Research for production - Observation into Burton's Genre Theory

In class we have been studying the topic of film genres and on how genres can be defined and identified in film trailers. To do this we looked at Burton's Genre Theory in which he claimed various different elements are what define a particular genre, these elements include:

• the use of protagonists and how they are portrayed
• stock characters and what they bring to a trailer
• plot/ stock situations and how a certain plot or situation says something about the genre of the film
• icons and how we can identify certain icons with certain genres i.e. a laser gun implying of a sci-fi genre
• setting and how it is used to imply of a certain theme or genre
• themes which are usually polar opposites i.e. good vs evil and also has ties with social issues

From the analysis of the five films I looked at in relation to Burton's Genre Theory I noticed various similarities between the five films that I looked at which as a result proves the validity of Burton's Genre Theory:

• In terms of protagonists most of the films actually focused on the image of the villains in each film, perhaps showing the deranged side human society. The burnt deformed image of Freddie Kruger, the hidden identity of Jason and the cannibalistic image of the villain in Curfew presents evil in the flesh in the form of these protagonists which most of the movies I looked at drew a great deal of focus on
• The Stock characters in all the films are mainly used as a representation of society as a whole. In Freddy vs. Jason we see the naivety of society presented through the behavior of the young adults in the movie which presents a theme of the social and moral decline of society. As well as this we see in 'Wrong turn' a group of people showcasing the bravery of humanity as they fight for their and everyone else's safety
• Most of the Icons used tend to be murder weapons or masks used for hiding a individuals identity. In 'Wrong Turn' the image of a axe with blood on it is used as a icon which suggests the genre of the film, this is also done in Curfew with the image of a knife with blood over it the murder weapons suggesting the genre of the film. This can also be said for the mask of Jason in Freddy vs. Jason and the mask of the villain in 'Scream', as the mask hides the identity of the killer more fear is instantly created as the threat is coming from a unknown quantity which links to societies general fear of the unknown
• The setting used in the films I looked at all were similar in the sense that they suggested danger even though some of the locations were completely different from each other. In Curfew the danger came from a domestic/ private sphere which highlights themes of danger within the home due to the downturn of society. However, in 'The Ring 2' the danger comes from various locations visited in everyday life like a domestic home, a school and a park. This implies that society is never really free from danger and that we face the threat of death wherever we go.
• The themes were all very similar in the sense that they all related with contemporary fears within society. For example in all of the movies the theme of the fear of the unknown was highlighted

Burton’s genre theory

View more presentations from jmoore16.