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
