1. Film Genres

2. Genre shapes a film’s subject matter, characters, narrative structure, and style.

3. What kind of movie might this be?
What specifically in this image suggests something eerie or macabre?
What is the purpose of a movie poster?

4. What kind of movie might this be?
How do the visual images in both posters differ?

5. Film can be divided into genres, or categories based on subject matter and themes. Movie posters often communicate not just the title of a film and who the actors are but also suggest the type of film, or genre.

6. The Building Blocks of Genre

7. SUBJECT
Genre shapes story content or what the story is about. Genre helps the audience understand what happens and appreciate the significance of why it happens.

8. FORM
Genre shapes narrative structure, or how the story unfolds. This includes how characters and conflicts are introduced, and the sequence of rising and falling actions.

9. STYLE
Genre influences how a film sounds and looks, including types of settings and characters.

10. The Genre Wheel

11. Most films can be divided into one of the following categories based on the film’s subject, narrative structure and style.

12. Film Categories Action/ Adventure Western Biography War Comedy
Science Fiction
Crime/Detective
Musical
Documentary
Horror
Fantasy