Jocelyn's Media Studies Blog: Research - Genre and Subgenre Research for Film Opening

Me and my group decided on 2 subgenres from each genre (Teen, Romance, and Horror) to research to decide which subgenre we want our film opening to be. Here is the information I have found:

Teen, Coming of Age

The coming-of-age teen movie subgenre is focused on a teen protagonist that transitions from childhood to adulthood. These movies are often whimsical and lighthearted. They, though depending on the other genres it is in, are set at times that are influential in a child's life like first relationship, middle school/high school graduation, and moving away. Characters realize their future and demonstrate mental, emotional, and personal maturity. Coming of age teen movies often have more dialogue and stillness in scenes than other movies where there are dramatic actions and events. These films also address issues in society (poverty, racial discrimination, gender inequality, etc.) and problems teens face (mental health, social pressure, academic stress, etc.). This subgenre often has themes like identity crises, teenage fun, self-discovery, a "misfit" character, and first love.

Teen, Comedy

The teen comedy subgenre features character archetypes like the "Mean Girls/Popular Girls", "The Jock/ The Jock who would rather do other things", "The Stoner", and "The Loser that wants to be popular" who is usually one of the main characters. Common protagonists are a "nerd" that is about to go on a journey of personal-development, a rude or selfish person that will get a redemption arc, an outsider/a group of outsiders that will gain a new status in the world, or a lonely person that is about connect or reconnect with a person. A types of comedy that can be found in teen comedy movies are banter/witty dialogue, slapstick (exaggerated and physical comedy), missing the point/ a character not misunderstanding something another character said, hypocritical humour/ saying one thing and immediately doing the opposite, cross talk/ two characters thinking they are talking about the same thing but they aren't, and ironic echo/ repeating a line from earlier in the scene to make a character's actions comedic. Teen comedy movies have the same themes (trying to fit in, experiencing first love, issues with parents, rebellion, and feeling isolated or different than your peers) and conventions (puberty, parties, high school, underage drinking/illegal substances, social groups/cliques, peer pressure, and popular culture) of a teen movie, but with the conventions and humor techniques of a comedy movie.

Romance, Comedy

Romantic comedies are focused and depend on the development of a romantic relationship while including comedic elements. Tropes often used in romantic comedies are "the meet-cute", enemies to lovers, fake relationship/dating, opposites attract, the grand gesture, the best friend of one of the main characters that is supposed to be the comedic relief, an ex of one of the love interests that shows up randomly, concerned parents of the love interest/s, the makeover sequence, workplace romance/ coworkers as love interests, second-chance romance/characters that missed an opportunity for romance and are now getting a second chance, the love triangle, and the happy ending. Themes commonly found in romantic comedies are ideals that love conquers all; a romantic union/reunion between love interests is destined/fate, and "true love" always wins. Romantic comedies usually make scenes funny through awkward situations, physical comedy, witty dialogue, and situational irony; these scenes are used to reveal character personalities and give the audience more information about them. Romantic comedies often use sound (diegetic and non-diegetic) that is upbeat and happy before the conflict of the movie develops; the music reflects the mood in the scene at the time. Props are also used to reflect a character's personality or reveal a minor storyline of theirs.

Romance, Fantasy

The romance fantasy subgenre includes movies that are set in a fictional or magical universe with romantic elements. The fantasy elements in films in the romance fantasy subgenre often include a battle of good vs. evil, fantastical creatures, action, rebellion against society/social hierarchy, sacrifice. The romantic elements of romance fantasy are a central love story, that can include a variety of tropes, as the main plot and an emotionally satisfying ending for the audience. Romance fantasy films can feature any romance trope they wish, but there are some that are common and have become popular. These are enemies to lovers (as seen in Stardust (2007) with Tristan and Yvaine), forbidden love (seen in Avatar with the Na'vi and the humans), and true love's kiss (seen in Enchanted (2007)). The end of romance fantasy films is either Happily Ever After or Happy For Now if the producers are planning a sequel.

Horror, Supernatural

The horror supernatural subgenre, more often than not, features themes of ghosts, spirits, possession, demons, religious traditions, and evil/evil personified. Horror supernatural movies frequently have tense scenes with with fast music and piano or soft music to set the scene for the audience. Common settings in the horror supernatural subgenre are a suburban house/area and a isolated area (cabins, abandoned buildings, asylums, etc.). Films in this genre occasionally use hand held camera movement to give the scene a "realistic feel", scaring the audience more with the realization that the characters in the movie are ordinary people making them question their own safety. The horror supernatural subgenre uses the invasion of one's home, especially a new home, by supernatural forces as a storyline because the supernatural forces is an unwanted intrusion and it is difficult to uproot themselves or their family essentially they are stuck in their haunted house. Other common themes in supernatural horror are making the supernatural forces as a metaphor for deeper fears and internal issues and turning familiar, everyday elements into something scary. For example, Hereditary discussed themes of grief and loss while incorporating demonic cults and supernatural occurrences. There is also The Shining with the Overlook Hotel appearing as a normal, grand hotel but reveals the hotel's evil nature.

Horror, Thriller

The horror thriller subgenre build suspense and anxiety in their audience through horror elements. Technical elements can really impact the audience and make them feel the intended effect the film makers were going for. Common technical techniques are canted angles to confuse or disorient, long tracking shots to build tension, shallow focus to focus on subjet and blur background to make audience panic when they see something move in the background, and POV shots to reveal something a character is seeing. Horror thriller films usually stick to the same character archetypes as common horror films (hero/protagonist, antagonist/villain, careless teenagers that die first, creepy children, and authority figures like police). They also stick to the popular themes of horror movies such as good vs. evil, revenge, supernatural, and insanity. The thriller aspects of a horror thriller are the protagonist can either be after a truth/ has a specific goal or is trying to get away/escape from something and the tension being based on if the protagonist will get caught/ when they get caught.