Well, this is a long overdue topic to discuss, but better late than never! Media is often categorized into different groups called genres. Genres are identified when a media displays a certain amount of conventions that match a particular genre. This follows Steve Neale’s genre theory, that media consists of repetition, and breaking of their typical genre conventions. People find the genres that they like by pointing out all the different genre conventions they enjoy the most. Once they know what genre they like, it become much simpler for them to search and find content they will enjoy since all they have to do is look out for that specific genre. Still, if every piece of content followed every typical genre convention perfectly, it would get boring since the media would all be identical. To prevent this, creators will often break genre conventions by doing the opposite of what is expected, or merge genres together to combine ideas and cater to fans of both.
So whats the genre of my short film, Kylie-Cat? I believe it falls under the category of a drama. Dramas in film are stories that focus on serious and realistic topics/conflicts. They usually take place in normal, realistic settings, and follow people you could see in your everyday life, like classmates or neighbors. Dramas are meant to capture these people through all their highs and lows as they work through a conflict or multiple conflicts. While in some genres, like action and fantasy, where these conflicts revolve around physical task, for example, fighting a villain or going on a quest, dramas focus more on internal and social conflict. This includes backlash from the environment around them, or a fight with their brain fully on the inside. The main characters will often grow emotionally through the course of the film, which is what will allow them to overcome their metaphorical battle.
For these reasons, I believe Kylie-Cat is a drama. Kylie is simply a girl with ASD that struggles with her sense of identity. She’s an average teenage girl that someone could pass on the street or sit next to in class without even knowing, which are the type of people dramas focus on. My short film also focuses on both upsetting parts of how Kylie lives, like her freak out at the mall, as well as the pieces she enjoys, like making friends with Charlotte and being able to be vulnerable eventually. The conflict is one completely internal, no quest or physical fight to be won, just Kylie struggling with her own mind. Dramas also focus more on feelings rather than action, relying on emotionally drawn narratives in comparison to flashy effects, which better matches my short-film’s themes of identity and masking.
With better knowledge of my genre, I can have an easier time creating content for my two minor projects. When it comes to images on both my Instagram and post card, I can focus on shooting ones that invoke emotion in people, since that is what the drama genre is all about. I can also create a film festival that centers around drama works, since in theory, it would be better for exposure, as I’d be showing off my content to people who already came to see that specific kind of work.
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