English Through Films

Visual-Audio Oral EnglishWeek 2

WELCOME TO…

Group work

Discussion

Talk in groups of four: Did you watch an American movie this week?

What was the name? Did you like it? Why or why not?

Brief History of Film

Early Cinema (1900-1920)Black and whiteNo soundFilmed ‘real life,’

famous attractions

Brief History of FilmClassical Hollywood (1920-1950)

Black and white, little colorBasic soundCreation of elaborate narratives (story

lines)Creation of the ‘Movie Star’Major genres emerge

Brief History of Film

Post-Classical HollywoodFlexibility is key: use traditional ideas in

a new wayLess structureDirectors create individual and distinct

stylesDevelopment and broadening of genres

FILM GENRES

Film Genres…

Genre -

• a category or style of something artistic,

• in this case a “genre of film”; or “film genre”

• a system that divides films into categories based on similar themes and patterns.

For Example: What genre of film is that movie?

Titanic’s genre is romance or drama.

The Major Film Genres…

Film Genres…

Musical-

• a film that involves a lot of music and dancing performed by actors. (also can be a live play)

• usually, singing and dancing are used in circumstances that are not found in real life.

• sometimes similar in style to a stage play.

• This genre is used as a noun. Do not add the word movie or film after it. (musical movie = bu hao)

For Example: I thought the actors in that musical we watched had great singing voices.

Example of Musical:

Singing In the Rain

1952

Starring Gene Kelly

Film Genres…

Horror• a genre of film that tries to make the audience

feel very scared or terrified.

• Usually horror films have some type of “monster.” Can be imaginary or real-life. (vampire/xixuegui vs killer)

• Horror films usually must also show more violence and extreme behavior. This can be called “gore.”

• When talking about the genre of horror, you must always use it as an adjective. (that was a good horror = bu hao)

For Example: I don’t like watching horror films because I do not like to be scared.

Film Genres…

Thriller• a genre of film that is also scary and tries to

create terror for the audience.

• different than horror films because thrillers create fear through suspense and danger that is unseen.

• less visual and more psychological. The idea is scary.

• This genre is always used as a noun. (bu shi thriller film)

For Example: I don’t like watching thrillers because I do not like to be scared.

Film Genres…

Sometimes films fit into more than one genre.

For example, a film can be both a horror film and a

thriller.

Example of Horror/Thriller:

Psycho

1960Directed by Alfred

Hitchcock

http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/5500000/Psycho-Movie-Poster-psycho-5531539-350-537.jpg

Film Genres…

Romance-

• a category of film that deals mostly with the love growing between two people.

• Because love is such a popular theme, many movies have bits of romance.

• However, this genre makes the “love story” the main focus of the story.

• When talking about this genre, it is always a noun. You can say “romantic film,” but it does not relate to genre.

For Example: My sister was very happy that the characters in the romance got married at the end of the movie.

Example of a Romance:

Roman Holiday

1953Starring Audrey

Hepburn & Gregory Peck

Film Genres…

Action• a genre of film that is dominated by exciting action

scenes.

• Much of the movie is full of action, using such things as explosions, fighting, and/or stunts.

• stunts are dangerous actions done by people who are experts at doing dangerous things.

• This genre is always used as an adjective.

For Example: I thought The Terminator was a great action film because of all the explosions and fighting.

Film Genres…

Adventure-

• a genre of film that follows characters as they have an exciting journey.

• the story deals with characters who go on a “quest” – they leave home and travel somewhere very different and exciting to accomplish their goal.

• The trip is full of danger. This makes it an adventure.

• This genre is used as an adjective.

For Example: The journey Frodo takes made The Lord of the Rings an exciting adventure film.

Film Genres…

Because adventure films have exciting travels,

they usually have a lot of action.

Therefore, many films are both action films and

adventure films.

Example of Action/Adventure:

Raiders of the Lost Ark

1981Directed by Steven

SpielbergStarring Harrison Ford

as Indiana Jones

Film Genres…

Animated-

• A movie that is created with animated drawings or characters.

• There are two styles of animation: • Hand-drawn cartoons. They look more like flat

pictures.• Computer-generated animation. They look more “3-

D”. • Animated films are usually for younger children or

families.• But today there are more and more cartoons for adults

also.• For this genre, you can say “animated film” (adjective)

or “cartoon” (noun). Cartoon is more used for “hand drawn” films.

For Example: Finding Nemo was a wonderful animated film.

or My favorite cartoon is Snow White.

Example of Animated Film:

Toy Story

1995Starring the voices

of Tom Hanks and

Tim Allen

Film Genres…

Western-

• A film that shows certain aspects of life in the western parts of the United States during the 19th Century.

• These films have cowboys, horses, and “gun-slingers.”

• May also include trains, settlers, and/or Native Americans.

• Does not always have to take place in the past. But it must have the qualities of “Old West” lifestyle.

• This genre is always used as a noun. If used as an adjective it means American or European. (Western film)

For Example: Clint Eastwood made a lot of Westerns in his life.

Example of Western:

Butch Cassidy and

the Sundance Kid

Starring Paul Newman and

Robert Redford

Film Genres…

Drama-

• a film that has its characters experiencing strong emotions because of what happens in the story.

• Mainly deals with emotions that all humans feel and show how characters react to them. (love, grief, jealousy)

• Dramas also deal with “universal themes” – topics that all people can understand; for example: family, honor, etc.

• This genre is used as a noun. To use it as an adjective, you must change it to “dramatic” (dramatic film)

For Example: The film this weekend was clearly a drama because we all cried at the end of it.

Example of Drama:

Jane Eyre1996

Film Genres…

Comedy-

• This genre is known for being extremely funny.

• Films in many genres will have moments that are funny, but a comedy is focused on humor and making the audience laugh.

• Comedies can either use a lot of physical comedy or humorous dialogue.

• This genre is used as a noun.

For Example: My father laughed a lot when he watched the comedy last weekend.

Example of Comedy:

Nacho Libre

Starring Jack Black

Film Genres…

Science Fiction-

• a movie that that deals with fictional ways science can affect life, the future, or space.

• science fiction films must focus on science and/or technology in a way that is not true to life today.

• this genre of film is also known for using aliens, robots, and monsters produced by science.

• This genre must be used as an adjective. Can also be called “sci-fi” for short.

For Example: The movie had many space ships in it, so it must have been a science fiction movie.

Example of Science Fiction:

Star Trek

2009Directed by J.J. Abrams

Film Genres…

Movies often have qualities from many genres.

We often combine them when speaking about film genres.

Some typical combinations are:

• action-adventure films

• romantic comedies

• animated comedy

• adventure-romance films

JUST DO YOUR BEST WHEN COMBINING!

Film Genres…

Other Genres:

• War Film

• Fantasy Film

• Documentary

• Sports Film

• Period Film

• Low-Budget Film

• Foreign Films (ie Chinese films, French films, etc.)

• Martial Arts Films

• There can be an unlimited number of genres. New genres are created often.