Genre

Audiences develop an understanding that certain expectations my be fulfilled and they may find pleasure in predicting what will happen next.

Genres have characteristic features that are known to and recognised by audiences. This formula is produced again and again. For example, in a western we see similar characters, situations and settings.

A big example for horrors is in the film called scream. The film tells us the rules of the genre, shows what's going to happen and then the film shows it happening. This is also a prime example of postmodernism. Audiences recognise key elements of a genre and react differently to each genre. These key elements are known as paradigms.

There are two types of paradigms, these are called Iconographic paradigms and structural paradigms. An example of Iconographic paradigms are costumes and props in an action films like guns etc. An example of structural paradigms is how gender is represented in an action film.