Diversification and Concentration of U.S. Film Genre Configurations, 1946-2013

• In Event: Popular Culture 1

Abstract

Film genres are usually analyzed as individual types, e.g., as "the Western" or "the gangster movie." In practice, however, films frequently combine genres-e.g., romantic comedies, historical dramas, or family-friendly action-adventures. It is therefore more accurate to conceive of films as configurations of genres. This research applies taxonomic analysis to examine how the genre configurations of popular American films changed between 1946 and 2013. I first identify a corpus of film types that have consistently been popular across this time frame. I then examine departures from this "standard repertoire." The post-war era exhibited increasing genre diversification; not only were a wide range of films produced and consumed but genres were also combined in increasingly novel ways. In contrast, genre diversity decreases during the blockbuster era. I also find that the types of genres that are popular with contemporary audiences has changed. Notably, the two periods combined affect and context in distinct ways. Post-war audiences preferred a variety of serious films set in realistic settings; in contrast, contemporary audiences increasingly prefer similar types of intense, non-realistic films.

Author

• Claude Rubinson, University of Houston-Downtown