Section 1B

Genre - Key Ideas:

Gunther Kress: Genre is “a kind of text that derives its form from the
structure of a (frequently repeated) social occasion, with its characteristic
participants and their purposes.” Consider the frequently repeated
characteristics of the genre that you have used.
Denis McQuall: “The genre may be considered as a practical device for
helping any mass medium to produce consistently and efficiently and to relate its
production to the expectations of its customers.” suggests genre is a rule book
that makes it easy for a producer (you) to produce a product that audiences will
accept.
Christine Gledhill: “Differences between genres meant different audiences
could be identified and catered to... This made it easier to standardise and stabilise
production” Genre is a way of making sure all audiences have something they
feel connected to – very important amongst music fans / subcultures.
Katie Wales: “Genre is... an intertextual concept” All genres exist because
they borrow styles and motifs from similar texts – look for examples of how
your video takes interetual references from other tests of the same genre.
Christian Metz/Thomas Schatz: stages of genres: experimental/
Classic/ parody/ Deconstruction. suggests how genres evolve – consider what
stage yours is in.
David Buckingham: “Genre is not simply given by the culture, rather, it is
in a constant process of negotiation and change.” Consider if your video suggests
a change in the music video genre or supports past examples.
Andrew Goodwin: Look to his ideas of the six characteristics of music
video genre and how useful they are in analysing your work.
John Hartley: argues that ‘genres are agents of ideological closure - they limit
the meaning-potential of a given text’ Genres limit how we ‘read’ a text.