GENRE INTRODUCTION

 GENRE.

-- WHAT IS GENRE? HOW AND WHY IS IT USED? --

Genre is a way of categorising a media product based upon its content and specific conventions; in regard to marketing, genre enables a deeper understanding of an institution's audience and an indication as to who they are in order to sell the piece well whilst also indicating what conventions should be present regarding the production of something. From a viewer's perspective, it allows an individual to identify what they like and to create expectations related to emotions provoked and the narrative.

-- THE 3 TYPES OF GENRE --

GENRE - the most broad and main way of categorising a film (e.g. romance: Call Me By Your Name).

A way of categorising a media product based upon its content and specific conventions. 

SUB-GENRE - a category with a category (e.g. raunchy comedy: We're the Millers).

This type of genre is beneficial when an individual likes a certain type of sub-genre (for example, they enjoy horror but only psychological horror), both helping the viewer to easily establish what they want to watch and helping an institution choose what conventions to put in their piece to meet these needs.

HYBRID GENRE - two or more main genres (e.g Kill Bill: martial arts/action/spaghetti western/mystery). 

This type of genre is beneficial regarding being appealing to a variety of different audiences as there is an element of different genres fused together (something for everyone) - a hybrid also does not follow a stereotypical narrative, leading to something unpredictable and 'fresh'.