What is Genre?

For authentic understanding of genre, Britannica defines Genre as “a distinctive type or category of literary composition, such as the epic, tragedy, comedy, novel, and short story.” Specifically in the context of Media and Film genre is a classification of screen play based on its themes, style, tone, and narrative elements which helps the audience to identify what type of story they should expect from a particular film or media content. For example romantic,horror, comedy etc.

What is the significance of genre in organizing the films for Filmmakers and Audiences?

Genre is significant for three types of people. The filmmakers, Distributors and the audience. For writers, directors and producers genre is the core idea of the story around which a story should be written and produced. Genre helps in categorizing the films in groups for streaming platforms and cinemas to market them according to the trends and interest for every genre in the society. And for the audience it guides them to watch content of their interest easily. It also helps for comparing the film with same genre products in the market. 

How Does Genre Influence Style, Narrative, and Characters?

Style includes visual choices like lighting, camera work etc. For every genre there is a separate environment that has to be created to give the vie of that genre on which film is being made. For example the vibe of a horror film will be driven by dark tones, high contrasts and sudden camera movements. Likewise for a romantic genre more of a warm and bright visuals will be used to create a romantic vibe. For Narrative building, plots are set up to promote or challenge the related ideology like an action film would include violence, fights and destruction, maybe promoting gangster culture. Genres also influence the characters in a film. A rom com film will have emotional and sensitive characters while an adventure film would have intelligent, courageous characters. 

What is a Sub-Genre?

A sub-genre is a more specific classification of a broader film genre, pointing out unique themes, styles, settings, or narrative elements from other works in the same genre. While the broader genre provides an overall framework like horror, comedy, or romance. The sub-genre narrows it down, creating a more specific description of the film’s tone and content. For example, romantic comedy is a sub-genre of both romance and comedy. Sub-genres help further classify films by highlighting particular characteristics that appeal to targeted audiences, making it easier for viewers to find exactly the type of story they want. Which allows filmmakers to join conventions creatively while still working within a broader genre, which helps in easy marketing, audience expectations, and storytelling focus.

Types of Genre?

1.  Action: Action films are fast paced. It usually is done through short scenes and time jumps. Physical risky stunts, fights, ammunition and violence is used in order to give a chaotic vibe. The action stories revolve around heroism, struggle for survival and justice or taking revenge. It includes impactful short scenes through focus on deep visuals rather than lengthy dialogues. For example Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).

2. Comedy: A comedy film will have humor filled tone, exaggerative dialogues and situations with funny misunderstandings keeping the overall environment lighter and playful. The story line will revolve around love, friendship, human life philosophy and social aspects. For example The Hangover (2009).

3. Drama: Drama is of slower pace which is set into a realistic environment where complex and typical characters are formed with emotionally intense situations. Drama uses a serious tone to portrait reflection and empathy. The story revolves around relationships, morality, family conflicts and life motivations. It has variation of characters with all having their own stories. It deeply focuses on character development. For example The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

4. Horror: The horror genre is set through Dark and haunted set ups. Focuses on tension-building, where music has a significant role in adding scariness in the scenes. The story revolves around supernatural activities and human conflicts with odd identities. It uses suspense, jump scares and fearful imagery to keep the audience on edge throughout the film. For example The Conjuring (2013)

5. Romance: It features love interests and emotional ups and downs. A romance genre film revolves around a love story of a couple where their struggle and sacrifices are shown for each other. Emotional and physical attachments are core elements of a romance genre. A story that pours self discovery and conquering of love and sometimes a bitter truth angle of love is shown. 

6. Science-Fiction (sci-Fi): Science fiction films feature modern technology, space, futuristic set up and revolutionary discoveries. The story depicts a future time or can be based on a true story of a famous innovation from a famous scientist from history. It may include phenomena which seem impossible in current time, raising “what if’s” in science. For example “Open Hiemer” 

7. Thriller: It is closer to the action genre. Featuring suspense, high tension, plot twists. The story in the thriller genre will revolve around betrayal, hidden truths. It is a fast paced genre hooking audience through timed reveals and cliff hangers. For example Gone Girl (2014).

Codes & Conventions

In film, Codes and conventions are particles that shape a genre. Codes are technical features that mainly consist of camera work, lighting, sound and editing of a film, while the conventions are a framework of storytelling which consist of narrative elements, themes and characters of a film. The audience expects to see certain codes and conventions in a particular genre. 

Codes such as low lighting, eerie music, and sudden close up depicts a horror genre and a lone character surviving against an antagonist will be a convention element for a horror genre. Similarly in a comedy genre audience will expect to see codes such as bright colors and light mood while a humouristic character and situations creating funny misunderstanding will be the conventions audience would be expecting from a comedy genre. 

In Filmmaking such narrative elements and code combinations plays a role in setting up the mood of the film which filmmakers use to communicate the genre clearly to the audience and so the audience will know what emotional and thematic experience is to be expected even before the story unfolds. 

My chosen Genre.

My film would consist of two genres which are Speculative History & Magical Realism. As addressing the Pakistani audience I wanted to create a film most relevant to my audience but as well as something different from traditional drama genres of Pakistani cinema. The colonial history of the subcontinent, I found something which triggers the audience in Pakistan as they are the cause of most social and political issues. However, to a certain extent, it is catered in local cinema, blaming the colonization and shadowing its after effects in a dramatic tone. By choosing speculative history I can construct the topic around different individualistic perspectives and Magical realism would add a fantastical attraction and help to destabilize the narrative. The film is to target mostly young local audiences to present them an already existing debate in a new angle. Knowing that young audience which is a post modern audience the film will fascinate them if it rejects a meta narrative.  

In order to make the story more appealing to the audience, specific codes and conventions are to be used of the genre. In history and magic the use of emotional depth and non-linear timeline is very crucial which mainly drives the narrative of the film. Being specific to speculative history in the post modern media it is felt not taught. It used a historical anchor without explanation of the history but the real event exists in the background and it assumes that the audience is well aware about the event so it focuses on how it is felt rather than what it is. The magical realism focus on 

‘what if’s” of the story without any mechanics. The speculation occurs not by any rules but choices and moral decisions. Also the magical realism’s major convention is that it treats extraordinary as ordinary. Portraying magic as calm not spectacular. The genre treats the characters as metaphors. For example showing a future self or a character that reflects guilt or any other emotion, adding emotional depth to individualistic perspective in the films of these genres. As similar to other genres it uses visual codes like recurring objects in the film shows that objects carry the history. Then it includes the color palettes which are, in this genre mostly Browns, greys, washed greens. And oranges red or black and white for occasional moments of the film. Showing history as memory or imaginary. The best acknowledged color grade of history is Oppenheimer, it adds to the feel of historical events. Then comes the codes of sound and music. Using Diegetic Sound Over Score, for example use of clear or prominent foot steps sound or wind sound. Also as a post modern form it creates Anachronistic Sound, mixing traditional and modern tones to let the audience feel the blending of past with present narrative. 

Technical elements in drama are used to show inner turmoil and emotional depth of the character for which low-key lighting, high contrast and bluish or grayish tone should be used to create a depressive and tense mood. For camera work extreme close ups of eyes to emphasize on emotions. Canted angles are used to show unstable mental conditions. Characters’ emotions and beliefs towards magic and fictional conditions are very important in magical realism so POV shots are used to put the audience in the character’s shoes. Technical codes of editing also play an important role like non-liner timelines that depict fractures state of mind while long takes are used to keep the audience engaged in uncomfortable moments which creates the value of unrest in the story and force them to think creatively.  

The setting of speculative history often takes place in locations which depict leftover history like ruins of forts, courtyards, and old libraries, which are usually not part of the daily life of the present world. The magical realism is set in places which are liminal or in-between spaces mostly just imaginary for an ordinary human. As the film “Palimpsest”is mixing both scenarios and it focuses on creating relevance to the audience so breaking the presupposition of the audience to see the story happening in these locations, instead I chose the location of a normal society park and a personal study room. This  will help to reach the realism of magic as the extraordinary will enter the ordinary quietly. 

The characters of a history and magic genre are supposed to be philosophically intelligent and far-sighted. Which creates meaning that history is an interest but I wish to show the history as part of every ordinary person. The “Palimpsest” will show magic as realism and so it happens not only to any uncommon man but to a common man as well. The genre often shows one clear protagonist and one clear antagonist. But in my film I will choose one ordinary character and one extraordinary character to create the conflict between many perspectives on history and magic.  Not showing a clear hero or villain between these two characters will leave the decision to the audience to decide who was protagonist and who was antagonist.

Films of Speculative history and Magical Realism genre.

Hearing of Magic, mostly we get Harry potter and stories of fairy tail princesses in our minds. But there is a difference in showing Magic as powers and showing magic as reality. This is what magical realism is about, and with speculative history, it can be understood as showing magic as reality with altered historical events. 

The best reference for speculative history is Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Oppenheimer (2023) . In Oppenheimer history is speculated by creating imaginary conversations and scenarios which retell the history with motions and memory instead of recording facts. While Inglourious Basterds speculate the history with “what if” scenarios, how the history could have unfolded differently.  For Magical realism the best reference is of Russian Ark (2006), which shows time travelling as a reality with no explanation. In such films the focus is not on how this impossible event occurred, rather it is assumed as the reality of the story which just occurred magically.