Film/Genre written by Rick Altman (British Film Institute BFI Publishing, 1999)

Written notes:

*Genre is usually seen as a device.

*Dudley Andres puts it in Concepts in Film Theory 1984, genres serve a precise function in the overall economy of cinema.

*Genre has a multiple meanings:
genre as 'blueprint' as a formula that precedes, programmes and patterns industry production
genre as 'structure' as the formula framework on which individual films are founded
genre as 'label' as the name of a category central to the decisions and communications of distributors and exhibitors
genre as 'contract' as the viewing position required by each genre film of its audience

*people go to genre films to participate in events that somehow seem familiar. they may be looking for strong emotions, exciting scenes, novel situations and fresh dialogue.

*'Name brands', the more expensive products are trademarketed; they are presented in containers displaying distinctive printing and copyrighted designs.Just an idetifying a name and its list of contents.

*when one genre film has been exploited, the producer is faced once again with the necessity to create an audience based solely on audience fidelity to a particular genre. if the exhibitor situation highlights genre, then this may be an acceptable strategy, but even then the producer must compete on equal grouns with all other producers of genre films.

*a studio automatically develops a pre-sold audience for the next film featuring the same in-house star, character or look. instead of starting over again, publicity for the next film need only to point to its continuity with the previous film in order to assure a strong audience.

*disadvantage: most people a hollywood studio as operating like a factory: from a set of standardized molds the studio produces recognizably similar films, labels them according to their similarity and sells them under that label as long as the market subsists.