Genre Theory

• The main theory of genre theory is that everybody uses it and understands it-media expertise use it to study media text.
• The potential for the same concept to be understood by products audience and scholars makes a useful critical tool is accessibly as a concept also means that it can be applied across a wide range of both.    

Daniel Chandler (2001) 

This term is widely used in rhetoric literally theory, media theory to refer to a distinctive type of text. 

Genre is a critical tool that helps us study texts and audience.

This means that they are dived up into more specific categories that allow audience to identify them especially characteristics (Barry Keith Grant 1995)
However, Steve Neal (1995) stresses that "genres are not "Systems" they are process of systematization" i.e they are dynamic are evolve over time.


Genre are 'dynamic'
                 Genre reflects the era that there made in ideology of the society.

Genre Development Transformation

Christian Metz in his book language and Cinema (1974)  he argued that genres go through a typical cycle of changes during the life time.

• Experimental stage
• Classic Stage
• Parody Stage
• Deconstruction Stage

• Music Video- medium with many sub-genres/post modern styles
• Music is a medium intended to appeal directly to youth subcultures by reinforcing generic elements of musical genres 
• They are called pop-promos as they are used to promote a band or artist-music videos are post modern texts whose purpose is to promote a star persona (1975) 
•  They don't have to be literal representatives of the song or lyrics.

Post-modernism- label and name given to a historical era and culture. Post-modernism is the label that they've given the era as where living in now.

Green Day- Basket Case- In the term of genre there is narrative and performance and some that combine o both e.e Buddy Hall. 

Other include themes which may fit around the lyrics of the song or society. 

This is a medium known for being experimental and conversational.

The generic convention stay the same but the style (The look of something) changes between music genres. 

David Boardwell 'Any theme in any genre (1989)' 

Horror Films: For example are basically just modern fairy tales an often act as morality plays in people who break society rules punished.  

Fear of the unknown: The master is the monsters other i.e anything that is scary because it is foriegn or different 

Sex=Death: In horror movies- especially slasher movies; sex is immoral and must be punished, werewolf movies can be seen a a metaphor for puberty, vampires can be seen as metaphors for sexually transmitted diseases or rape etc.

The breakdown of society: Past-apocalyptic movie are about our fear (or secret desire for) of the breakdown of society. The collapse of circulation result in human kind reverting to their animal instinct

The duality of man/personal journey: The conflict between mans civilized side and his savage, primal instincts e.g hide. 

Segregation and alien action: Two opposing culture or beings going through a struggle two survive. As there are no standard themes or short movies depending on their audience they offer their own themes. 

• Some music videos do have themes for more youthful audiences such as;
• Teen angst
•  Rebellion- Conformity verses non-conformity 
• Romance
• Sex/loosing your virginity
• Nostalgic -for the innocence of youth
• Nihilism- the belief that there is no future.
• Coming of age rituals (e.g falling in love, loosing your virginity etc.)
• Tribalism- Popularity verses unpopularity e.g cliques
• Bullying

Juvenile Delinquency: Moral panics and the teenager as a folk devil.

The currency of cool.

Hedonism- Living purely for pleasure

Friendship

Other themes for music videos;

• War
• Crime
• Poverty 
• Capitalism and Racism

• Genres are not always fixed they can easily change and evolve over time
• David Buckingham (1993) argues that 'genre is not simply given' by the culture