Film Guides / Genres explained
Genres explained
What makes a western a western or a thriller a thriller: the defining traits of the major film genres.
Genres are promises to the audience. Learn the building blocks of each one, how they mix, and how to spot the conventions that filmmakers follow or break on purpose.
GenreA guide to film genresWhat a genre is, why it matters to audiences and studios, the major genres side by side, and how hybrids and subgenres keep cinema fresh.GenreAction and adventureHow action and adventure films deliver spectacle, from silent-era stunts to modern chase sequences, the craft of stunt work and choreography, and the subgenres audiences love.GenreComedy and dramaThe two oldest dramatic traditions on film. Learn the main types of film comedy and drama, how timing and performance work, and landmark titles from Chaplin to modern award winners.GenreHorror and thrillerHow horror and thrillers create fear and suspense, the main subgenres, the techniques directors use, and landmark films from the silent era to today.GenreScience fiction and fantasyWhat separates science fiction from fantasy, the major subgenres, how visual effects shaped both, and landmark films from A Trip to the Moon to modern epics.