Genre Schmenre

Summary:

This chapter discusses how genres invoke certain feelings, settings, and even narratives to mind through their strong correlation to those things which we have been conditioned to with many forms of Media. For example, how certain actors in movies usually give us insight as to what movie this might be or even how the basic narrative of the movie will go. This shows how genres overtime have become codes due to their consistency in all forms of media. Genre also applies to consumers, as we correlate different ideas, style, or appeal with different brands and companies.

Example:

One movie in particular I think does well in mixing genres is a movie called Overlord. It was released in 2018 as an Action/Thriller but also uses elements of horror as it follows a WWII in their mission to destroy a Nazi facility behind enemy lines. Over the cours of the movie, what is your typical WWII, US vs Nazi soldiers turns into a battle between the living and undead as they find a more sinister plot by the Nazi’s to create an undead superhuman army.

Connection:

As I mentioned above, the setting and mood the movie sets for the audience follows along well with other WWII movies like Hacksaw Ridge or Saving Private Ryan as it outlines then basic Good guys vs Nazis genre that is prevalent in many WWII movies. However, the movie makes a transition that utilizes tropes we would typically see in horror genres, like unsettling music scores and jump scares which deviate from most WII films. This blend of genres not only proves that we may come to a wrong conclusion based on the genres we see, but that genres that are not always seen together turn out well.