1. 1. I looked into the history of genre and how society and the events in the world effects the popularity of these genres. Website 1 and Website 2 are both websites I have used to look at this. From these two websites I've found the genre popularity moves with the times, during the Great Depression people used cinema as an escape from reality and the the science fiction genre gained pace such as the Flash Gordon series, the futuristic films allowed audiences to ignore the turmoil of reality. Also I looked into why science fiction films, in particular the sub- genre of 'superhero' [comic book adaptations] have become so popular is recent years. After looking at this article [website 3], I've noticed that the development of technology has greatly affected the genre, with improved special and visual effects, these films have become more captivating and make a unrealistic reality become believable and the conventions of the genre, that of gadgetry props and alien settings have been enhanced in the recent years. This also related to 3D being used in films, with the majority of Hollywood blockbusters having a 3D viewing option seemingly to get more money. 1. http://www.tc.umn.edu/~rbeach/teachingmedia/module7/5.htm 2. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/hollywood_great_depression.cfm 3. http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/aug/31/marvel-superheroes-true-believers How genre changes with the times Social and technological
2. 2. Sub-Genres/Hybrids http://www.filmsite.org/subgenres2.html Sub-genres are sub-classes with main film genres, examples are below. These sub-genres centre around specific subject within the main genre, examples of this is comic book films such as the X-Men or Iron Man films Dystopia End of World Fairy Tales Fantasy Films Superhero Anime Time/Space travel Gothic Comedy Zombies, werewolves Psychological Ghosts Paranormal Slashers Hybrid genres is one with a mixture of themes and conventions of multiple genres, examples are below. Action comedy [Actions and Comedy] Example Rush Hour Horror-comedy [Horror and Comedy] Example Evil Dead series Science Fantasy [Science Fiction and Fantasy] Example The Terminator series Dark Fantasy [Horror and Fantasy Example Pan's Labyrinth