GENRE

• a French word meaning 'type' or

'class’
• can be recognized by its common
set of distinguishing features
(codes and conventions)
http://media-studies.tki.org.nz/Teaching-media-studies/Media-concepts/Genre
Types of Genre

• Literary Genre
• Music Genre
• Film/Movie Genre
• Art Genre
Types of Genre
Adventure usually presents danger or gives the
audience a sense of excitement.
e.g. Star Wars, Apollo 13

Fantasy is a speculative fiction set in a fictional

world inspired by myth and folklore.
e.g. Clash of the Titan, The Hobbit

Horror intends to frighten, scare, or startle the

audience and induces the feeling of terror and
horror.
e.g. Bird Box, The Exorcist
Types of Genre
Action intends to give series of events that
include violence and physical feats.
e.g. Superhero movies

Comedy intends to be humorous or amusing by

inducing laughter from the audience.
e.g. Mr. Bean

Drama intends to be more serious than

humorous in tone.
e.g Forrest Gump, The Notebook
Types of Genre
Documentary creates a particular story,
viewpoint, message or experience
e.g. I-Witness

News is information about current events

e.g. CNN News

Conference/talks shown online are short

informational and entertaining presentation that
becomes as a hybrid and emerging genre,
e.g. TED Talk, Khan Academy
GENRE
vs.
THEME
vs.
TOPIC
http://ribms.ca/eteachers/214/mrs-deanna-smith/post/topic-vs-theme-vs-genre
GEN
- SciFi
- Fantasy
type or - Horror
- Adventure
style
RE - Romance

- Greed is the

THEM message
root of all
evil.
- Beauty is in
E (indirect) the eye of the
beholder.

TOPI
- Weakness
- Injustice
subject - Unrequited
(direct) Love
- Racism
LET’S TRY!
GENRE? THEME? TOPIC?
GENRE? THEME? TOPIC?
CODES
 CODES
- systems of signs, put
together (usually in a
sequence) to create meaning
and connotations
- can be technical, symbolic,
or written https://media.codes/media-codes-and-conventions-c03423c06aa8
TECHNICAL CODES
This is all the ways in
which equipment is used to
tell the story in a media text.

e.g. camera work or editing

TECHNICAL CODES
• Camerawork (positioning,
movement, framing, exposure,
lens choice)
• Editing (graphic, rhythm, spatial,
temporal)
• Audio (dialogue, sound effects,
music)
• Lighting (quality, direction, color)
SYMBOLIC CODES
This shows what is
beneath the surface of what
we see.

e.g. character action shows

how he feels
SYMBOLIC CODES
• Setting
• Mise en scene (set design,
costume, props, staging
• Acting (facial expression, body
language, movement etc.)
• Color (dominant color,
contrasting foils, color
symbolism)
 WRITTEN CODES
- PRINTED LANGUAGE: includes
text that you can see within the
frame and how it is presented

- SPOKEN LANGUAGE: includes

dialogue and song lyrics
 CODES
-can create feelings to the
audience through effects and
techniques

https://media.codes/media-codes-and-conventions-c03423c06aa8
 Symbolic Technical

Writt
en

CONVENTIONS
CONVENTIONS
- are accepted ways of
using media codes
- what one expects to
see in a certain genre

https://media.codes/media-codes-and-conventions-c03423c06aa8
FORM CONVENTIONS
-certain ways we expect types of
media codes to be arranged

e.g. title of film at the beginning

masthead in newspaper
STORY CONVENTIONS
-common narrative structure and
understanding that are common in
story telling media products
• Narrative structure
• Cause and effect
• Point of view
• Character construction
GENRE CONVENTIONS
- point to the common use of
tropes, characters, settings, or
themes in a particular type of
medium
https://www.slideshare.net/arnielping/mil-mass-media-and-media-effects
https://www.slideshare.net/arnielping/mil-media-and-information-languages-
genre-codes-and-conventions

http://media-studies.tki.org.nz/Teaching-media-studies/Media-concepts/Codes-and-
conventions
https://ucsd.libguides.com/CAT1/sources

http://guides.library.uwm.edu/infolit/module2

http://libguides.merrimack.edu/research_help/Sources

http://www.widener.edu/about/campus_resources/wolfgram_library/documents/1_4_
Types%20of%20Sources.pdf

https://www.library.illinois.edu/hpnl/tutorials/
primary-sources/
https://www.slideshare.net/miatignor/types-of-sources-28466319

https://www.pcc.edu/library/scripts/know-
your-sources/index.html
http://unesco.mil-for-teachers.unaoc.org/modules/module-4/

http://www.scriptmag.com/features/craft-
features/what-is-story-story-types-plot-types-
themes-genres

https://media.codes/media-codes-and-
conventions-c03423c06aa8

https://www.academia.edu/5185081/Codes_a
nd_conventions_in_Media