Genre, Codes, and Conventions

Genre, Codes, and Conventions

• Genre: A French word meaning "kind" or "class." It refers to a category of artistic works, such as films, literature, or music, that share common characteristics. Latin word: "genus."
• Genres can be broken down into subcategories. Genres contain particular content conventions and follow a distinctive style and presentation.
• Key primary genres include: entertainment, news, information, education, and advertising.
• Examples of sub-genres are Action (explosions, stunts, heroes and villains), Adventure (quests, faraway settings), Comedy (humor, smaller stakes), Drama (serious stories with relatable events, character arcs), Horror (gore, scares, creative monsters).

Codes

• Codes: Systems of signs that create meaning when combined.
• Technical Codes: Use of equipment like camera techniques and lighting to convey a story. Examples include shot angles (low, eye-level, high, worm's eye, canted, bird's eye), basic camera shots (extreme wide shot, wide shot, medium shot, medium close-up, close-up, extreme close-up), and camera movements including Pan, Tilt, and Truck.
• Symbolic Codes: Show the unseen meanings behind what we see (objects, setting, language, clothing, color, etc.) in a media product.
• Examples include the symbolic use of color, and a setting—the outback—which could represent hardship or isolation.

Conventions

• Conventions: Accepted ways of using codes in media. Conventions are deeply connected to audience expectations.
• Form Conventions: Specific arrangements used for media: Example: Film titles at beginning, credits at the end, newspapers with mastheads, front page for important news, video games with tutorials.
• Story Conventions: Common narrative structures and understandings for media. Examples include narrative structures, cause and effect, character construction, point of view.
• Genre Conventions: Common tropes, characters, settings, or themes in particular media types. Example: Comedy films featuring bright colors.