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The term 'genre' comes from the French word for 'type'.

In film and other forms of storytelling the word genre is used to describe the type of story being told.

^{Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) is an example of the superhero genre.}

It is important to remember that genre refers to the type of story being told and not the style used to tell it.

Science fiction is a genre but although it might be filmed in black and white, this does not count as a separate genre.

Animation is also not a genre in its own right, it is simply a technique used to make films.

The animated film The Iron Giant (1999) should be described first and foremost as a science fiction film as its plot features aliens, giant robots and other sci-fi elements.

In GCSE Moving Image Arts you will be expected to know the characteristics of the following genres:

• Horror
• Western
• Action/Adventure
• Romantic comedy
• Science fiction
• Crime

You are probably already generally familiar with each of those genres but it is useful to think about how and why a film fits into a certain genre.

It also helps to think about specific examples you may have seen.