8/17/2019 Genre Theory for A2 Media Blog

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Genre Theory The application of genre theory, to a music video, is crucial to the internal

creation and development of atmosphere and thematic validity, as it helps

us understand and evaluate the signicance of genre codes and

conventions in proving the video with a sense of gravitas.

Musings on the relation of genre to media…

• Roland Barthes (1970)

o “Engima Codes” - Hermeneutic Code the voice of the truth!

"roairetic Code empirical voice! #emic Code the voice of theperson! #ym$olic Code the voice of sym$ols! %eferential Code

• Andrew Tudor (197)

o “& genre'denes a moral and social world” ( This element

re)ects the signicance of our own internal emotional

atmospheres, within our video! the dichotomy $etween

happiness, sadness and the realm in-$etween. *urthermore,

this thesis is re)ected through the morality and social

signicance of our main character+s point of view.

o “Empiricist ilemma” ( “To tae a genre such as the western,

analyse it, and list its principal characteristics, is to $eg the

/uestion that we must rst isolate the $ody of lms which are

westerns. 0ut they can only $e isolated on the $asis of the

principal characteristics which can only $e discovered from

the lms themselves after they have $een isolated.”

o “1enre is what we collectively $elieve it to $e 2though this

$egs the /uestion a$out who we are3.

o “*irst, in that innovations are added to an e4istent corpus

rather than replacing redundant elements, it is cumulative.#econd, in that these innovations must $e $asically consistentwith what is already present, it is conservative. Third, in thatthese processes lead to the crystalli5ation of specialist su$-genres, it involves di6erentiation.”

8/17/2019 Genre Theory for A2 Media Blog

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8/17/2019 Genre Theory for A2 Media Blog

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•Barry eith Grant (199*)

o  “&ll genres have su$ genres! which means a genre within a

genre. This means that they can $e divided into more specic

and accurate categories when targeting an audience

specically when looing at a more niche audience and not

the masses.”

o “This allows audiences to identify genres $y their familiar

specics and what $ecomes recogni5a$le when looing at

characteristics. :usic videos t into a specic genre $y usingmany features in the video altered to t the niche audience

and specic characteristics that they want to see.”

• #i&holas A+er&rom+ie (199,)

o “:edia producers e4ploit the genre, reusing genres and

conventions”

o “The $oundaries $etween genres are shifting and $ecoming

more permea$le.”

•  -ason Mittell (.001)

o “1enres are cultural categories and industries use their genres

to sell products, using codes and conventions.”