By Laura Coleman, Molly Douglas and Emma Reeve

GENRE Film Genres are various types of categories of films that are recurring and have similar conventions. Films of the same genres usually use the same type of setting, props, plot, style etc.

Here are a few examples of different types of film genres: CHICK FLICK

In action films the story is mainly told through physical action such as fighting opposed to dialogue. Action films can usually be recognised by there use of techniques and props. Most action films include explosions, guns, fighting sequences, a villain and a hero.

Horror films try to elicit the emotion/fear and horror from the viewers. Plots of horror films usually include death, violence, supernatural or mental illness. Majority of films use only one main villain, against a group of people. Horror films used to based around old films such as Jekyll and Hyde, Dracula, Frankenstein etc.

CHICK FLICK Chick flick is designed to appeal to a female target audience. It is typically used only in reference to films that contain emotion or relationship-based themes, both romantic and non-romantic. Several chick flicks have been patterned after fairy tales, Shakespeare and novels. Examples of this are A Cinderella story, pretty woman, she's the man the princess diaries, little women etc.

Theory's Nowadays, films are routinely classified as 'thrillers', 'westerns' and so on - genres with which every adult in modern society is familiar, as are television genres such as 'game shows' and 'sitcoms'. Whilst we have names for countless genres in many media, some theorists have argued that there are also many genres and sub- genres for which we have no names. Carolyn Miller suggests that 'the number of genres in any society... depends on the complexity and diversity of society'. One theorist's genre may be another's sub-genre or even super- genre (and indeed what is technique, style to one may be treated as a genre by another). Themes, at least, seem inadequate as a basis for defining genres since, as David Bordwell notes, 'any theme may appear in any genre'