go to a haunted house or down to a basement a sense of fear is triggered because of past recollections of similar scenes when some sort of horror took place (Grant 1986: 20). A genre imposes limitations on a director in a positive way. The restrictions of a genre in which the film must follow certain story lines and guidelines is meant to prevent a director from using themes and methods that might stray too far from the original idea of the film and lose his intended audience. While there are designed restrictions in film genre, it still allows the director to use his own techniques and capacities to convey his ideas to the viewer (Grant: 1977: 34). No matter how much the director deviates from the norm of a film genre, he must ultimately keep the basic fundamental ideas of his genre. For example, in the detective film genre, the basic idea that must always be upheld is ‘who done it?’ (Grant 1986: 105).

Genre was originally designed to tell a familiar story with some minor variations. However, as films progressed, more changes were made to each movie to make them more unique and original (Grant 2003: 01). The evolution of a genre occurs over time as certain story lines and plots are repeatedly shown but with just enough changes to seem new to the audience. This repetition allows it to be unique and yet familiar enough to an audience to be easily identified. Each genre has its own elements that make it stand out from others such as story line, setting, characterization, style, star actors, and creative devices such as stunts or action sequences. Elements of genre that the audience becomes familiar with through continuous repetition in films of that genre create a certain disposition, or mindset, every time they see it (Schatz 1981: 03). Therefore, a link can be made that film genre is a repetition of storylines that involve repeated subjects, styles and ideas which generate an expectation for the audience regarding the characters and visual style they are about to see (Calweti: 1976: 05). The concept of changing with time applies to genres as people’s attitudes and preferences change throughout time. In the action genre, the early James Bond films focused more on character development rather than on ‘over the top’ stunts. In today’s action films many sophisticated stunts are used such as dodging bullets as shown in “The Matrix”, a high speed car chase as shown in “The Transporter” or skydiving off a bridge as shown in “Triple X.” Politics also influences genres as it did during the cold war when story lines often used the Soviet Union as the villain. The constantly changing world and the desire to try new things within a genre prevents an audience from becoming bored with similar plot lines within that genre (Schatz 1981: 03).
Although designating films by genre is useful for audiences, actors, and film studios there are some cases when they fail to work and don’t have their intended affect in promoting the movie. A movie loses its uniqueness by putting it under the larger heading of a particular film genre. Sometimes a viewer might not want to see a movie simply because it is categorized within a certain genre such as romance or comedy for which they have particular distaste. The viewer might have enjoyed the film had he or she watched it but because of their personal biases and the film genre title, they had no interest in seeing it (Mignone: 1997: 01).

The action genre is a perfect example of a genre with its own identity, actors and plots. The action genre had great success in the 1980s and 1990s with several blockbuster films such as “Die Hard,” “Con Air,” and “Air Force One.” Today’s action films have been popularized by huge special effects and stunts such as explosions and intricate gadgetry. Martial arts in the action genre have not been completely lost either. While there are still specialized films coming out of Hong-Kong, most of today’s action films have incorporated fight scenes without making them a dominating presence in the film. In other words, it is another tool the director uses along with explosions and stunts to grab the viewer’s attention (Wikipedia 2). Other popular elements of action films include the car chase and a struggle between good and evil. The standoff between the hero and villain usually occurs at the climax of an action film and creates suspense and drama. This usually involves a large- scale battle or the more personal hand- to- hand combat. (Wikipedia 2). The action genre is designed to target and appeal to viewers ages thirteen to their mid thirties (Dirks 2005: 01).

In action films, the plots are generally similar. The protagonist or hero of the film usually has some kind of military background or special training and has the burden of saving the world or stopping a master criminal. The protagonist will generally face some kind of adversity, usually in a life- threatening situation brought on by the villain or antagonists. However, in the end the hero prevails. Common villains are often portrayed as foreigners from an unfriendly country. (Wikipedia 3). The hero of the story is usually supported by a female character that stands at his side and may sometimes help him resolve the conflict. The female role in the film may involve the old fashion ‘damsel in distress’, a strong, independent female protagonist in her own right or is purely there for attraction or emotional support (Rowley: 1998: 02).

Two examples of films that are part of the action genre are “The Transporter” starring Jason Stratham and “Triple X (xXx)” with Vin Deisel. “The Transporter” is about a man who transports high risk goods to and from various locations in his sports car for a huge fee. When he unknowingly transports human cargo, he finds himself confronting criminals involved in slave trade of peasants coming illegally from China and being forced into slave labor. Through numerous action scenes Jason Stratham attempts to rescue the peasant workers. The second move, “Triple X” starring Vin Deisel is about a villain trying to destroy the world by using nuclear weapons. Deisel plays the role of the hero and attempts to stop the villain. Through his snow boarding action stunts and other extreme stunts, Deisel is able to capture the audience’s attention. The film is similar to the James Bond films in that it uses certain advanced technology such as spy equipment for the hero to use. The technology creates suspense and thrills for the audience who has not before seen such unique gadgets.

Shot-by-shot analysis of an action film is a good way to look at the features and story lines that surround a film in the action genre. In “The Transporter” a crucial and entertaining scene involves a major fight. The main character must get past a group of thugs who stand in the way of him saving a large number of Chinese peasants from danger. The location of the establishing shot is at a bus depot. It starts with a fight scene between a huge, muscle bound villain and the hero. Soft, low music plays in the background. Meanwhile, the camera is tracking in a circular motion as it shows the two men’s faces in expressions of intensity, ready to fight each other. As the scene progresses, the next few shots are shot-reverse-shots in which camera movement goes from the face of Jason Stratham to the villain and back again to Stratham. These scenes in an action film are used to build intensity and drama for the audience in anticipation of a huge fight scene about to occur. These scenes are used as medium close-ups to portray the action of their hands as they are about to throw punches and the expressions on the characters’ faces. When the anticipation of the fight scene is at its peak, the action speeds up dramatically. Each shot only lasts for two or three seconds as punches and kicks are being thrown. The heavy breathing of the two characters is heard as well as their grunting in pain. At a certain point in the middle of the fight scene when both men are badly beaten up, a break in the fighting occurs, as they both regain their composure ready to resume the fight. When this occurs an over the shoulder shot of more villains entering the bus depot is shown, placing yet another obstacle in Stratham’s path. In the next scene, machine guns are brandished and fired at him. Shot-reverse-shot is used once again by director Cory Yuen, focusing on the machine gun fire, the reactions of Stratham as he prepares to run for his life, and back to the machine gun fire. In the final shot of the scene, the hero jumps out of a window among a hail of bullets and dives from a cliff into the ocean. This scene and the shot analysis demonstrate the use of stunts and fight scenes, a common element of most action films. Film viewers who enjoy the action genre have come to expect a good, old fashion hand to hand fight scene in an action movie. Most fight scenes have a hero who must face a challenging opponent in a standoff or overcome enormous odds by the sheer number of villains he is fighting against. Automatic weapon fire is quite common as well where the hero must dodge bullets and kill the enemy.

The importance of the particular scene I have chosen in “Triple X” is that it portrays Vin Deisel’s character as someone who is willing to go against the law and demonstrates his amazing ability to do dangerous stunts such as high speed driving or sky-diving off a bridge. The establishing shot of this scene begins at a rest stop where Deisel proceeds to hijack an expensive sports car after which police sirens are heard in the background thereby setting the stage for a thrilling car chase. A close-up of Deisel is shown as he talks into a camera position on the car he is driving. Fast paced music is played in the background. A long distance shot of police cars forming a barricade is shown in an over the shoulder shot. As the scene develops, a straight on camera shot of a ramp on the bridge is shown. The action in the scene continues with a medium close-up of the car speeding up heading towards the ramp, the camera tracking the action. An extreme camera close-up of Diesel’s face shows his intensity and concentration as the following shots depict him driving the car off the bridge. As the car suspends in mid-air, the camera tracks the action of the car moving towards the bottom center of the screen. Then Deisel undoes his parachute and lands right into a moving getaway vehicle. The abandoned car is left flying off the bridge, crashing into the ground, causing a giant explosion as the police look onward in disbelief.

In conclusion, film genre plays a crucial role in the cinematic industry. It helps the scriptwriter to better focus his thoughts and words, the director to shape the flow and feel of the film in a way that will make the audience comfortable and it helps the movie going public to make choices that suit their personal taste.

Bibliography:

Grant, Barry. “Film Genre.” NJ: The Scarecrow Press, Inc, 1977
Grant, Barry. “Film Genre I.” University of Texas Press. Ã?© 1986.
Wright, Lenore. “Movie Genres.” www.breakingin.net Ã?© 2002
Rowley, Stephen. “Genre Films.” www.mira.home.netÃ?© 1998
“Action Movies.” wikipedia/action movie- answers.com Ã?© 2005
Dirk, Tim. “Action Films.” film site.org Ã?© 2005
Grant, Barry. “Film Genre Reader.” University of Texas Press
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Calweti, John. “Adventure, Mystery, and Romance: Formula Stories as Art and Popular Culture.” Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976
“Intro to genre” film education.org 2005.
Mignone, Mark. “Film Genre: Description and Categories.” Ã?© 1997