01b
Genre refers to the category or style of a film. The genre of a film can be easily defined by the generic conventions that occur within the film(s).
 These conventions can be related to the editing, lighting, sound, visual and narrative.Â
For example some generic conventions of kids films include, bright colour schemes and simple narrative and characters that children can easily relate to.
I compared the conventions of two different genres after viewing the opening few minutes. I analysed The Orphanage, a horror film and This is Spinal Tap, a rockumentary.
The Orphanage uses music, editing and lighting to convey an atmosphere, for instance, the techniques used let the audience know what sinister connotations something may carry; the opening scene at the orphanage is seemingly innocent until the telephone conversation, sound is used here to suggest some significance and sinister implication. There were several instances like this where sound and music were used to build tension. In terms of narrative there were certain tropes that are common in horror films that were evidenced here. The vulnerable protagonist (child) and the arrival of a stranger who pushes the plot forwards and introduces some conflict are two notable conventions of horror films which were present here. Also the old building and past events feeding into what is happening now is common with ghost stories/the horror genre.Â
in This is Spinal Tap the editing, lighting, sound and narrative is used in order to mimic a documentary. Examples of this include the usage of handheld camera, the spontaneous feel of the narrative and the combination of archive footage, interviews and fly on the wall footage. The film portrays an exaggerated view of the music industry in a comedic, satirical way. Another observation i made on the opening few minutes of the film was the use of diegetic sound, i assume this is to further the documentary feel. In terms of how the film conveys comedy, one observation i made was the use of reaction shot, for example when the band members are being interviewed and are discussing the death of former band members in a comedic scene, we cut back to a close up of the directors reaction to emphasise the comedy from this awkward situation. There are also similar scenes where the camera lingers on the band members after they’ve spoken in order to see their reaction which adds to the comedic effect of the preceding line or action. The use of reaction shot is one that is common with comedy and mockumentaries such as The office.
