Genre Schmenre

Summary

In chapter 4, Smith disusses how genre affects the way we view and concume media. Genre can be determined using specific codes that media makers follow when making films that are recognizable to the audience that will then be consuming that media. Genre is a very inexact way to discuss and define movies, and the things that define one genre may be inconsiquential to another; for example, location is important to identifying a western, but is a less important factor when identifying a sitcom. Some genres remain through time, whereas others last for a short amount of time and are then confined to a period in time, such as Film Noir that were made predominately during the 1940s and 1950s. If genre should be viewed as a cultural concept rather than a property of a film. This is reaffirmed in the moments when films will switch modes, changing the feel of a scene or episode, rather than confining the film to only one genre.

Example

While reading this chapter, I began thinking about the Netflix series Stranger Things. It is a television show, set in the 80s, about a boy, Will, who goes missing while riding home on his bike and the search for for him. There are three groups of people looking for Will, one group made up of his three friends and a girl with magic powers that escaped from a nearby government facility, Will’s mother and the town police chief, and Will’s brother along with Will’s friend’s older sister and her boyfriend. Each group is looking for Will, but have their own beliefs about what happened to Will along with varying ways to find him. Essentially, there are three seperate storylines going on that are somehow intricately connected.

Connection

Stranger Things is an example of how genre cannot always truely describe how a show will play out. There is three seperate storylines that can each be read as a different genre. The storyline with the three friends and girl can be viewed as a coming of age movie with fantasy elements. The friends fight and one of the boys comes to terms with liking the girl they meet, but they acknowledge the importance of friendship while growing up. The storyline about the brother, sister, and her boyfriend can be viewed as a teen drama thriller. They tackle issues such as high school and dating while also trying to solve the mystery of her dead friend. The final storyline with the police chief and the mother can be watched as a political intrigue story. They spend most of the show uncovering corruption and exposing secrets within the government that has led to the disappearance of Will. Stranger Things switches modes throughout every show, but the entire show does not fit perfectly into one genre because of the varying storylines and ways they can be viewed.