In media studies, genre refers to the classification of media texts (such as films, TV shows, books, or advertisements) into distinct categories based on shared conventions, themes, and styles. Each genre has specific features that audiences recognize, such as character types, settings, narratives, and visual or auditory codes. These conventions help shape audience expectations and guide how media texts are produced, marketed, and interpreted.
For example, in film, genres like horror, comedy, or action have recognizable elements: horror might feature suspense, dark settings, ghosts, while comedy focuses on humor. Genre can also evolve over time, as new elements are introduced or subverted to keep the audience engaged. Understanding genre in media studies helps analyze how texts communicate meaning and how they appeal to particular audiences.
Conforming to a genre means sticking to the familiar conventions and expectations that define a genre, such as using specific themes, plots and visual styles that audiences anticipate. For instance, a romantic comedy might conform by featuring humorous situations and focusing on romantic relationships. On the other hand, subverting a genre involves intentionally breaking or twisting these conventions to create something unexpected or original to avoid boredom in the audience. For example, the romantic comedy mentioned earlier might have dark themes, or a plot about cheating and adultery as this is unexpected and presents a twist. By conforming, creators align with audience expectations, while subverting allows for creative innovation and can offer fresh perspectives within the genre.
The Amazing Spider-Man
This movie is under the superhero genre. Originally, superheroes would be a sub-genre under the action or adventure genre, however the sub-genre has gotten so big it’s now its own genre. The genre conventions for this movie and genre would probably be bright superhero suits with a signature logo, secret identities with face concealing masks, dramatic fight scenes, a cool backtrack, etc. Along with these visual and audio elements, we might also expect a love interest that may die in the middle of battle, or a superhero sidekick.
Due to this, I think this trailer conforms to the audience’s expectations in a superhero movie. It showcases the contrast of the iconic superhero costume and seemingly ordinary life of the hero without the mask. Back in the day, the primary audience of superhero movies consisted mostly white millennial males. However, in the past few years more and more women and teenagers have become fans of this genre. We’ve also see an increase in diversity within the genre, with many more women superheroes and superheroes of color in the comics receiving movie adaptions. This diversity has broadened the appeal of superhero movies to a wider range of demographics.
This movie, “The Amazing Spider-man”, appeals to the white millennial male audience due to Spider-man pre-established popularity from Tobey Maguire’s earlier portrayals of the hero. However, many felt like the movie was actually marketed to women. Unlike most superhero movies, it heavily emphasizes the romantic relationship between the main character, Peter Parker, and his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy. The mix of rom-com elements in the superhero action movie contributed to its popularity among female viewers. I also have to agree! As a girl, it is one of my favorite superhero movies. In this way, the movie also somewhat subverts from our expectations due to its surprisingly romantic nature. This was practically unheard of at the time, so this may be the first superhero movies to be aimed primarily at women.
Self Reflection:
This lesson on genre will be incredibly helpful for my tourism ad project by guiding me on how to use genre conventions effectively. Understanding the typical codes and conventions of travel ads (such as vibrant visuals, scenic imagery, and upbeat music) will help me create an advertisement that aligns with what my target audience expects and enjoys, or an advertisement which is innovative and catches my audience by surprise. Additionally, knowing genre norms will allow me to create a compelling and engaging ad while also finding ways to incorporate unique elements that make my advert stand out. Overall, using these genre principles will ensure that my ad connects emotionally with the audience and fits well within the travel genre's expectations.
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