Film Genre Research Articles

Generic overlap as a mode of (social) production in Portuguese silent non-fiction film: the case of A Covilhã Industrial, Pitoresca e seus Arredores (1921)

ABSTRACT The article offers a contribution to the international debate on non-fiction film genres in the silent period by proposing a historically and socially informed analysis of ‘generic overlap’ in the Portuguese documentary A Covilhã Industrial, Pitoresca e Seus Arredores (1921) [Industrial and Picturesque Covilhã, and Its Outskirts]. Made by Artur Costa de Macedo (1894–1966) for Invicta Film, a short-lived but prolific production company based in the North of Portugal, the film is a composite of different genres, such as the travelogue, the scenic view, the actuality, the industrial process film, and the local film. While in keeping with well-established international film practices, this kind of generic overlap also reflects the specific set of constraints and opportunities that the filmmaker encountered (and, respectively, sought to overcome and take advantage of) when he took on this film commission. Local newspaper research, though selective and incomplete, was crucial for gaining a deeper knowledge of this film’s local and regional underpinnings. The article also discusses the film’s 2002 restoration in light of its generic overlap, considering how genre-bound and genre-blind decisions resulted in a ‘new version’ and a ‘new original’ that sought to address a new set of concerns and scale configuration. It concludes that filmic genre has played (and continues to play) an active role in creating and sustaining social goals and relations in both silent filmmaking and film restoration projects.

The Nation on Trial: Tengiz Abuladze’s Repentance (1987) and Christian Frosch’s Murer (2018)

ABSTRACT: This article compares the Soviet Georgian film Repentance (Tengiz Abuladze, 1987) with the contemporary Austrian film Murer: Anatomy of a Trial (Christian Frosch, 2018), arguing that, through their courtroom scenes, these films put their respective nations on trial. Drawing on scholarship related to the trial film genre as well as on discourse related to law and justice (Hannah Arendt, Shoshana Felman), I show how, whether dealing with the crimes of Stalinism or Nazism, these films seek to confront their audiences with hitherto repressed aspects of their countries’ historical legacies.

Scene Deconstruction and Plot Setting of a Silent Film

This study dissects Chaplin's method of conveying a story through visuals in his 1921 silent movie, 'The Kid,' emphasizing scene analysis and plot introduction. A detailed discussion of sequences allows the research to illustrate how Chaplin makes meaning, creates a narrative, and establishes emotion solely through visual motion without words. The study uses several theoretical approaches, including film semiotics, narrative theory, and visual composition analysis. This paper examines how Chaplin employs framing, editing, mise-en-scène, and physical comedy to construct a highly symbolic and emotionally rich picture. Special emphasis should be placed on how Chaplin uses both comic and dramatic scenes hand in hand, sometimes even in the same scenes. Key sequences analyzed include the opening scene, which efficiently introduces the main character and presents the setting; the separation scene, an emotionally charged sequence of a man being left by his wife; and the dream sequence, a fantastic sequence in which Chaplin breaks the laws of practical reality to develop character psychology and depth of themes. The paper also explores how Chaplin develops visual motifs and employs repeated actions to unify the narrative and chart the character's growth. Moreover, it discusses how the film's visual analysis and symbolism respond to early twentieth-century social concerns such as poverty and the position of children. As such, this research is pertinent to exploring the silent film narrative and its legacy through analyzing Chaplin's visual strategies. 'The Kid' illustrates that this was the pinnacle of the silent film genre and how complex narrative and character development can be conveyed without using words. Moreover, this research reveals Chaplin's creative processes. It contributes to understanding the potential of visual narrative in Cinema, proving the significance of the silent film language in developing film language.

Your Turn As An Example Of Multi-Modal, Ethnographic And Collective Documentary

Documentary cinema is a film genre that aims to reproduce authentic reality and provide awareness to the audience by addressing real events, people or subjects with a claim of objectivity. Such films generally use a narrative language that is not based on fiction and reflect reality as it is. There are several standpoints a documentary film-maker may follow and adopt. These standpoints usually determine the formal characteristics of the film. A documentary may be ethnographic, journalistic, poetic, etc. Likewise, a documentary film-maker may seek to approach reality without any self-involvement and he/she may choose to observe rather than participate in the content or vice versa. Utilizing a number of methods, documentary cinema has flourished in both content and form in recent years. New ways of making documentaries are flourishing and minor realities as well as major ones are brought to the audience. One approach is the ethnographic documentary, where the filmmaker adopts a participant-observer role, immersing themselves in the socio-cultural phenomenon to authentically convey a particular truth. Taking ethnography as a starting point, a film-maker makes numerous stylistic choices and enrich his/her narrative following different patterns. This study aims to interrogate the prospects of documentary cinema in recent years and define the relationship between the film-maker’s standpoint and the stylistic choices he/she makes, using the film Your Turn (Capai, 2019) as a case study. The sample film was chosen via purposive sampling method and a textual analysis was conducted. The results of the analysis shows that Your Turn (Capai, 2019) utilizes ethnography and turn the participant-observation method into a collective practice which contributes to the overall aesthetics of the film as well as its narrative foundation.

Putting the Mockers On: The Rutles, The Beatles, Rock Biopics and Parody

Many accounts of film genre reiterate a familiar narrative of growth to “classic” maturity and subsequent parody and/or deconstruction, and the biopic is no exception. However, rock music biopics have reversed this narrative, so that the genre begins in parody and only gets serious later. This is partly because rock and roll music began as parody, mainly by white people imitating African Americans, what is known as blackface minstrelsy, in which music and humour are necessarily (because of racism) mixed. In turn, the 60s rock counterculture took many of its cues from this untimely birth, appropriating African-American marginality in modes that were at once serious (concerns about authenticity) and ironic (mockery of Establishment values). This collision of opposites helps explain both the counterculture’s preference for documentary, especially of live performance, over Hollywood fiction, and its predilection for mockery of both (for example, mockumentary). As the single most influential proto-rock act, whose inventive wit and comic antics, rendered in newsreel, direct cinema, cartoon, and on record, were keys to their commercial and critical success, The Beatles were the perfect subjects for such ironic canonisation. Their filmic career highlights the intersection of documentary and comedy, as well as reality and fiction, via musical performance, a mode which can problematise documentary/comedy, and reality/fiction distinctions. In line with this argument, I have focused on key live performances from the Beatles’ career, and how they are parodied in The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978) henceforth The Rutles, which doubles as the first filmic biography of the Beatles and the first rock mockumentary. The Beatles’ later career saw their public image shift from intentional to unintentional comedy, a shift mapped in the The Rutles, which gradually moves from parody towards satire. It is argued that The Rutles is open to a range of audience identifications and readings: it is at once a text for “true fans”, a playful deconstruction of their investments, but also one with real-world reverberations (some of its predictions came true). In this sense, it is a “media savvy”, peculiarly contemporary text that questions the priority of reality over fiction.

MDES and Movie Watching: Examining Thought Patterns During Movie Watching Task

Multi dimensional experience sampling (MDES) occurs when questions are asked to participants while they are completing a certain task, and to assess and examine various facets and thought processes of participant’s experience while encountering that particular activity (Wallace et al., 2024). For instance, examining a participant's emotional state. This sampling method was applied to a movie watching study completed over the duration of May to August 2024. The study included 15 participants, who each observed a total of 15 film clips, in person in the lab located in Kingston, Ontario. The clips each ranged from one to three minutes, and comprised of various film genres. Participants would then complete an MDES questionnaire after observing each film clip. Once the data was obtained, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was completed. It was discovered that four components of thought were found including intrusive distraction, sensory engagement, episodic knowledge, and narrative comprehension of the clips. Episodic knowledge highlights the participant’s attention fixating on past events and their emotions and focuses less on current deliberate thoughts, and narrative comprehension concentrates on the participant’s problem-solving skills to understand the content occurring in the clips. Whereas, participant’s sensory engagement features their focus to sounds and images in the clips, and intrusive distraction aids in displaying that their focus is poor while viewing the clips, but their intrusive thoughts are high. Using the data it can be assumed that various thought processes can occur while an individual observes movies. It also aided in identifying any factors that could help or hinder participants' ability to focus on the movie clip task. The data can be beneficial in furthering our understanding of an individual's attentional abilities when viewing various genres and pieces of media. Works Cited Wallace, R. S., Mckeown, B., Goodall-Halliwell, I., Chitiz, L., Forest, P., Karapanagiotidis, T., Mulholland, B., Turnbull, A. G., Vanderwal, T., Hardikar, S., Alam, T. G., Bernhardt, B., Wang, H.-T., Strawson, W., Milham, M., Xu, T., Margulies, D., Poerio, G. L., Jefferies, E., … Smallwood, J. (2024). Mapping Patterns of Thought onto Brain Activity during Movie-Watching, 1–38. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.31.578244

Behind the Script: Analyzing Figurative Language in "Free Guy"

This study underscores the importance of figurative language in film, particularly within a digitally-driven narrative like "Free Guy." It provides valuable insights into how linguistic creativity supports storytelling in contemporary cinema, enriching both the viewers' experience and the overall impact of the film. Using Barthes' theory of semiotics, which examines how meaning is constructed through signs and symbols, the study reveals that figurative language functions as a crucial signifying system in "Free Guy." Leech's theory of figurative language, which categorizes different types of figurative expressions, provides a framework for analyzing their specific functions in the film. This study identifies how metaphors, similes, hyperboles, personifications, and metonyms collectively enhance the storytelling process. The results of the study indicate that metaphor is the most dominant form of figurative language in "Free Guy," highlighting its significance in enhancing the narrative and thematic depth of the film. Similes and hyperboles also play crucial roles, particularly in character development and conveying humour. The presence of these figurative elements enriches the viewer's experience by providing additional layers of meaning, which strengthens emotional engagement and understanding of the story, while personifications and metonyms add vividness and relatability to the virtual world depicted in the movie. Furthermore, this study opens avenues for further exploration into the role of figurative language in different film genres and other forms of digital storytelling. Future research could examine how these linguistic tools influence viewer perception and emotional engagement across various cinematic contexts. Understanding the use of figurative language can reveal its power in shaping narratives, enhancing emotional engagement, and adding layers of meaning.

Inside and Outside the Film Genre: Old Age on the Way

This paper analyses Croatian film Night boats (2012), directed by Igor Mirković, from the anthropology of film and anthropology of age point of view. The film story is analyzed as the so-called diegetic universe, i.e. as an ethnography of the film, and is connected to the real experiences of the elderly. The plot of the film follows the meeting and emotional bonding of Helena and Jakov in one of Zagreb's nursing homes. Shortly after their brief acquaintance, these "seventy-year-old teenagers" begin a romance, run away from home and embark on a road adventure. In terms of genre, this film can be viewed as a road movie since, in addition to the fact that the main characters spend more than half of the plot on the road, the film thematically and visually follows the conventions of the aforementioned genre. Their road adventure is initiated on a metaphorical level, as an escape from illness and death, as well as an escape from loneliness and the circumstances that life in old age brings. The main characters flee from the lack of choice they are faced with which is why their journey can be interpreted as a search for lost, almost stripped identities. The journey of Helena and Jacob, two elderly individuals faced with the problems of loneliness and physical decline, represents a transformative experience for the main characters and signifies a form of quiet rebellion, a refusal to accept cultural conventions according to which active life ends with a socially constructed notion of old age. In this sense, this film story served to critically address various issues and problems concerning society’s stereotypical attitudes towards the elderly.

Superman, superwoman, or superhero? A thematic analysis of Reddit user discussions of female superheroes

ABSTRACT The superhero film genre has both hypersexualized women and offered potentially empowering social and cultural narratives. Drawing on feminist media studies and critical discourse analysis, this study analyzes themes in online Reddit discussions surrounding female superheroes in Black Widow to better understand how conversations about media representations maintain and subvert dominant gendered discourses. Throughout her portrayal in multiple movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Widow’s transformation highlights the shift from a hypersexualized female superhero to a complex character that breaks away from gendered stereotypes. Mirroring an incrementalist approach to social change, Redditors discursively constructed and invoked “realism” as a heuristic for their evaluations of diversified media representations. First, Reddit users centered White, Western women’s experiences in their posts about the film, confronting the trope that women exist as objects to be saved and sexualized by men. However, as they assumed that White, Western women’s struggles are universal, they ignored the intersectional relationship to oppression. Second, Redditors engaged in the male gaze to understand, perpetuate, and disrupt Black Widow’s historic sexualization. The study supports the claims that gender is performative and seemingly mundane conversations can function politically. We conclude with implications for theorizing future post-feminist discourse and methodological implications for researchers using Reddit data.

Examining the emergence of the ‘AI eye’ and its effect on the ‘creative treatment of actuality’ in computational non-fiction

ABSTRACT Documentaries have frequently captured journeys to places audiences might not have seen before. The first documentary film Nanook of the North (1922), often referred to as a travel film, took viewers to the Canadian Artic for the first time. In 1929, The Man with a Movie Camera revealed the rhythm of the Soviet cities through the Kino-Eye. Now the documentary film genre, the City Film is taking viewers on a virtual tour into new digital synthetic domains as they contain artificially generated images produced by GenAI. In response to this emergence of the ‘AI eye’, a computational vision of the world, the following attributes of AI as an asset, tool and collaborator shape the discussion of novel creative documentary processes that are emerging when Gen AI is integrated into computational non-fiction. This article explores a computational vision of the world in relation to the City Film documentary genre.

Expressions of a backlash: Challenging the story of success in Norwegian cinema of the 1980s and 1990s

Abstract In this article, we ask if there was a backlash against film feminism in Norway in the 1980s. In Norwegian film history, this decade is known as “the helicopter period” and is associated with a turn towards commercial genre film and classical dramaturgy. This has usually been narrated as a success story for Norwegian cinema. It is, however, also a decade connected to a loss of position for the women directors who had gained a footing in Norwegian cinema in the 1970s. We thus question the idea of progress associated with this decade in film history and propose avenues of investigation. We explore the loss of position of female directors by looking at film reception and film criticism. We further present and discuss a numerical breakdown of women directors and female lead characters in the 1980s and 1990s and point to thematic readings of the on-screen portrayal of women characters in this time span. We find evidence of aggression towards women and a disappearance of women’s film and argue that this points to an anti-feminist pushback in Norwegian cinema of the 1980s and 1990s.

EKRANISASI TEKS EKSPLANASI MENJADI GENRE FILM MELALUI MODEL PROJECT BASED LEARNING DAN PENGARUHNYA PADA KEMAMPUAN BERPIKIR KREATIF SISWA KELAS VIII SMP PRIBADI BANDUNG

Students experience the degradation of digital technology. Students are becoming more proficient in operating devices and the applications they possess. Students of this generation need to be given stimuli to transform an explanatory text into another genre to make it more interesting and encourage creative thinking. This issue is observed among eighth-grade students at SMP Pribadi Bandung. The aim of this research is to describe ability to screenize (adapt into visual or multimedia form) explanatory texts on creative thinking through the project-based learning model among eighth-grade students at SMP Pribadi Bandung. The research method used is a quasi-experimental research method. Data collection techniques involve mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative). The results of the study show that eighth-grade students at SMP Pribadi Bandung were able to screenize explanatory texts into film genres based on the assessment rubric. The highest score obtained was 96, and the lowest score was 87, with an average score of 92. The students' ability to screenize explanatory texts into film genres is excellent. The students' ability to meet the structural and language rules in the films produced through the project-based learning model in eighth grade at SMP Pribadi Bandung achieved the highest post-test score of 100, with the lowest score being 80, and an average score of 89.9. The creative thinking ability of the students in the films they produced through the project-based learning model in eighth grade at SMP Pribadi Bandung is excellent. Out of 39 students, 36 students were categorized as capable of creative thinking, while three students were not yet able to think creatively. There is a very strong influence of the ability to screenize explanatory texts on creative thinking through the project-based learning model among eighth-grade students at SMP Pribadi Bandung, as confirmed by the hypothesis test.

Film Genre Classification Based on Poster Using Convolutional Neural Network

Film Genre Classification Based on Poster Using Convolutional Neural Network

From Costume Romps to Queer Milestones: Adaptation, Collaboration, Queerness and Modernism in the ‘Long New Wave’ of Richardson, Schlesinger and Reisz

The post-New Wave films and trajectories of the key British New Wave directors remain under-analysed terrain, both in terms of their potential relevance for interrogating how we understand the British New Wave itself and for the terms in which we might conceptualise a ‘Long’ New Wave. This article departs from persisting auteurist approaches to consider the post-New Wave oeuvres and careers of these directors collectively, in terms which foreground the importance of collaborations and networks rather than individual authorship and seek to decentre, denaturalise and potentially dislodge their pre-eminent association with specifically Northern, British, social realism and its presumed legacies. I argue for the importance of a cluster of less-analysed areas of intersection and development which emerge across the eclectic film-making careers of Tony Richardson and John Schlesinger (and, to a lesser extent, Karel Reisz) in the immediate post-New Wave decade from the 1963 success of Richardson's Tom Jones to the early 1970s. My discussion pivots on two commonalities: during this time, all three directors contributed significantly and plurally to innovations and advances in genre and representation across two areas distinct from British Northern working-class realism: historical/costume film genres, and queer representation. An approach which centres the (broadly defined) queer elements in these directors’ post-New Wave oeuvres – intersecting at times with their equally undervalued contribution to ‘pre-heritage’ period cinema – reveals the ‘Long’ New Wave as substantially a cinema of adaptation, collaboration and queerness which encompassed important, near-forgotten, international projects as well as modernist influences and, in Schlesinger's Sunday Bloody Sunday, a significant advance in realist queer representation.

PECULIARITIES OF SUBTITLED TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENTARY FILMS BASED ON THE EXAMPLE OF ANCIENT EGYPT EXPLAINED IN 12 MINUTES

High-quality translation from a foreign language plays a key role in the commercial and creative success of any film. Due to the growing need for this type of translation, highlighting the specifics of documentary film translation will be useful for novice documentary translators and professionals interested in various types of translation. Background. Documentary is a widespread and one of the most interesting genres of cinema for people of all ages. Subtitling as a type of audiovisual translation allows viewers not only to get closer to the original story of the event broadcast in another language, but also to hear authentic speech and other elements of the video. Purpose. The purpose of this article is to identify the specifics of the subtitled translation of documentaries and to identify the translation transformations used in the translation of such a film genre. To do this, it is necessary to identify the essence of subtitling; consider the requirements for the compiling subtitling, identify the difficulties that translators may face in the process of subtitled translation; analyze translation transformations in the subtitled translation of documentaries. Materials and methods. The practical material for the study was the short documentary film Ancient Egypt explained in 12 minutes, published on the YouTube video hosting channel Captivating History. To solve the tasks set, both theoretical and practical research methods were used: analysis of literature on translation theory and subtitled translation as a special aspect of audiovisual translation; analysis of translation transformations during subtitled translation of the documentary film Ancient Egypt explained in 12 minutes. Results. The results of the study showed that subtitling is a complex and creative task for a translator. Subtitles for films allow you to create an emotional contact between the reader and the author of the film, to focus his attention on important information and, most importantly, to preserve the authenticity of the documentary material. In the subtitled translation of documentary films, it was revealed that the most common transformations are transliteration, omission, generalization and functional substitution. Practical implications. The results of the research can be used by novice translators and professional translators when translating documentaries.

An Exploration of the Genre of Korean Space Science Fiction Movies — Taking the Movie Space Sweepers as an Example

Although Korean science fiction films started late and developed slowly, the Korean film industry is developed and has never stagnated in the exploration of film genres. The movie Space Sweepers is South Korea’s first exploration and attempt at the science fiction sub-genre of space science fiction. Since its launch on the streaming media platform Netflix in February 2021, it has topped the global movie popularity list for five consecutive days and won 29 countries. It ranks first in broadcasts in the region, and it has also made space science fiction a genre trend in South Korea. This article will take the movie Space Sweepers as an example to sort out South Korea’s development path for the space science fiction film genre, and analyze the reasons for Space Sweepers’ global success.

Powers of (Body) Horror

Abstract French film director and screenwriter Julia Ducournau's sophomore body horror film, Titane (2021), like its predecessors of the same genre, examines the malleability and fragility of human corporeality. The film can be categorized under the New French Extremity, a genre coined by art critic James Quandt, who disapprovingly expressed his concerns with the rampant depictions of blood and violence in film; however, this article contends that Ducournau's film offer much more than mere shock factor and spectacle of taboo objects. Featuring a protagonist who is a manifestation of Donna Haraway's radical cyborg, Titane can be situated alongside recent debates in posthuman concerns, but more importantly, in its intersection and close connection to feminist and queer discourse. Although many have utilized Julia Kristeva's abject/-ion to examine the horror film genre through a feminist lens, this article seeks to expand on such existing literature by pointing to its emancipatory powers and its potential for a more inclusive, posthuman queer mode of being and kinship beyond the symbolic order.

Circulation patterns of East-Central European films on European SVoD catalogues

Combining statistical, quantitative analysis with qualitative examination of film titles, the article explores the presence and circulation patterns of films from five East-Central European (ECE) countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia) in European SVoD catalogues. The scene’s continuous change and adaptation pose challenges for analysis due to its fluidity. While examining streaming libraries, it becomes apparent that distinguishing between commissioned and licensed content, a fundamental consideration in such analyses, may hold greater relevance for larger markets compared to smaller, peripheral ones like those in the ECE region. Moreover, while exclusive content is valued among leading streaming providers, there is limited competition for exclusive streaming rights to ECE films. Additionally, classic films from the region’s cinematic history are readily accessible online, often free of charge, offering opportunities for viewers to explore Romanian or Polish cinema without subscription requirements. However, access to classics from other ECE countries may be more limited. Market shares based solely on film quantity require contextual analysis, as they are influenced by niche platforms specializing in specific regions or genres. Notably, recent years have seen shifts in local film cultures and trends in theatrical and VoD distribution, with distinct characteristics observed in different ECE countries. While certain trends, such as the rise of successful genre films like comedies and crime thrillers, are evident, the visibility and distribution of ECE films on European VoD platforms remain influenced by various factors, including festival success, auteur directors and genre preferences. Furthermore, the inclusion of globally popular genres and actors recognized beyond the region can enhance a film’s market reach. The study suggests that peripheralization is not unique to the ECE region, with similar dynamics potentially affecting other European small and peripheral film markets. Ultimately, analysing SVoD presence represents only one aspect of a multifaceted ecosystem, highlighting the complexity of the streaming landscape.

Editorial

This issue of the Journal of Scandinavian Cinema initially explores the dynamic changes in the Nordic audio-visual sector, highlighting the impact of subscription video on demand (SVoD) services like Netflix and its collaboration with SF Studios, which has propelled Scandinavian genre films to global audiences. The issue also examines Peter Watkins’ influential work in Scandinavia, with two articles on projects completed in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as Roy Andersson’s distinctive version of slow cinema.

AUTHENTIC VIDEO IN TEACHING UKRAINIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

In the article, the author analyses the scientific achievements of Ukrainian linguodidactics in the field of theoretical and practical comprehension of working with authentic audiovisual materials as an additional teaching source in the study of foreign language. Numerous publications by Ukrainian scholars on this topic (from the early 2000s to the present day) are divided into 3 groups. The first group of articles focuses on the general issues of using the audiovisual method in the process of developing foreign language communicative competence. The second group of studies includes articles reviewing the most frequent “audiovisual practices” in the course of UFL. The third group of articles is in-depth research on working with certain genres of authentic video for foreign audiences. The range of genres of authentic video products that can be used for educational purposes in the process of mastering UFL is outlined. These include feature films, documentaries, animated films, informative and entertaining TV programmes (news release, video interviews, academic lectures, video presentations, virtual tours of museums and cities of Ukraine, video blogs, TV shows, stand-up comedy, etc.), video messages from public figures, advertising blocks, trailers, music videos, etc. It is emphasized that among the above, Ukrainian methodologists pay the most attention to films of various genres (primarily short films). The article highlights the key issues that Ukrainian film didactics is working on. The article analyses the scientific studies of Ukrainian methodologists on the use of other genres of authentic video for linguodidactic purposes – video interviews, song videos, commercials, virtual tours, professional videos, etc. The author presents her own comments on the stated topic and outlines issues for the future. It is emphasised that working with authentic video requires the teacher to understand the specific purpose of its use in the classroom, knowledge of the repertoire of Ukrainian authentic material and its linguistic and didactic potential, and special methodological study for presentation in a foreign language audience. Key words: authentic video, genre, listening, Ukrainian as a foreign language, linguodidactics.