Genre Shmenre 3/25

Reading Summary

In chapter 4 of What Media Classes Really want to Discuss, Smith explores the different classification schemes of media products and how our perspective of such media products alter when we use one term versus another. The most common of these terms is genre. Genre provides both media-makers and audiences a set of internally consistent expectations that serve as codes to provide guidelines for interpreting media products. Genre implies a sort of repeatable familiarity within a film that can either be confirmed or tweaked by media-makers. Therefore genre is a blueprint for media-makers, but it serves as tool for media critics. A critic’s definition of a genre provides insight into the structures of our broad categories. However there are alternative labels to media products other than genre. Some examples are production trend, address, movement, and mode. However genre tends to be more consistent in nature compared to these other terms.

Outside Example

When reading this chapter, I was reminded of the film American Beauty. This film is a mixing pot of genres including: drama, comedy, and suspense. However, American Beauty doesn’t fit the standard norms for these genre categories. In addition to its genre, American Beauty shows strong ties to the classic film, Lolita.

Reading Connection

American Beauty relates to the reading because it is a distinct example of media-makers attempting to break film industry conventions and therefore going against the audiences’ expectations. The film starts off with the promise of a father’s murder by the hands of his daughter, somewhere in-between we are introduced to the father’s lust for his daughter’s 16 yr old friend, during all of this we are still provided comic relief, and it ends with the murder actually being done by an abusive neighbor who has violently repressed his sexuality. This is what Smith means when he explains “many modern media treat genre as a painter treats colors on a pallet, mixing elements to create a distinctive whole.” Meanwhile if we analyzed American Beauty apart from its genre (analyzing its themes and modes) we may interpret the film at a wildly different angle. This is why Smith states “different classification schemes make us see the media differently.” If we looked at American Beauty‘s themes we may see repression of sexuality by white males, lust and desire, ache for revenge, toxicity of suburban neighborhoods, etc. All of these being alternative to the stated genre which is more of an umbrella term (drama/suspense/comedy).