Main Genres Action Historical Adventure Horror Drama SciFi

Main Genres Action Historical Adventure Horror Drama Sci-Fi Comedy Silent Crime Musicals War Westerns

Silent Era 1896 -1927

Silent Era • By 1896 camera, film, stock, and projector (all of the tools necessary) had all been invented.

Silent Era • Novelty of film first drew viewers

Silent Era • Single shots of scenic views or simple action were the first movies

Silent Era • These films had no recorded sound, but were presented with live musical accompaniment.

Silent Era • After 1897 films began to tell stories.

Silent Era • Early films were shown in nickelodeons, small theaters that held about 200 people. • Many were recent immigrants, who used the films as an inexpensive way of learning about their new country and America’s culture.

Silent Era • One of the most famous of the early filmmakers was D. W. Griffith, who pioneered many filmmaking techniques in over 450 films. • He was one of the first to use all the techniques of making a film (all 3 aspects).

What is your understanding of the term “genre”, based on what you’ve learned in English?

What are some examples of different literature genres?

Film Genres • Various forms, classifications, or groups of films that are recurring, and have similar, or recognizable patterns, film techniques or conventions. They often include one or more of the following: settings, content, themes, period, plot, motifs, styles, structures, and characters.

Genres offer myriad combinations of a finite number of elements.

By the end of the silent era, many of the main genres were established: the melodrama, the western, the horror film, comedies, and action-adventure films

The genre of science-fiction films wasn't generally popularized until the 1950 s.

What are some potential problems that you could foresee with films following the typical characteristics associated with their genre?

One problem with genre films is that they can become stale, cliché-ridden, and overimitated. He was watching a typical genre film, and now look at him.

On the other hand, if the elements of a particular genre are well known, part of the pleasure comes from seeing how those basic elements will be treated this time around.

The Horror Genre

Horror Genre • Designed to frighten, panic and invoke our hidden, worst fears, while still captivating and entertaining us.

Horror Genre -Center on the dark side of life and deal with our most primal nature and its fears: our nightmares, our vulnerability, our alienation, our revulsions, our terror of the unknown, our fear of death and dismemberment, loss of identity, or fear of sexuality.

Horror Genre - Often combined with sci-fi

Horror Genre - Earliest were gothic in style meaning that they were usually set in spooky old mansions, castles, or fog-shrouded, dark and shadowy locales.

Horror Genre - Developed out of folk tales, witchcraft, fables, myths and ghost stories.