So Genre, its something most of us take for granted. It helps us categorize and analyses movies, though it is so much more complicated than simple stylistic choices that define a movie’s genre or genres.

Genre is really made up of 3 things:

• Stylistic Choices
• Broader Ideas
• Plot patterns

Stylisyic patterns refer to what most of us see genre as, it encompasses costume, the sort of characters contained with in it, setting, lighting anything that relates to a films style.

Broader Ideas relate to the underlying messages these sort of movies contain.

And plot patterns relate to the technical plot construction that exsist within certain genres.

For example:

Traditional Westerns

 

Stylistic Patterns:

• Cowboys
• Sheriffs
• Indians
• Tumble weed
• Guns
• Lots of wide shots
• Set in wide open dessert ect.

Broader Ideas

• Conquest of the unforgiving land
• Conquering a savage enemy
• Expansion of civilization
• Honor is important

Plot Patterns

• Shoot out
• Revenge

 

Bordwell, David and Kristin Thompson. Film Art. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, 1997. Print.