FM2: BRITISH AND AMERICAN FILM TOPICS

• 2.5 Hours (50mins per question)• Wednesday 15th May (Media AS 13th May)• 3 Sections, 1 question from each section to be

answered• Section A: Audience & Producers (Shaun)• Section B: British Film Topics (Mrs Raji)• Section C: US Film Comparative Study (Mrs Raji)

FM2: Section B – British Film Topics

• British Film Genre – HORROR• Developing your knowledge of the Macro and Micro features

to enable you to discuss:• Distinctive characteristics of the genre • Narrative development and themes• Construction of Narrative• Issues of Representation• Audience expectation• The British Context of films• Key scenes from the films• You must be able to do all of the above with detailed

reference to at least 2 films

Case Study Films

Christopher Smith (2004) Neil Marshall (2005)

James Watkins (2008)

Terence Fisher (1958)

Past Exam Questions• How far are the storytelling methods used in the films you have studied for this topic typical

of their genre? • How is gender represented in the horror or comedy films you have studied for this topic? • To what extent are the narratives of the films you have studied for this topic typical of their

genre?• How important is the representation of a particular time and place in the films you have

studied for this topic?• To what extent do the films you have studied for this topic try to narrate specifically ‘British’

stories? • In what ways do genre conventions determine how particular characters are represented in

the films you have studied for this topic?• How far are the characters in the films you have studied for this topic typical of their genre?• What have you found to be distinctively ‘British’ about the genre films you have studied for

this topic?• How are narrative devices used to increase the impact of horror in the films you have studied

for this topic?• How is gender represented in the films you have studied for this topic?

What’s the difference between the red and

black (bold) questions?

Exam Questions

• The first question (RED) will have a focus on narrative and thematic issues.

• The second question (BLACK) will include a more broadly-based consideration of areas of representation, such as gender, ethnicity or age.

WHAT IS GENRE?

YOU NEED TO MOVE FROM DEFINING GENRE

TO DISCUSSING AND EXPLORING THE CONCEPT

OF GENRE

Defining Genre

• Read the selection of quotations from theorists, decipher what they’re saying and select one to illustrate each caption. Use a dictionary for words you don’t know.

The Ingredients of Genre

• The main identifying characteristics of a film will inevitably fall into one or more of the following categories, or “repertoire of elements”.

• Iconography and props• Setting• Characters• Narrative• Style (use of micro features)• Theme• Audience Response

Fill in the sheet‘Genre Elements’

with relevance to the horror genre

Genre Elements

• Iconography • Iconography is a term from art history which refers to the classification of art based on

common or recurring images or icons. Films and moving image products can also be identified by the key images or icons contained within them. These images or iconic elements are usually immediately recognisable. For example, a central iconic image of classic Hollywood gangster films is the machine gun, in this instance a film prop. Types of costume, sound and music also function as iconic features within other genres.

• Setting • Many genres, particularly the Western and Gangster genres, have a distinct location

and time period associated with them. The use of temporal and spatial settings can therefore make a film immediately recognisable within a particular genre or sub-genre.

• Characters • The story of a film is most often told through characters. A film’s main protagonist or

“hero” encounters a variety of obstacles which he must overcome within the story. These obstacles are usually caused by some kind of adversary or “villain”. Different genres become associated with different heroes and villains. Over time, these particular characters achieve the status of a “generic type”.

http://www.digitalfilmarchive.net/clda/MovingImageArts/FilmLessonPlans/IntroducingGenre/tabid/283/Default.aspx

HOMEWORKRevise ‘Genre Element’ for test

next week

Genre Elements• Narrative • Narrative refers to the different types of story structure that films of different genres employ,

in addition to the narrative or story-telling devices and narrative moments which they are associated with (e.g. chase sequences, shoot-outs, romantic kisses etc). Narratives are all based on some form of conflict. Different genres therefore focus on different types of conflict. Genres can therefore also be differentiated by how they each represent conflict and resolution in their own distinctive ways.

• Style • Iconography refers to actual objects or sounds in a film or moving image product, whereas

style specifically refers to how these are presented. This category mainly relates to use of camera, lighting, colour and both audio and visual tone.

• Theme • Genre films are often underpinned by universal themes, which increase their appeal to

audiences. These themes, underpinning a film’s narrative are most effective when they are based on binary oppositions. For example, Jim Kitses used anthropological studies of folklore as a basis for identifying a number of key underlying themes in the Western genre; East v. West, Garden v. Wilderness, Industrialism v. Agrarianism.

Genre Elements• Audience Response • Some genres are most easily identified by their target audience. Every film has a

“mode of address”, a particular way in which it speaks to a target audience. Horror films intend to “horrify” audiences, action films deliberately set out to make an audience feel tense. Some genres of film soon become associated with a particular audience, though this may not always be justified by audience statistics e.g. action films are regarded as ideally suited for male audiences though recent action films have proven very popular with female audiences.

Genre Elements

• Genre elements can also be referred to as the Codes and Conventions they’re the expected elements that provide the audience pleasure, and the ‘blue print’ used by film producers.

1. Considering these elements and audience response write a paragraph that defines the horror genre.

2. How would you define a British Horror Film?

What is a horror film?• Defining a genre is never straightforward; genre change over time,

they are complicated by hybrids, sub-genre, cycles and franchises. This is certainly true of the horror genre which can be categorised in a variety of ways:

• Hybrids: horror thriller/ sci-fi/ fantasy/ comedy/ adventure• Sub-genre: gothic/slasher/splatter/zombie• Franchises: sequels, remakes• Cycles: Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy• The horror genre may also be categorized in terms of institutions

(Universal in the 1930s, Hammer in the 1960s and 1970s) and nationality (J Horror, British Horror, German Expressionism). That there is a recognisable category ‘British Horror’ suggests that British horror films may be considered as part of a national cinema dealing with subject matter relevant to British audiences in a distinctive style.

A definition of horror• Horror films are unsettling films designed to frighten and panic,

cause dread and alarm and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining as at the same time in cathartic experience. Horror films effectively centre on the dark side of life, the forbidden and strange and alarming events. They deal with our most primal nature and its fears: our nightmares, our vulnerability, our alienation, our revulsion, our terror of the unknown, our fear of death ad dismemberment, loss of identity, or fear of sexuality.

• CATHARSIS (or cathartic effect) – the idea originated with the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle who believed that the watching of a tragedy is cathartic, i.e. it purges the spectator of certain strong emotions, As a result mainly f experiments by Fesbach and Singer this idea has been developed in media effects research. Watching aggressive media output, it is proposed, does not make viewers ore aggressive; quite the contrary – since the explicit aggression experienced through the media purges the viewer of aggression, the result of watching violence is less aggression.

Case Study Films

Christopher Smith (2004) Neil Marshall (2005)

James Watkins (2008)

Terence Fisher (1958)

British Culture and Iconography

What is ‘British-ness?’

Linking Knowledge to the exam

• Exam question wording:• NARRATIVE DEVICE• STORYTELLING METHODS• REPRESENTATION• CHARACTERS• ‘BRITISH-NESS’

Screening Questions

• These are the things to keep in mind AND MAKES NOTES ON when watching the case study films:

• Use of micro features• The narrative devices that are used and narrative

structure• Storytelling methods• Representation• Elements of ‘British-ness’• Take notes of key scenes• Typicality

Case Study Films

Christopher Smith (2004) Neil Marshall (2005)

James Watkins (2008)

Terence Fisher (1958)