Genre

" In film, genre refers to the method based on similarities in the narrative elements from which films are constructed. Most theories of film genre are borrowed from literacy film criticism. As with genre in a literary context, there is a great deal of debate over how to define or categorize genres. Besides the basic distinction in genre between fiction and documentary, film genres can be categorized in several ways. "

The main film genres are:

Action- Which generally contain physical stunts and chases, fights, natural disasters and escapes which a big-budget is often needed for. Action films can also be adventurous and often two-dimensional.

Adventures- Often have exciting story lines which sometimes feature unusual and exotic locations, and is paired with the action film genre. They can include traditional swashbucklers searches for the unknown or lost continents and disaster films.

Comedy- Have light-hearted plots and deliberately designed to amuse and make people laugh through the language, exaggeration, relationships and the characters. Other forms of comedy such as spoofs, romantic comedies and black comedies often fall under this genre.

Crime- Developed around the actions of criminals who can often be hoodlums who go against the laws such as robbers and murderers.

Drama- Have serious story lines, usually portraying realistic characters, life situations and involving intense character development. They are usually not focussed on comedy, special-effects or action. Dramatic films are one of the largest film genre with many sub categories such as historical dramas, teen dramas and dramatic biographic films.

Epics/ Historical- Include costume dramas, historical dramas, war films and period films that often cover a large expanse of time with a panoramic backdrop. Epics often share elements of adventure films and elaborate on them. Epics take a historical or imagined event, legendary, myth or heroic figure with extravagant settings accompanied by unusual costume.

Horror- Designed to frighten and invoke worst fears, often have a scary or shocking ending. Horrors usually feature a variety of styles which include in today's time CGI monsters and animals and deranged humans. Sometimes they are combined with science fiction when earth is threatened by aliens or corruption of technology.

Musical- Are cinematic forms that emphasize song and dance routines in a significant way (usually with a musical performance integrated as as part of the film narrative) or films that are centred on combinations of music, song, dance and choreography. A major sub-genres is musical comedy.

Science fiction- Often are visionary and imaginative with heroes, distant planets, aliens, futuristic technology, extraordinary people/monsters, quests, unusual settings and villians. They sometimes share similarities with action/adventure films. They often express the potential of technology to destroy human kind and easily overlaps horror films.

War- Films acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war, fighting on land sea or in the air which form the plot and background for the film. Other genres such as action, adventure and drama are popularly paired with war films.

Westerns- Which over time have been redefined, re-invented and expanded and spoofed. They are one of the oldest, most enduring genres with very recognizable plots, elements and characters (dusty towns and trails, cowboys, Indians etc.)