Genre | portfolio

A genre is a motion picture category, based on similarities in either the narrative elements or the emotional response to the film. There are a variety of genres, such as: romance, rom-com, comedy, horror, thriller, action, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, drama, nior, musical and many more. Movies can also be sub-genres of a genre. For example, some horror sub-genres are: slasher, action, comedy, gothic, sci-fi, zombie, monster etc.

‘Finding Neverland’ - Drama

Films that are categorized under the drama genre have several main points that can be recognized in all of them:

One is if the narratives are of serious representations of life. This makes the movie stereotypical of the genre because it is based on true events of how the author J.M. Barrie wrote the play for ‘Peter Pan’, and therefore placing it in the real world and real life situations.

Another is that dramas do not include fantasy in the plot. ‘Finding Neverland’ doesn’t actually involve fantasy in the narrative, again showing it’s of the drama genre, but however is about imagining a fantasy world, and keeping that child-like part about yourself as you grow-up. Therefore slightly breaking the rules of the drama genre, making this aspect of it non-stereotypical.

The genre shows emotions and events at their true height – at their best and worst. ‘Finding Neverland’ really pulls on the heart strings from the beginning to the end. When James Barrie’s play was a failure at the opening night, and he had thought all hope was lost when he had nothing else in the beginning, to his wife leaving him in the middle, to when the mother of the family he had befriended – in which was also his inspiration – was dying at the end. This again shows the stereotypical events of the drama genre.

The plot of a drama also includes a protagonist which is easy to relate to. In this case one of them is Johnny Depp as J.M. Barrie, as he helps a family in need of a friend, encourages their imagination and to keep living like a child – carefree, hopefully and constantly dreaming of magical places. This is relatable as the audience and Johnny Depp’s character wish to hold on to the child within us that is dreaming as we grow older. It is also Freddie Highmore’s character ‘Peter’, as he is a child trying to grow up too quickly and understand the adult world, this is again relatable because as children we all wanted to grow up and be older, and treated like actual people by adults.

They involve some form of journey. In this movie it is an emotional and mental journey, of the love between James and the family, as he urges them to always keep believeing as they grow. The love is ever evolving throughout the movie and peaks at the end. Barrie learns what is right for him to allow himself to grow emotionally but also keep his beloved state of mind as he shares and inspires the Davies family also helping them the grow emotionally and evolve mentally.

They involve a plot twist and/or have a complex plot. The plot twist in ‘Finding Neverland’ is that the happy scenes turn dark and sad as the mother grows ill and is slowly dying. Again stereotypical of the genre as the movie is about the imagination of a child and keeping that mind-set, and childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies. Therefore the twist where the mother suffers until her death, which is forced into their lives, breaks the plot.

The protagonist has to be particularly unstable/ vulnerable. In the beginning James Barrie is portrayed as a failure because his play doesn’t do so well at the start of the film, and as it progresses his marriage falls apart even more than what we have seen in the movie, until they divorce. Also he falls in love with the mother and the Davies family, in which he ends up adopting as she dies in the end. This makes James the typical drama protagonist as he is emotionally and mentally unstable due to such events.

The protagonist also has to face a hard decision. James faces many as he spend so much time with the Davies family, which risks his marriage and social image, as the public start to talk about a married man spending so much time with a single mother and her children, what exactly he gets up to. His wife then decides that its either herself of the Davies family, James risks it all for them. Also with his career, where he decides to write a play about fairies and a magical etc. he has to persuade everyone to see it through the child in themselves.

‘Romeo + Juliet’ – Romance

The narrative of the romance genre follows a conventional ‘boy meets girl’ set up, which consists of the main male character meeting the main female character and them eventually falling in love. There have been many takes on Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, and it is the original ‘boy meets girl’ set up. Romeo is persuaded to go to a fancy dress party at the Capulet's house, he sees Juliet instantly falls in love with her, and Juliet instantly falls in love with Rome when she first sees him.

Often the narrative will involve some sort of disequilibrium which forces the characters to break up or separated. This makes the film stereotypical of the romance genre as it occurs multiple time. The first when they realise they are in opposite households of family feuds so are conflicted and are forced to keep their love for each other a secret. Second is when Romeo is banished from Fair Verona for killing Tybalt, both lovers believe that they will never see each other again. Lastly by death, as by marriage death does part them one last time, although non-stereotypically as they are physically together.

There are two possible endings to the romance genre. The first is the ‘happily ever after’, where the love interests are reunited and live the rest of their lives together, and this is therefore the equilibrium. The second ending is where the love interests don’t get back together, often this is due to one of them dying. In ‘Romeo + Juliet’ it has both typical – slightly twisted – and non-stereotypical endings combined. They are reunited in the ending, but there is no ‘happily ever after’, they were separated by death but in death they shall stay together, like how they died together. This tragedy is what makes the movie non-stereotypically a romance genre, but also what makes it original and unlike any other.

An antagonist is usually included in romance films too, they play a part in trying to break up the main love interests in some way. Because of their secret love, the antagonists, unknowingly, are keeping them apart, this aspect of it makes it slightly non-stereotypical of the genre. Overall the antagonists are the families, as the feud between them mean that they are forbidden to be together. The single antagonist is Tybalt, as he has a strong hate towards the Montagues, Romeo in particular. He tries to keep Romeo away from his family and also tries to kill him.

Often in the romance genre the main characters will be teenagers/ young adults. The characters ‘Romeo’ and ‘Juliet’ have always been written and portrayed as being very young, yet again showing the stereotypical aspects of the genre.

‘Legend’ – Crime

The narrative of the genre focuses on the lives of the main criminals. Legend follows the conventions of the crime genre as it is about the lives of the Kray twins – Ronnie and Reggie – in their gangster days terrorizing London in the 1960’s.

The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realist portrayals of the real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Again the movie is stereotypical of the genre as it is a biography of the Kray twins and the actual events that occurred.

A code and convention of the crime genre is, the consumption of alcohol and illegal substances. As it is a gangster movie and the life of the Kray twins, there is constant drinking and taking drugs throughout the movie. A lot of the scenes happen in pubs.

The use of weapons such as guns and knives. Weapons are constantly used and seen throughout the movie, as there are a lot of murders, people being threatened and beaten up. Making this a typical crime genre movie.

Police attempting to arrest/ intimidate the protagonist. The protagonist in this movie is Francis Shea, she has is the voiceover throughout the movie and the one telling the audience the story of the Kray twins. She is typical the protagonist aspect as she is constantly followed by the police whenever she is with Reggie, which intimidates her as they are to arrest him if something happens. The Kray twins can also be seen as the protagonists – non-stereotypically – as you see their loving and caring sides. The Krays are followed by the police/detectives throughout the movie, however it is them who intimidate the police again making it non-stereotypical.

The main protagonist is usually a male character who has had a hard upbringing. This makes it stereotypical as the main character in Legend is Reggie Kray, although he is the unconventional protagonist. He is also typical that he had a hard upbringing in the East-end, because of the environment, and also having to look after Ronnie, because of his mental problems, and dealing with the consequences of his unstoppable actions.