Steve Neale Genre Theory

 Neale - Genre Theory 

• Steve Neale believes that film genre changes throughout its lifespan and never stays as one thing during its entirety.
  
  
• He thinks that the genre will change its structure in order to carry on evolving this cycle of change.

His cycle is:

• Form finds itself 
• Classic 
• Pushes the boundaries 
• Parody 
• Homage 

Forms finds itself:

E.g.  Star Wars

• This was a film that was heavily based on sci-fi and action and because the first of the Star Wars films was released so long ago it was a massive change for fans as they wouldn't expect to see such an advanced film for their time culminating genres such as sci-fi, action and drama.

• It set the standard for what people wanted Sci-fi to be like and how it should be portrayed. This had allowed for Sci-fi to be brought into the mainstream.

Classic:

E.g. Wizard of Oz (1939)

• The Wizard of Oz is a Fantasy/Musical film the main theme of which it being a fantasy this was one of the major fantasy films that most people still remember to this day as it is widely know as a classic around the world. It has the typical conventions of a fantasy one of which being set in a different world and having magical creatures.

• Was the stepping stone for other films that had references to it or were heavily inspired by the film. The film is now seen as iconic.

Pushes the boundaries:

E.g. Deadpool

• Deadpool is an action film which also relies heavily on its comedic elements it is a film where it is neither strictly action or strictly comedy it is a fusion that has created a sort of hybrid genre. it has the typical conventions of an action film such as violence, fighting etc. 
• The film was made after a staple amount of Marvel and DC comic book films and basically flipped the formula they used in those movies on its head.

Parody:

E.g. Zombieland 

• Zombieland is a comedy/horror film that meets almost every stereotype in any classic zombie film but decides to turn some of those stereotypes on their head such as the running zombies. The film also chose to have very unconventional methods to surviving in a zombie apocalypse and how they dealt with the zombies.  

• Zombieland is playing with tropes from the original genre and changing them to see how fans of the originals react to references made in the film.

Homage:

E.g. Pulp Fiction 

• Throughout the whole of Pulp Fiction it is riddled with direct references to many movies spanning from the 1920's to the 90's. This is a movie that pays homage to the many movies that inspired it through the ways scenes are shot and props that are used, such as the scene where Vincent Vega is looking into the suitcase this is a direct reference to Pandora's Box(1929). 

• The list of films that Pulp Fiction references is extensive but shows Tarantino's love for classic films that have come before.