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To define exactly (Signifier)Eg. Use of the colour RED or the way someone is

dressed.

To suggest a connection (Signified)

Eg. RED conotes DANGER, PASSION, HORROR 

It is open to interpretation so...The main thing is to prove to the examiner

that your CONNOTATION is Plausible.

Independent, critical and personal response.

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Genre

LO: To investigate what genre means and theimportance of genre in media studies.

Starter – Name a few different film genres thatyou can think of.

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Here are some examples...•

Horror/thriller• Chick flick

• Fantasy

• Action/adventure

• Blockbuster

• Romance

• Romantic comedy

• Western

• Comedy

• Any others?

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What is Genre?

Genre is the term for any category of literature or other

forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any

type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audio or

visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres

are formed by conventions that change over time as

new genres are invented and the use of old ones are

discontinued.

Genre: The term used for the classification of 

media text into groups with similar characteristics

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• Dark colours, backgrounds

•

A number of scenes in the dark• Creepy music

• Silence to build suspense

• Heavy breathing sounds

• Shadows

• Volatile weather (mist, storms, thunder etc)

• Screaming

• Isolation or someone alone

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Why is genre important?

Audience

• Satisfies their expections – ‘Comfortable reasurance’ (Patrick Philips, 1996)

• Saves time in choosing media texts

Producers

• Gives a pattern for construction, a template

• Genre pieces have an established audience who are easy to market to

• Certain personnel can develop their skills working within a particular genre (e.g. horror

make up specialists)

• Stars can associate themselves with a particular genre e.g. Will Ferrell is known for a

certain type of slapstick comedy, and his face on a poster instantly tells audiences what

kind of movie they are likely to see if he is in it.

• Fans of a genre know the codes, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel all the time

Distributors

• Clear channels for marketing and distribution — easily targetable audience

• Concentration of distribution resources — no point in trying to get eg football matches to a

non-sports audience

• Fans of a genre as a whole can easily be persuaded to buy other texts in the same genre eg

dance music compilation CDs• Provides a structure for retail outlets