Movie Genres Explained - Types of Films & the Art of Subverting Film Genres
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- čas přidán 26. 06. 2024
- Movie genres explained - a filmmaker’s guide to Hollywood film genres and their conventions, how film genres are made, and why they are so important to understanding the relationship between audience and filmmaker.
Film & TV Genre Conventions Explained ►► bit.ly/wi-ge
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Film Genre
00:52 - Genre Definition & History
01:44 - The Purpose of Genre
04:41 - Plot
07:29 - Characters
09:31 - Presentation
11:46 - Creative Exceptions
16:26 - Takeaways
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WHAT ARE MOVIE GENRES
Most films belong to at least one (sometimes many) of the various movie genres. Whether you’re browsing a video store or Netflix, you can see all kinds of movies separated into categories. Drama, comedy, horror, romance, etc. But what are movie genres, really? Or perhaps a better question is how are film genres created in the first place? This video is an introduction to film genres, how they work, how they’re created, and why filmmakers should know film genres and their conventions.
WHERE DO MOVIE GENRES COME FROM
The term ‘genre’ comes from the French meaning “kind” or “sort.” But the concept of genre goes back to Ancient Greece where writers like Aristotle started with only two genres: poetry and drama. Since then, in theater, literature and eventually film, we’ve seen a multitude of categories. The type of movies we see today have been molded and refined over centuries, splintered off into smaller categories called subgenres. This process can be understood as a form of evolution, where less popular genres die out and those that remain relevant and interesting thrive to this day.
FILM GENRES AND HOLLYWOOD
Hollywood is an industry built by combining art with commerce. If certain movie genres make money, Hollywood makes more of them and vice versa. When the studios advertise their latest film, they almost always lean heavily into the genre. This is because audiences want to know what kind of story they’re going to be told. Movie stars are a big draw, but the type of movie is arguably the most important deciding factor.
FILM GENRES AND THEIR CONVENTIONS
So, how are movie genres constructed? We can boil the ingredients down to three essentials - plot, characters, and presentation. Subgenres like zombie movies or romantic comedies often function with recognizable patterns in their story structures, types of characters, and the formal elements of their presentation (cinematography, editing, music, etc.).
SUBVERTING FILM GENRES
Audiences want to know what they’re getting. On the other hand, it can’t be too familiar either. There should be enough familiarity with a dash of something unexpected. And there are a number of ways filmmakers are successful at subverting film genres. One is switch genres at some point in the story. Another is to work with hybrid genres - films that blend two or more genres from start to finish.
Once writers and directors understand these “rules” and expectations, they will be better able to deliver what the audience wants along with something unexpected.
#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking
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“We Belong Together” - Randy Newman
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Film Genre
00:52 - Genre Definition & History
01:44 - The Purpose of Genre
04:41 - Plot
07:29 - Characters
09:31 - Presentation
11:46 - Creative Exceptions
16:26 - Takeaways
In John Truby’s Anatomy of Genres he says that the greatest novels and films not only genre mash but find a way to transcend the genres.
Which brings me to inception. Inception is basically a sci fi caper. Caper is a sub genre of crime and action. Nolan transcends the genre by turning the caper element, extraction, into a reverse pickpocket theme, inception. But as said in this video the caper genre is used within the film only to be turned on its head.
qaಠ ͜ʖ ಠಠ‿ಠ
it's interesting what you said about westerns being defined by the wide open shots. if you look at a movie like *The Hateful Eight*, it turns that idea on it's head, as it's very claustrophobic.
Subverting genre is the name of Tarantino game.
i would say that Hateful eight is a genre mix of thriller, chamber game (don't know if its the real english name for that...) psychodrama, a bit of who done it just happened in Western setting, as my opinion...
specifically it's defined by setting, which the wide open shots capture. Much of Hateful Eight takes place in the claustrophobic cabin, which was an interesting approach, but Tarantino also made sure to get some sweeping shots of the winter landscape
It was shot on Panavision 70mm. Obviously to give it an epic feel but only the opening credits gave the film an epic feel. For me the rest of the film played out like a Hitchcockian suspense film. Ironically Hitchcock never shot on Cinemascope. All of his films are 1:85:1.
I thought hateful ate is bottle movie genre
One addition to "hybrid genre" I would have included would have been Ghostbusters, blending elements of comedy, sci-fi, horror with a little romance too.
Good call!
Supernatural too.
My favorite movie that completely breaks multiple genres is Parasite. It's a drama, a thriller, a comedy, and a political criticism all at once!
A great example of a genre hybrid
A Complete Masterclass about Movie Genres in Cinema. I Am really Inspired. Thank you StudioBinder.
Happy filming :)
Once again, you scored a goal with this video too. Even though I already know most, if not all the stuff you mentioned in this video, it was a good reminder or refresher about subvervion in movies. Great one as always, Studio Binder! You're the bomb! Now subvert that.
haha we're working on it!
I'm so happy that Scream was included in this; I'm a huge fan and I think a lot of people who have never seen it brush it off as a cheesy horror when it's really an intelligent, funny, meta slasher that had a real impact on the horror genre and especially the slasher subgenre because of how subversive it was at the time.
Tim Burton movies can easily be used as an example for the genres mashup, they are never truly horror films.
Fair point!
This was excellent as usual. I appreciate the inclusion of film noir at +7:45, a genre I've really grown to respect and enjoy more recently as a goldmine of great cinema.
It's a treasure
the ending of the every video of this channel is something , just amazing.
Glad you liked it :)
You guys NEVER disappoint. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
The cabin in the woods was the best subversion of genre it expectations movie I've ever seen. So happy that I saw it without any spoilers.
One perfect movie that changes genres in the midle is High and Lown from Akira Kurosawa, it begins as a supense movie only to change in to a detective genre, and always keeping the audience interteined.
Incredible movie
I love Pink Floyd’s echoes too
Good call!
pink floyd pfp 👍👍👍👍👍
Pink Floyd
The king of comedy is also an amazing creative exception
👍👍
yay! it's studio binder monday!
I love genre bending movies like Cabin in the Woods -
*what's your favourite genre?*
Every Monday is video day!
I fricking love Creative Exceptions genre.....This might just be my favorite genre....Thank you StudioBinder for another amazing video...
Glad you liked it!
We need a video about why films and shows fail... The bad, Strange world, she hulk, etc... Vs the good, Amsterdam, monument men, etc
Thanks for the suggestion!
Because people dont know right names of films
There is a channel that does that. Have you heard of filmento? He does break down movies as to why they succeeded and failed and compared the movie that failed vs the one that succeeded.
Not focused on story telling - too focused on checklist activism and agenda.
I think that's why it make this channel unique, they only take the best and explore upon it, no drama no hot take just pure explanation and inspiration.
a remarkable "Genre switch" film can be "The days of wine and roses" (1962) by the tandem Blake Edwards (dir) and Henry Mancini (mus) that starts like a romantic comedy, with the genre's musical style and situations, and progressively ends like a psychological tragedy ... this genre switch gives all the tragic strength to the movie about alcoholism and how it can destroy beautiful situations and people, but was not appreciated by audiences that felt they were deceived and taken to a reality they did not want to see.
Shyamalan needs this lesson. The village started in one genre and ended up in another.
I liked that movie up until it got to the end (the climax). After that I was super pissed! I felt betrayed by everything I'd watched up until the point where it's revealed that these people actually live in the modern age! Immediately after that I blew a gasket! Not to mention throwing a lot of questions of logic at the film, the characters and their psychology; answers to questions nobody has ever answered me, including M.Night himself! Dammit...
Would be cool if he did watch our vids haha
Not only the village. There are many examples of famous hit movies where the genre of the movie changes halfway through.
This is the most detailed movie genres explanation I had ever watched. You also closed it with two very phenomenal actress and actor, Jenna Ortega and Daniel Kaluuya, who both can act so well in one very short scene and yes, as an audience, I was disturbed with how much emotion they both can make me feel. Great work!
I just found your channel a few days ago and I'm blown away. The quality of your videos is amazing and incredibly useful for someone who wants to learn more about movies.
Best Channel on CZcams!!!! I learned so much 🤩🤩🤩
Thanks for watching!
"Anatomy of genre" by J. Truby just came out last week. Maybe syncsynchronicity, maybe coincidence. All the same tome , i eat it all up. Thanks
All the more content to enjoy!
Another one smashed out the park. Monday lunch massively improved. Cheers, Studio Binder.
Making your Monday lunches entertaining!
Good video the narrator of these videos is really good. I think he should be doing like movie trailers.
haha we agree!
I have to say, this is the most educational video you guys have put out to date for me (I know there are more but this spoke to the writer inside of me). In fact, with the definitions of genre now fully realized, you have helped me take my writing to another level. I will share this with you, this video has inspired me to write my next sci-fi film to mix certain genre elements to drive the story. THANK YOU!!!
That's awesome! Good luck with your script
It's almost ironic that some absolute classics which became famous exactly for subverting viewers' expectations towards a given genre were so successful that they themselves became that genre's new standard. This happened to "North by Northwest", "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Chinatown", "The Godfather" and "Pulp Fiction", only to name a few.
OMG this is my favorite channel in the galaxy of movie making I Love it!! I have learned so much, you are my film school online, Thank you So Much!
Class in session!
_you guys put theses videos together so well ! ! ! !_
I guess Kieślowski's 'Three Colors: Red' is a favorite of mine. I agree with Roger Ebert that each in the trilogy are subversions of their respective genres, but 'Red' is the strongest.
Great choice!
Iblove this thank you! A video of character/genre deconstruction and reconstruction would be sooooooooo appreciated!
Thanks for the suggestion!
I would argue that genre is more of a tactic of marketing than writing
thanks . there is book about genres by john truby (the anatomy of genres ) i think is a perfect source for more videos about this important subject .
Appreciate the rec!
Great video!!!! Keep up the good work @Studio Binder!!! :)
Will do :)
This is my favorite youtube channel. What a great time to be alive.
Cheers!
Awesome, I didn’t expecting this, but what a great educational video!!! Superbly good 👍!!!
Glad you liked it!
Thanks, StudioBInder!
Great teamwork and hard work too✌️✌️
One of the best endings of Studio Binder's videos!!! hahaha
Glad you liked it .😁
Another wonderful video essay.
and gotta love that expressive narrator's voice!
Glad you liked them!
Nice, Informative 👍
I have only one note about this presentation. It discusses Film Noir as a genre which is a slightly misguided notion. Paul Schrader specifically critiqued this notion and comprehensively established Noir as a style rather than a genre. The genesis of this style was possible due to the diaspora of German Expressionist filmmakers and technicians to Hollywood during the WWII. That's why aesthetically many Film Noir movies might look aesthetically and similar to the likes of Murnau's Nosferatu or The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
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The best films have a dash of every genre. You can't have the humor or the horror or the thrills without having complex characters that you feel for and go through all stages of emotion with throughout their story. Drama is inescapable. Drama fuels every good story. Just my view.
All comes down to having a great story. Working within genre is just supposed to help if it can
@@StudioBinder I don't care about a story without interesting characters. Interesting characters create drama.
Your intro song and narrators voice are addictive.
i was about to say the same thing
helpful as always :)
thanks for explaining it was very educating
Happy to help!
Just came across this channel
Its just awesome for cinephiles 😊
Absolutely stunning resume 👏👏👏
Cheers!
Especially great editing on this one!
Do you have a new editor?
The one thing I missed: How well certain genres combine
Genres like SciFi, Fantasy, Romantic and Crime can be easily combined with every other genre and are seldom true standalones, Horror and comedy are very hard to combine with each other (although there are of course examples), probably the hardest of them all and are therefore barely combined
Our editors are the same, we're always trying to get better!
@@StudioBinder Thanks for the answer!
Well experience makes you better at work
Superb intro…thanks a lot...from Sri Lanka
can we please get a version of Studio Binder for CZcamsrs? Would LOVE something like this...
could you clarify what you mean? like you want a version of our app for CZcamsrs?
Im in love to this channel
Thank you again, this was the most interesting take on genres I've seen so far. Just proposing a humble addition here: Due how to movie marketing works nowadays, I feel the director making the movie or the actor starring in the film might have also become some kind of a genre by itself. By example just by hearing the next Tom Cruise ore Arnold Schwarzenegger blockbuster is being announced, one already knows to expect an action movie (stays also true with walking the sidelines like in Kindergarden Cop). And with directors like Wes Anderson you’re guaranteed the opposite of tough action is going to happen. As you mentioned in this feature, a total shift in expectations will always be a surprise, but in these cases it could also result in the total disappointment of the audience. Some names became genres by themselves for a long time now. Just think about Charles Bronson or Chuck Norris in a romantic comedy.
Intersting point. Based on what you said, that means you're expecting a type of genre from certain filmmakers or actors.
@@StudioBinder Exactly.
I'd say this is something that has been around since full-scale movie making started - in the 1910-20s. DW Griffith - "blockbuster historical" (including mythology/religion. History being the "Hollywood type" - i.e. mostly fictional despite the "true story" hype. Try Birth of a Nation - it makes many a historian cringe!). Hitchcock (even back in his earliest films) - suspense. Could be a murder mystery (most likely), or more horror-based, but it'll be disconcerting to the viewers no matter what. These are only the first two to come to mind immediately, I'm sure I could come up with a load more!
I get what you're saying, but I don't think that things have changed quite as much as it seems. IMHO it's only because there have been a few extremely successful, non-generic directors in more recent times (I'd suggest Spielberg as the most obvious - from horror, romance, adventure to kids' movies; though his name is usually connected to high-quality storytelling - could that be generic?) that today's directors are more likely to be attached to something specific. Even if that's "the twisted ending" (good or bad is something for the viewer to decide) of M Night Shamalamading-dong 😉!
You clearly missed Arnold's 90s run of "I am going to be the greatest Austrian comedic actor of all time" ....which...KIND OF succeeded.
Do genre archetypes exist? What might be a ‘go-to’ film for each category that gives a wholistic account/representation of its given genre? Basically the ultimate [genre] film
I'd recommend you check out CineFix for the answer to this. That's their core appeal.
In their video about Top 5 Horror Movies of All Time (note: they do a Top # of All Time as a way to talk about the CATEGORIES, it's an interesting listicle twist), they openly acknowledge the following:
The 5 main sub-genres of horror are, undeniably, topped by 1 or two main films that... honestly... virtually everyone agrees on, and so they do a twist where they talk about the best movies of each sub-genre that people DON'T know. It's great.
-Slasher: Texas Chainsaw Massacre
-Slow-burn SciFi Horror: Alien
-Serial Killer Horror: Silence of the Lambs
-Atmospheric psychological horror: The Shining
-Internal psychological horror: Psycho
our genre article covers every genre with multiple examples in each! www.studiobinder.com/blog/movie-genres-list/
Another example would be Mad Max Fury Road: that movie manages to be reflectional and philosophical while still having solid action scenes
Thank you so much
Something that truly bothers me is writers and directors who subvert expectations just to do it. (Example: Game of Thrones)
If you're going to subvert a formula it should be because it makes sense for the story and will be a clever concept. Sometimes keeping to a formula works better overall.
I know i should not open this can of worm 😄...but what was wrong in the subversion of expectations in GOT
@@landolphia9594 Because it wasn't done for narrative reasons and it made no sense with the characters as they had been established. It was basically done for shock value and to surprise the audience and that's poor reason for narrative choices.
Look at the end of Infinity War, you expect that if the heroes make moral choices and fight as hard as they can that they'll win. But the film ends with the villain winning and the heroes failing outright. It makes sense for the story they're telling and it enriches the overall story.
All comes down to your story!
@@StudioBinder That's my point. Halloween Ends subverted expectations for shock value and the audience hated it.
When Rian Johnson made The Last Jedi he wanted to challenge the audience to expand their idea of what a Star Wars movie could be. He didn't totally succeed but he had the right goal.
If someone is going to subvert a formula like in Funny Games it has to be for a reason beyond just the desire to do it.
Thanks studio binder ❤❤
Thanks for watching!
@@StudioBinder make a video abt Wong Kai wai movies and y is not prominent as in his earlier days
Sci-fi shouldn't be considered a base genre in my opinion. There's no real indication of what the tone of a sci-fi film is going to be, and what primary emotions it aims to evoke.
Action aims to thrill, horror aims to scare, comedy aims to amuse, drama aims to provoke, romance aims to gratify & elicit heartbreak... And I just don't think that sci-fi reliably delivers any sort of emotional response.
I suppose you could argue that fantasy in general, primarily aims to create a sense of wonder, but really its more being used to exaggerate elements of the real world and use that to create extreme situations that lend itself to spectacle and give us an unfamiliar perspective... but yeh I dunno very quickly it becomes more of "theme" that doesn't really speak much to what mood it should put me in. I feel like most other films, the genre lets me know "okay, here's the emotional ride we're preparing you for".
I really like to start the week with your videos. Something i have always wondered is do you guys use all this footage based on fair use or do you guys have some sort of agreement with copyright owners and are granted permission for it’s use?
My guess is that it's all under Fair Use. It's clearly attributed, and they're using the external content for transformative purposes. In this case education.
All under Fair Use, and the vids are never monetized
@@StudioBinder many thanks!!! Keep up the good work!
@@StudioBinder you people are amazing.
From now on you have earned my respect more.
Thank you so much for teaching me. ❤️💓
Best youtube channel in the world!
that's the goal!
Sofia ripped off “blank check” with that cliche sequence and song
hmm interesting observation
This channel is amazing
Appreciate it!
İt was very helpful.
I kindly request to make a vedio on the explanation of subgenre what is it and how its useful in writing and how its used .
I love this channel ❤
Love our viewers!
15:38 That interrogation scene in Blade Runner is quintessential film noir.
Phenomenal example
Please make more videos on music and the music composers.
Thanks for the suggestion!
What about "Ghost" (1990)? That movie has elements of at least four different genres.
Is setting truly a part of the definition of the Western genre?
I ask this to ask a follow-up question: Is Star Wars a sci-fi movie... or is it a western that happens to be in space?
There's a reason The Mandalorian (well, S1 at least) rung so true to people who remember when the original trilogy was brand new.
I don't think Star Wars qualifies as a Western, but true it's not hard sci-fi in the way 2001 is
Star Wars almost comes off as a fantasy more than sci-fi as well
Thanks
Thanks for watching!
Please make a video on Park Chan Wook
Thanks for the suggestion!
Hope you can make a video focusing on Film Noir!😎😍👋🏻
Definitely a possibility
Big Thanks
Cheers!
Please make a video on game survival genre movies like- maze runner series, hunger games series, divergent series basiclly battle royale type movies.
Please make a vedio on aristotle , pluto and other greek philosopher thier part on writing philosophies on story telling who said what what are thier specific parts on writing! Plese i serched but i cant come to an understanding so please
I collect Blu-rays and DVDs. One time I tried organizing them by genre and it was impossible, I couldn’t find specific movies and with 3,000 movies it became impossible
That is a lot of movies
As someone who owns a heap of movies on physical media, I can tell you the best way to sort titles is alphabetically.
Rian Johnson’s films are a masterclass in how to not subvert tropes
Film school for free. I just don't get it! How do you do it? Over, and over, and over again. Thank you all the same. Top 5 channels on CZcams.
I feel like you don’t need to focus on genre too much as the story should create it’s own
Shouldn't be the priority, it should help you tell the story. Like how Damien Chazelle decided to approach Whiplash as a thriller
What about Changing Gerne
nice video :)
Thanks for watching!
Housebound is another cool movie!!
Nice example!
Can you Guys make a Video Focus Only on Camara Movement and the reason behind such as building a emotional tension, realease tension and Dramatic tension. Also, Motivational and Unmotivated Camara Movement.
Thanks for the suggestion!
0:00 to 0:25 Music???
Updated..😊
👍👍
does dystopian/post apocalyptic go under fantasy or sci fi? or is it a hybrid of both?
11:34 What is this movie?
Types of dialogue in film please
Came looking for Knives Out before I hit play. Then saw the thumbnail 👍🏾
We got it ;)
what's top 10 movie genres
Nice 🙂
Cheers!
Part of the genius of the 5th Element it combines 3 genres: comedy, sci-fi and opera 🎉🎉🎉
What make a movie an arthouse movie?
And are there any mainstream or popular movies that are also arthouse or are they intrinsically unrelatable (to put it diplomatically) to the average person?
See ya all soon... This is the only film school i love to attend to
Class in session!
I'm wondering why western is a genre and not a subgenre because it's something quite specific 🤔Otherwise, it's a very interesting video, thank you !
What would you say it's a subgenre of?
@@StudioBinder Maybe a subgenre of drama or action or crime
Could you plz cover The Rise Of Skywalker? I need to know as much about the production of that film as possible because I aspire to remake it one day
Thanks for the suggestion!
The Godfather and The Fellowship of the Ring 🔥
💯💯
Every one should watch ATTACK ON TITAN ANIME it will show how a story beloved and genre bending and those twists one of the most though proking and mind bending neravtive you will never find anywhere else
That's a great show!
@@StudioBinder can you do something about AOT
Studio Binder: So there's this thing called genres.
India Masala Movies: Genres is my wife.
SB: "What?"
😅