Film Genre

Genre films can be described colloquially by the typical phrase "I know them when I see them." Films of a particular genre are not identical, but they all have the same feel to them. There are a few reasons for that. They follow any number of conventions that are typical of the genre they can be categorized. The characters may be have certain distinguishable similarities, the setting may be basically the same, the conflicts play out in the same way and come from the same struggles, and the end, as Schatz says, unless otherwise noted, is predictable based on the genre.

The audience has certain expectations based on what is presented to them. If a film is set on the frontier, and the protagonist is John Wayne, the film is a Western and they already have a feeling of how the plot will develop. However, it is not accurate to say "if you've seen one Western, you've seen them all." Genre films abide by the same conventions, but that does not make them the same movie. The directors and crews of genre films can always play with these conventions to make the film different, if only slightly, from another film of the same genre. The inner conflicts and thematic struggles may be the same, the characters may be similar, and the setting can be identical, but the story can always be different. Based on what the audience is given, they will probably know or figure out quickly how the conflicts will be resolved and how the movie will end in general, if not exactly.

The basic idea is that genre films are very accessible. the values discussed in them are easily understood and displayed in obvious ways. An audience will always have a basic understanding of what is going on, and that enables the directors of genre films in a number of ways with the "range of expression" Schatz talks about. In this way, while a film may be typically Western or Horror or Gangster, the director can craft the film in such a way that the audience's idea of a genre film can change, if slightly. This way, over time, conventions may change, expectations may be altered, and the genre can take on new meanings. I think this is a progressive movement because in order to be considered a genre film, the film must represent the genre well, so you cannot set the movie at the OK Corral and then do nothing else that's identified as Western and still call it a Western.