Film trailers and posters

The images here encourage students to look closely at genre codes and conventions.
The film titles and knowledge of the films are not relevant here although students might recognise them. The activity requires students to look closely at the visual clues to reinforce the learning point that genres have a recognisable set of known/shared conventions.
The visual clues here might generate discussion about: typical settings, character types, character relationships, costumes, situation, key iconography, technical codes such as special effects, framing of image and lighting.

The stills here are from Gravity [science fiction], The Internship [comedy], Warm Bodies [comedy, zombie, romance], RoboCop [sci-fi/action], Iron Man [superhero, action] The Hunger Games [adventure], 12 Years a Slave [period, historical, drama], The Other Woman [comedy].

Genre is such a wide term e.g. horror film, but it is possible to categorise films more specifically and class them in sub-genres e.g. supernatural horror or sci-fi horror, as films within a sub-genre can have their own specific features.

Genre can be identified through recognisable conventions. Some films use elements from more than one genre. These are hybrid genres and can widen the appeal of a film for audiences.