In film theory, genre refers to the method of film categorization based on similarities in the narrative elements from which films are constructed. Most theories of film genre are borrowed from literary genre criticism. As with genre in a literary context, there is a great deal of debate over how to define or categorize genres.Besides the basic distinction in genre between fiction and documentary, film genres can be categorized in several ways.
Fictional films are usually categorized according to their setting, theme topic, mood, or format. The setting is the environment where the story and action takes place. The theme or topic refers to the issues or concepts that the film revolves around. The mood is the emotional tone of the film. Format refers to the way the film was shot (e.g., anamorphic widescreen) or the manner of presentation (e.g.: 35 mm, 16 mm or 8 mm). An additional way of categorizing film genres is by the target audience. Some film theorists argue that neither format nor target audience are film genres.
Film genres often branch out into sub-genres, as in the case of the courtroom and trial-focused sub-genre of drama known as the legal drama. They can be combined to form hybrid genres, such the melding of horror and comedy in the Evil Dead films.
Hollywood is built on illusion. As a result, people are unaware of the dangerous portrayals of women in not only films, but across all media. The idea that women are merely objects is the wrong message to deliver to society, however women are still objectified in every form of entertainment. In context, men are the makers of meaning in films and as long as this motif, women will forever be objected to the voyeuristic gazes of the masses. Sexuality is a powerful tool but women are still being objectified as a result and it is a shame that women are fooling themselves into believing that this type of sexual behavior will undermine the dominant ideology. No matter how much she accomplishes, if a woman is sexualized, it is in some way undermining her role as a subject.
Women are always punished in someway, stripped of their subjectivity and transformed into objects, if not thorough visual language (male protagonist/camera angles...), its through narrative.
For example, it could be said that in Hitchcocks "The Birds" When Tippi's chrachter first sees Mitch Brenner, she is intrigued. He has become an object for her satisfaction. She takes control of the gaze, not him, and, as a result, he becomes objectified.
The scene where she is sitting out in a row boat, in the middle of a lake, watching him from afar through a pair of binoculars. It is at this instant that the first bird attack occurs. For example, theoretically, to my understanding, Hitchcock could be punishing Melanie for attempting to alter the normal standards Hollywood has instilled for narrative film. She cannot obtain subjectivity but rather she must be forced back into society’s defined role for her.
Another obvious example of this is in Ridley Scotts "Alien." Sigourney Weaver obtains her subjectivity over the course of the film, being the lone survivor of the alien attacks. The film then, in an instant, voyeuristically objectifies her by showcasing her walking around half naked. Subjectivity is stripped and her role as object reemerges. She is unwittingly undermining all that she has achieved during the course of the film.
...." Women want to see themselves how men see them." - MAD MEN
This is all part of an archetype that is embedded in human psyche. It should not be dismissed and in story telling, who cares. Every character is there to illustrate a motif, both men and women, who out of necessity must be objectified in someway by the observer or participant.
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