genre

Genre is originally a French word meaning "kind", "sort" or “type" and refers to a class or type of film (i.e., westerns, sci-fi, etc.) that shares common, predictable or distinctive artistic and thematic elements or iconography (e.g., bad guys in Westerns wear black hats), narrative content, plot, and subject matter, mood and milieu (or setting) or characters. Film genres are distinct from film styles (a recognizable group of conventions used by filmmakers to add visual appeal, meaning, or depth to their work) that can be applied to any genre. Also see "hybrid. "Anti-genre" films present an apparent genre stereotype and then subvert or challenge it. See "revisionistic films."