Genre, sub-genres and hybrid genres

                                                                       GENRE

 Genre refers to any category of  forms of art or entertainment. In film theory, genre refers to the method based on similarities in the narrative elements from which films are constructed.Besides the basic distinction in genre between fiction and documentary, film genres can be categorized in several ways.

The setting is the environment where the story and action takes place. The theme or topic refers to the issues or concepts that the film revolves around. The mood is the emotional tone of the film. Format refers to the way the film was shot (e.g., anamorphic widescreen) or the manner of presentation (e.g.: 35 mm, 16 mm or 8 mm). An additional way of categorizing film genres is by the target audience.
For instance, 'Someone like it hot' is a typical comedy and its sub-genre is a comedy with songs.

As far as the genre of our opening sequence is concerned, the typical psychological thriller is 'Shutter Island'

                                                                   SUB-GENRE

Film genres often branch out into sub-genres, as in the case of the courtroom and trial-focused sub-genre of drama known as the legal drama. Sub-genre are identifiable sub-classes within the larger film genre, with their own distinctive subject matter, style, formulas and iconography.
 

                                                          HYBRID GENRES

Sub-genres can be combined to form hybrid genres, such as the melding of horror and comedy in the Evil Dead films.

An excellent example of a modern hybrid film is Pirates of the Caribbean. The film takes on a seriousness of the pirate life, while leaving room for comedy between battles. The film constructs an action and comedy duo.

The characters are busy living the rough, pirate lifestyle, but the film allows for accidental mishaps that lighten the seriousness of this lifestyle. The blending of action and comedy complete this films and allow it to be among the growing list of hybrid films. The audience is able to take this films for its bursts of action, as well as its comedic aspects.

                                       Marketing a film
When a new film is made, it has to be advertised like any other new product, to let people know it exists and to encourage them to go to the cinema to see it.
The advertising of a film is known as film promotion or film marketing and the people who are responsible for this are the distribution company, so–called because they distribute (give out) the films to the cinemas and distribute the promotional material around the country.

The way in which a film is promoted can have a huge effect on whether or not it is successful. Films are expensive to make and if the public do not buy tickets at the box office to see the film, a lot of money will be lost. The importance of genre, as well as the role it plays in film decides the audience, ratings and sometimes even the directors and producers. Genre has become a tool used to draw in particular groups based on its organizations of films. It has helped expand the world of film, because it directly points the audience where they want to go. 
     
                                                   Why is genre used

• Genre is important to film producers so they can categorize their film and sell to the right audience. If they don't know what genre their film falls into then they can't start the selling process.
• When they know what genre it is they can make sure the film follows the codes and conventions of that particular genre and make sure it is as appealing as possible to their target audience.

                              

                                                 GENRE CONVENTION

Genre conventions are all the little elements, from archetypal characters to repeating plot points, that separate one genre of fiction from another. Most genres have a set of very particular elements that readers or moviegoers expect, and artists often try to make sure their works include enough of these to keep the audience happy. Genre conventions tend to evolve over time as artists work to break out of the typical mold and create fresh new content. Sometimes people eventually get tired of certain genre conventions, at which point these conventions might even be labeled as cliché.

Essentially, genre conventions are the defining aspects of any genre or sub-genre. There are tons of these conventions for each genre, and any given work doesn't necessarily have to include more than a handful of them; if there aren't any at all, the work may not ultimately fall into the intended genre. For example, a horror movie without a few recognizable elements — things like monsters, creepy settings, isolation, or darkness — wouldn't necessarily be considered a "horror" film anymore by most fans and critics.

In many cases, genre conventions begin through repetition. A writer, moviemaker, or playwright will create a famous work that the public loves, and other artists will try create something similar. Over time, all the artists borrowing from the original writer will use certain elements again and again, to the point where they spread across the whole genre and become conventions. For example, Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" created a host of genre conventions about how vampire fiction should work, and many of these have persisted to this day in works like "Interview with a Vampire" by Anne Rice and "Salem's Lot" by Stephen King. These conventions have also continued into many famous vampire films over the years, and at this point, almost any vampire story will include at least a few ideas that go all the way back to Stoker's original novel.

Genre conventions also tend to evolve over time. As new artists provide their contributions to the genre, they will often experiment with new things, and their more popular works will lead to the creation of new conventions. Sometimes a work will be created that drastically changes a genre in one fell swoop by bringing in many new elements. For example, fantasy author Robert E. Howard's Conan character wasn't the first fantasy hero ever created, and fantasy fiction was already popular when the Conan stories were written, but the popularity and success of the character had a huge impact on the genre. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy had a similar impact on the fantasy genre later on, and more recently, works by writers like George R. R. Martin might have the potential to change the genre by bringing a new style and focus.