Genre, Auteur and Research Interview

Summary

In a spirited discussion, the concept of 'genre' in movies is dissected, illustrating how thematic and stylistic similarities classify films into categories like horror, action, and romance. The conversation delves into the intricacies of film conventions across genres and touches upon the auteur theory, which credits directors with a signature style. The dialogue also humorously critiques the French perspective on auteurism and debates the marketing role of genres. Interwoven are anecdotes about film conventions and inspirations drawn from workshops, adding color to the analysis.

Highlights

• Horror films often use isolated settings like cabins in the woods to enhance the eerie atmosphere. 🌲
• The 'final girl' is a prevalent character type in slasher films, symbolizing survival. 🏆
• Action movies frequently portray foreign villains—a nod to Hollywood's storytelling quirks. 🇺🇸
• Discussion reveals how 'The Magnificent Seven' mimics 'Seven Samurai,' showing genre cross-pollination. 🍿
• Debates about genre vs. auteur theory highlight complexities in film categorization and marketing strategies. 🎬

Key Takeaways

• Genres help categorize movies based on thematic and stylistic similarities. 🎬
• Horror movies frequently feature isolated locations to amplify fear. 👻
• A final girl is a common trope in slasher films. 🏃‍♀️
• Genres are not exclusive; movies often overlap multiple genres. 🎥
• Auteur theory credits directors with a distinctive style, but it's debated. 🎨

Overview

In this engaging conversation, the concept of genre in movies is dissected with fervor. The participants explore how movies are grouped into genres like horror, which often exhibits thematic elements like isolation in its setting, contributing to the tension and fear that define the genre. They discuss widely recognized conventions, such as the 'final girl' trope in horror films, and how different movies like 'Evil Dead' and 'Cabin in the Woods' leverage setting to enhance storytelling.

The interaction also critiques the auteur theory, a belief that singular directors imprint films with a unique style, akin to an author. They jest about the French origins of this theory, offering a casual but critical view of its applicability, particularly in contemporary cinema where directors often double as writers. Highlighted are directors like Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson, who exemplify the auteur concept with their distinctive cinematic styles.

Moreover, the dialogue examines how genre serves both as a tool for classification and marketing. There is acknowledgment of the overlap in film genres, as movies like 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'The Princess Bride' blend horror with comedy, or adventure with romance, showcasing the nuance in categorization. The discussion humorously concludes with insights into how practical experiences and inspirations from mentors shape creative approaches in the film industry.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:30: Introduction to Genre The chapter 'Introduction to Genre' explains the concept of genre, which refers to thematic and stylistic similarities in movies that are categorized similarly by general agreement. The chapter provides an example of the horror genre, highlighting common elements like isolated locations commonly found in such films.
• 01:30 - 03:30: Conventions of the Horror Genre This chapter discusses the conventions commonly found in the horror genre, particularly focusing on the use of isolated locations. Such settings, like the Antarctic research base in 'The Thing' (1982) and the frontier location in 'Ravenous' (1999), contribute to the sense of fear due to the difficulty of finding help. These examples illustrate the importance of isolation in creating a scary atmosphere in horror films.
• 03:30 - 05:30: Conventions of Action and Other Genres A discussion on the conventions or typical settings in films of various genres such as action and horror. It mentions settings like the American West, night streets, isolated areas, and specifically identifies a summer camp in New Jersey, as seen in 'Friday the 13th', and the suburban setting of 'The Sopranos'. The discussion hints at conventions in slasher films.
• 05:30 - 09:30: Science Fiction and the Role of Genre The chapter discusses the concept of the 'final girl' in horror movies, referencing characters such as Ellen Ripley from 'Alien,' Laurie Strode from 'Halloween,' and Sidney from 'Scream.' It acknowledges that 'Alien' is not a traditional slasher film but still features a strong female survivor, fitting the 'final girl' trope. The author admits to not having watched many slasher films but appreciates the recurring theme of women overcoming formidable challenges within the horror genre.
• 09:30 - 13:00: The Role of Genre in Marketing and Analysis The chapter discusses the impact of genre, specifically horror, on marketing and analysis.
• 13:00 - 19:00: Genre Theory vs. Auteur Theory The chapter discusses the recurring themes and tropes in film, comparing genre theory and auteur theory. Specifically, the discourse includes the concept of the 'final girl' commonly seen in horror films, particularly mentioning Alien as an example where the character survives till the end. Additionally, the conversation touches upon the film Big Trouble in Little China, highlighting its blending of various genres. Michael Myers's character in the Halloween series is noted for frequently returning, illustrating a repeated pattern typical in specific genres.
• 19:00 - 24:00: Examples of Directors as Auteurs The section discusses the overuse of sequels, particularly in the context of Freddy Krueger movies. It highlights the repetitive nature of extending a franchise over many years. Additionally, there's a mention of conventions typical in action movies, with a hint of recurring stereotypes, specifically the portrayal of Russians, which might suggest a critical view on common tropes within the genre.
• 24:00 - 30:00: Limitations of Auteur Theory The chapter titled 'Limitations of Auteur Theory' seems to involve a critique of common tropes in Hollywood action movies, such as the portrayal of villains as foreign, particularly Russians, reflecting a potential bias. Additionally, the chapter discusses typical elements found in action films, like secret agencies and fight scenes, highlighting the predictable nature of these films.
• 30:00 - 37:00: Research Methods in Film Studies The chapter explores research methods in film studies, highlighting the dominance of American cinema in producing action films due largely to their substantial budgets. It acknowledges the significance of international contributions, with an emphasis on India's film industry, which is recognized for producing great movies across genres. The conversation also touches upon the influence of Samurai movies on Western cinema, exemplified by the adaptation of 'Seven Samurai' into 'Magnificent Seven.'
• 37:00 - 39:30: Conclusion and Practical Advice This chapter discusses the typical characteristics of Spaghetti Westerns, such as morally ambiguous protagonists and themes of order versus chaos, often framed within a classic Hero's Journey narrative.

Genre, Auteur and Research Interview Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 so what is genre uh it's thematic and stylistic similarities in movies that people have agreed upon part the same category could you give an examples of that the horror genre for example the horror genre has often got an isolated location among many other TRS why do you think the creators of such horror movies
• 00:30 - 01:00 would use an isolated location uh scary why is it scary because uh you can't hard to find help in I location like in the thing 1982 maybe are there any other examples of conventions um in thing they're in an isolated antartic research base in ravenous 19999 they were in a frontier
• 01:00 - 01:30 fought in the American West uh in Winter probably um technically night Street they in dreams pretty isolated Friday the 13th um summer camp in New Jersey like in The Sopranos okay are there any other C of conventions of the horror genre that you can think of um in slasher films in particular sub
• 01:30 - 02:00 genre of of the horror movie uh there is the final girl like alien's not even a slasher um like an alien you got alen Ripley you got lri stro in uh Halloween probably Sydney something or other in Scream um I haven't seen many sash movies
• 02:00 - 02:30 monster comes back at the end classic one yes classic that one should have you've not seen anything a hor movie um have you seen any horror movies two yeah for more than me to be honest um yeah Evil Dead to they're in a cabin in the woods in Cabin in the Woods they're in a cabin in the woods that's isolated location once again um what was I on now
• 02:30 - 03:00 about the final girl that was it um oh no mon comes back at the end yeah comes back at the end yes sorry I'm pretty sure that happens in Alien it's on the skape Pod and stuff y um Big Trouble in Little China famously every genre pretty much so the counts comes out the truck at the back back of the truck at the end of the film um Michael Myers keeps com back like in
• 03:00 - 03:30 every single sequel for the past what 40 years it's getting a bit old now um Freddy Krueger actually does come back at the end there like that bit with the dummy she's pretty funny are there any other sort of genres that you can think of genres I can think of yeah action movies what some Co of conventions of action movies do you think other than of course all Russians
• 03:30 - 04:00 you all Russians yeah really now that I think about it they're they're often foreign yeah they're mostly foreign villains because it's Hollywood they're all racist yeah um are there any other C conventions of action movie that you can think of um secret agencies secretes why I choose action there's there's fights in it I mean yeah there's fights in it and there's often a
• 04:00 - 04:30 lot of um American it's mostly American being persed the good guys um Hollywood are the only people with the budget to make action movies yeah AP from India pick up India yeah Mak some great movie um any other genres such as like Samurai movies what the contentions West yeah cuz they just copied Samurai movies yeah the same thing Magnificent Seven is Seven Samurai
• 04:30 - 05:00 FAL dollars is your Jimbo and Western sit in the west obviously um they've often got spaghetti westons in particular they've often got morally ambiguous protagonist um uh I don't know it's about Udo versus chaos lot of the time they're a big fan of the old Heroes Journey
• 05:00 - 05:30 in Western's Hollywood Western uh which Star Wars un copied because that is in fact kind of a western maybe sort of yeah um are you willing to go into what what J do you think star war is are are you able to argue Space Opera Space Opera because it's not really a Sci-Fi because it's not scientific at all how do you expain lightsabers for example yep Wester cuz has
• 05:30 - 06:00 solo I'm joking Tatooine desert planet and Luke starts off as a buyer Farm prob rest of movies and fantasy which that's kind of fantasy hero's journey comes from um the classic fantasy books like lot of the Rings probably the best piece pi ever made um that stuff um it's got Space Magic obviously that's pretty fantastical you ask me yeah um not very scientific
• 06:00 - 06:30 whatsoever going back to Fantasy who's this Clinton Clinton again how long you going to be I need the 50 mil uh we'll be another like 10 minutes I need it like five minutes 50 mil yeah can we can you replace with something else um what are there any other genres that you can think of other than what you've previously mentioned like Samurai previously mention movies fantasy movies
• 06:30 - 07:00 Western horror um we've touched on sci-fi and we've touched on Space Opera sci-fi science fiction sci-fi um to quote the words this have refering right just have a referencing Darren um um I'm have a ref Darren Darren H awardwinning filmmaker of the maniac project and chair should have chair and
• 07:00 - 07:30 50 which is the award winning one um man project did get an award really yeah oh no in America that's American for you um yeah it says fantasy no not fantasy the one SciFi explores what it means to be human like in
• 07:30 - 08:00 C 2077 2077 which U is not a movie never mind um Scot TV show Blade Runner um the original one 24 is kind of bad uh explor what it means to be human uh cuz the main guy might might be a robot you might know we don't know we don't know people say could be a robot people I sound like Trump
• 08:00 - 08:30 say could be robot some people say he might not be a robot um yeah fantasy SCI means to be human but not necessarily I do not believe I think science and fiction can just be science fiction so your average time travel movie that be science fiction I'd say I don't think Jean is really exclusive because it
• 08:30 - 09:00 could be more than one for example Evil Dead 2 no I've used that lot um Sean of the Dead is pretty scary at points it's also very very funny Even's probably a better example of that because it is genuinely scary at points yeah what it's not that scary most of the time it's main just funny no it's pretty scary at points but it's mostly a comedy and big Tri China is like all the J
• 09:00 - 09:30 it doesn't pretty well um I think you're fine with the horror a lot I don't might not be on purpose but it's often quite funny especially over one yeah like yeah the depictions of gar often of movies from the 70s and 80s are often quite goofy if you look back on it except Event Horizon which is really still disturbing wait what when has Event
• 09:30 - 10:00 Horizon made I think it the anything ever any other gen you can think of I don't know romance is that that's his yeah that's a genre Go comedy as well I don't You' seen a lot of romance movies I can imagine obviously like yeah I can't name any of them but yeah trust me trust me trust me trust me yeah I've seen Shrek that's a really
• 10:00 - 10:30 good romance movie yeah um a trp of that um um his romance a genre or is it just a theme that they have in movies I think it can be used as a genre yeah as a um cuz there are just romance movies that are like kind of like s life of life romance romcom Etc comedy is
• 10:30 - 11:00 usually mixed into it but true yeah romcom for a reason yeah romance is is a is an interesting one I suppose because it can just be an element of a movie but it's not really like a genre of it yeah but it can also just it can also be the movie same with a lot of things actually you can have horror things in movies but the movie isn't a part of the horror genre I'm right you see yeah genre is um aren't often great at defining movies
• 11:00 - 11:30 because a movie often has multiple genres like big for yeah that's that's more than that's more than a few um The Princess Bride could you think of any that are just like two or three J The Princess Bride could you talk about the princess you SE Princess Bride and that's that's action um fantasy I think I can't remember anything about Princess br anymore
• 11:30 - 12:00 romance um comedy very funny um Adventure movie uh I suppose um yeah think said them hor comedies a very popular one yeah even if unintentional Tucker and Dale Versus Evil it's a real movie that's very good um Daren P going to watch this and
• 12:00 - 12:30 then there's going to be a bit where you get interview for like a minute through it yeah but is it is the genre a crime what no what talk about ter again oh yeah you can probably guess dear viewers but the lights G out again have we only got one light where's the other one also turned off no not no we didn't turn that one back on right here's why Halloween 1978 is a horror movie cuz uh s movie TI it got unable for
• 12:30 - 13:00 in yeah that count in uh Michael Myers um like with Jason VES in uh Friday 13th Part Two because his mom his mom in the first one weird H Freddy Krueger um night street it's very enough um final go Lor stro like Ellen Ripley from Aliens and
• 13:00 - 13:30 um Sydney from Scream B comes back at the end actually technically all the stuff I said but applied to Halloween as well what what what did I say Supernatural enemy because Michael Myers freaking weird and he keeps coming back um comes back um I think uh I think that's it okay John versus ala the fun
• 13:30 - 14:00 part do which Theory do you think is is better when comparing movies genre Theory or Al Theory do you think either one are out to are out to date all right dear viewers now we are talking about a genre yes so costume change so uh people scrolling through on the YouTube bar know what's going on um yeah so I
• 14:00 - 14:30 think all Theory Dr Theory think dr's better artar is still pretty correct but it only applies to a few people that's like popular I think artar is more of a marketing tool than actual good way of characterizing movies I think Jer is better because most every movie fits into genre Theory and not every movie fit into a for the vast
• 14:30 - 15:00 majority I'd say not fit into a do you want to give any examples of ones that do fit into a and do not fit into can you give me some examples of some directors and movies that fit into water and do do not all right so Quint tarantina AR um Revenge movies violent ones leg feet um smile from that one uh violent I said Wes Anderson like symmetry pastel colors
• 15:00 - 15:30 stories about really sad people Darren doesn't like him so shout out Wes Anderson um Martin SC say he lik doing epic cry movies with music set pieces so um Ando in them having having Wilson Adan bro Bill Murray Jason Schwartzman um I confused between J and
• 15:30 - 16:00 uh you said you said about Tarantino do you because according to the a definitions Tarantino cannot be an otter because he both he yeah see what do you think of that I think of that yeah is the French as usual are wrong and I think more ORS are writers and directors than just directors yeah um he got I gave him some leeway it
• 16:00 - 16:30 was like the 40s yeah and they were basing on alred hcock but they FRS so yeah you know I see why they got it wrong yeah easy mistake to make pral uh so yeah I think writing and directing is the most AO are I think you could probably find an AO that's also a producer and DL yeah there are definitely quite a few that are also as well Mr Peter
• 16:30 - 17:00 Sweeney uh often recognizes dops yeah he is got his job uh so that that that should mean theys right their field and you have some editors who are very good in their own field as well we can tell that some never want editor I name editor basically yeah um but genre is actually how you categorize movies and most of them are kind of genre
• 17:00 - 17:30 because nothing new Under the Sun and all things are based on other things but both also genre could also count as like a marketing tool um like the biggest new horror movie like the the scariest horror movie is a good way to promote a movie it's a good way movie yeah but so a [ __ ] horror movie an absolutely awful horror movie and you wouldn't use that as a marketing tool yeah if it's
• 17:30 - 18:00 really uh a bad horror movie so I think aors are it's not much of a marketing tool because you don't hear about arter that are famous of being bad except Zack Snider who's bad except Zack Schneider most AOS are good all right um but horror and I mean genre has been around since the start of film
• 18:00 - 18:30 like you know hit film Birth of a Nation is uh like is a historical epic um and would like really weirdly being really really influential uh and that wasn't a marketing tool the marketing tool was racism not the genre that means nothing I don't know that's that's not going to help me p d mean that doesn't mean anything racism yeah uh we managed to go off into a time
• 18:30 - 19:00 what's the guy called what's the GU sh what's the guy called what was the guy called I know doesn't matter um yeah so in conclusion so basically my last two points meant nothing and iine rambling um so in conclusion you think that they're both correct but AR to fit them off no flip um they're both correct but genre fits more films than arter
• 19:00 - 19:30 does do you think that arter needs a bit of an update um now that we're getting to a time where there are um arter like Tarantino who are not just directors no I think all the French of always been wrong uh I think always been wrong uh and they always have been writer director ARS I have no idea what they're thinking with that one to be honest yeah bit exclusive and a bit too egotistical in in my opinion to just have it just be
• 19:30 - 20:00 the directors yeah and me I suppose back in the back in the back in the good old days um there were more there were less writers and directors Afra Hitchcock he might have I'm not sure actually but like I don't know cassa Blanca wasn't written by the director you know um that's another Romance movie with
• 20:00 - 20:30 romance well Romance movie but it's kind of loads of other genres at the same time so it kinds of goes into our theory if it's not really a genre yeah it's a Trope of every single genre yeah um okay is that do you think that do you think that's J versus Al it's only five it's only a 500w essay so yeah we definitely we definitely beaten that if you count it's probably about 3,000
• 20:30 - 21:00 yeah at least 3,000 um from the bit I made no sense and yeah we'll cut those out probably just a part Darren's not just watching this like like a overworked mother like single mom like in Henry M hard Henry no hard Henry that's my aim for the FMP take can make a movie about Parenthood
• 21:00 - 21:30 better than and you having Lucifer the do not put that in the video that's that's a spoiler AER a spoiler P you're not allow you're not allowed to be seen yeah if you're watching this someone's done a very bad job of everything Oopsy Daisy um are we going to research now five yeah
• 21:30 - 22:00 what you interview um for Old Scratch did you re research anything the hit film so research primary research is you doing the thing yourself so going out and asking people questions for a survey of fracing with the equipment and secondary is stuff you hear from other people pretty much find the line and things um for secondary research are there um
• 22:00 - 22:30 is there a a gauge that do you gauge um how good the information you're getting is from like uh okay an example would be um would you rather getting your information off of Patty or some random guy off of YouTube would you do you gauge those sorts of information and go I value Pat's information way more because he knows what he's doing or do you just watch the Youtube videos and go yeah that sounds right um why can't we have both is my answer I suppose but um answer
• 22:30 - 23:00 with another question uh but with the worksh with paty great I've seen in my in my my blog um if Darren hasn't read yet it's um uh what did I say part workshops are good because you can experiment and you can ask him questions about really really specific things and he will answer it for you or
• 23:00 - 23:30 at least try demonstrate and try demonstrate what what the he knows almost every single time yeah yeah which is useful um yeah unless you're asking about CGI yeah blender then then Owens the ow you guy hey Clinton you're almost done no yeah actually we're on we're on Research we're in the last third you've got eight minutes okay be enough should be enough should be
• 23:30 - 24:00 enough guys interrupting us yeah sorry viewer sorry the only viewer that will see this AKA Darren um Legend uh where were we before we interrupted YouTu before I was so R yeah I know something completely different um yeah SEC um YouTube's really good cuz it's really easy to find us on
• 24:00 - 24:30 Google both they really easy to find stuff and usually it's probably at least somewhat okay problem with it you can definitely some frauders some sneaky snitches going around what now just leave all in here real collected in the morning okay right thank you see you we will not listen to that we will be packing it away when we are finished yep like responsible
• 24:30 - 25:00 adults which Cooper is needing um if you rather to get your information from anywhere where would you rather get your um research from divine inspiration a would party is inspiration I he has I think he has been divinely inspired but it would not count him as divine inspiration that would be Sac religious so before we get into questions of
• 25:00 - 25:30 religion um seriously P divine inspiration Pat's probably the best place to go because he's you know there most the time Darren's pretty good if you want to ask him about thematic content and not technical stuff yeah then Alex is just like I don't know a wizard yeah he is just a wizard Dr for the hit book series The Dr filed he he he knows
• 25:30 - 26:00 almost any issue you could have and we'll fix it with a matter of minutes probably like freakishly good at it yeah it scarily some in sometimes um and you know Alex and Paddy and Darren will all chip in bits of knowledge that you will pick up on over time um