Genre Theory
Genre theory is a term that is used to collectively refer and describe the theoretical approaches which are concerned on how same situations come to have typical responses regarding genres. It is a term which is primarily used to create a dimension for both understandings and to create of genres, based on the expected responses and the shaping of the social context (Boellstorff, 2015). Genre theory is the current context delves deeper in that it is a description of a genre in response to a certain kind of specific or social situation which is recurrent. Recurring rhetorical and social situations usually give rise to the genres and therefore making it depend heavily on the discourse intertextuality (Sinding, 2002).
One of the most notable film genres is science fiction as it is used in most of the recent films. Science fiction has a slew of attributes and conventions which make up the genre for the audience point of view and the producers. One of the notable conventions of science fiction film is the place and time setting (Evnine, 2015). It is usually places in a futuristic timeline, or an alternative timeline or a historical timeline which does not concur with historical records. According to Evnine, (2015), it can also be placed in the outer space, with alternative versions of the planet Earth which most of the audience can associate with. This is to ensure that the film gives a different setting from the present, which allows the audience to see the narrative of the film in a more neutral way, in simpler terms, it puts the alien and the unfamiliar in a more familiar context.
The other convention of a science fiction film is one the narrative of the content. It can feature cases of new technology, for example, Nano-technology, humanoids, and space ships. It can include new scientific principles such as time travel and new political systems such as utopian and dystopian societies (Evnine, 2015). It creates a sense of dialogue between new technologies and the imagination of the audience. The other convention or attribute is the conflict between good and evil. This is a technique which is majorly employed to comment on the conflicts in the society, between nations or cultures.
The other attributes are on the matter of futuristic symbolism elements. This is especially in the application of futuristic costumes, props, and setting which to a larger extent represents the scientific advancement in at the center of the film (Vint, 2011). This is usually to make the audience believe in the films they are viewing, by using the familiar connections in the film to convince the audience to make the connection between reality and fiction. The other attribute is the technique of the film where the Centre of it all is the close of scientific elements and futuristic technologies (Vint, 2011). This is to appeal to the audience the importance of the science and technology to the plot of the film and the application of special effects to enable the viewer to make a personal connection between the reality and fiction, by magnifying the technological imagination of the audience.
The Terminator 2- Judgement Day, is a prolific science fiction film, where the lead characters are time travelers from the future, that is the villain and the hero. The story line is on is pegged after ten years when the first mission to kill Sarah Connor and her unborn son by a cyborg known as the Terminator. Now the son has grown into a young healthy boy, and he is destined to become the leader of the human resistance group against cyborgs in the future. A more powerful and advanced Terminator is sent back from the future on a mission to kill the boy while he is still young. However, mother and son will not be able to defend the Terminator alone as another one is sent through the timelines with a mission to protect John and his mother at all costs.
Once the element is time travel, it does not feature much in the plot because they do not go forth and back again. Once they are in the present, time travel becomes insignificant, and the film delves it o the plot of horror and science fiction. The narrative is between good and evil, with the protagonist inclined to destroy innocent civilians who have no idea why they are targeted. The film features futuristic technology for example power source of the hero, or the destruction of the chip in his brain which would lead to cutting short their development, and the mutating ability of the villain. The characters are a mixture of robots and humans and the setting of the film is primarily in the future basically shown in flashbacks as the hero attempts to convince the John and her mother of the importance of his mission.
The villain has a humanoid structure which has superhuman strength and speed. She can mutate to anyone she wishes and recreates any kind of weapon using her hand as source material. he can blend with any surface by becoming part of it. The Terminator is almost indestructible, and the humans must kill it again and again which leads to more action scenes. It can survive direct gun fights and explosives or take a direct hit from a speeding car. This makes the robots indestructible metal endoskeleton have a horror and thrilling aspects, especially where it can reconstruct itself after being blown into pieces. It has the setting dystopian society where robots and technology have taken over the world and are on the constant hunt for human survivors. Humans in the year 2027, have been reduced to living underground and survive on hunting rats.
The special effects are given to the Terminator such as the use of red tints of words of information, which help the viewer to gain a realistic Terminator’s point of view. The Terminators can disguise themselves as humans, and the humans are pitted as vulnerable. A binary opposite of the lead characters. The Terminator may look human but does not bear humans feeling and emotions, having no remorse for the killing of humans. The conflict between the two leads to action scenes of gunfights, car chases, and hand to hand fight climax. The indestructible special effect of the Terminator is what keeps the edge of the audience of what could be the destruction of the villain.
In conclusion, genres give the audience a variety of tastes in which they can associate with, and prescribe to. Science fiction is one of the film genres which attracts a huge fan base due to the level in which they engage the audience on creativeness, imagination, and expectations. The mode of address in the science fiction film Terminator is to engage the audience on the peril of overdependence on technology and the possible effects of singularity. It poses the eventuality of unchecked and unregularized technological advancement. Therefore, genre theory, in this case, facilitates the social reconstruction of the perception of technology in the society.
References
Boellstorff, T. (2015). Audience, genre, method, theory. HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory, 5(2), 391-397. http://dx.doi.org/10.14318/hau5.2.023
Evnine, S. (2015). “But Is It Science Fiction?”: Science Fiction and a Theory of Genre. Midwest Studies in Philosophy, 39(1), 1-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/misp.12037
Sinding, M. (2002). After Definitions: Genre, Categories, and Cognitive Science. Genre, 35(2), 181-219. http://dx.doi.org/10.1215/00166928-35-2-181
Vint, S. (2011). Introduction: Science fiction and biopolitics. Science Fiction Film & Television, 4(2), 161-172. http://dx.doi.org/10.3828/sfftv.2011.11
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