My Blog: Genre Research: Fantasy

Fantasy

The fantasy genre is categorized as a type of fiction, in which it includes magical or supernatural aspects and characters that are not present in real life. This genre is used throughout numerous different medias, such as books, comics, films, and video games. It is a very diverse category and can usually be viewed by all ages. However in some cases, younger consumers tend to gravitate towards it more. For example, fairy tales and Disney films are generally for the younger audience.

Genre Conventions

Most content from the fantasy world includes the use of magical spells, objects, and powers, talking animals, a creatively detailed fantasy world, and mystical creatures. There is usually a good vs. evil trope as it is in many princess movies. These pieces also add a mentor for the main character that helps them throughout the film, book, or game.

There are various production patterns that producers and directors have done while creating a fantasy based story. They will make extremely detailed worlds so consumers are able to be fully emersed in the media. CGI and visual effects play a huge role in creating realistic but mystical settings. This can also be used to created non existing creatures such as unicorns and dragons. Motion capture is another tool that is used to bring a mystical creature to life. The use of green screens allow seamless transitions from real sets to fake sets.

Institutional conventions

The usual tropes used in this genre are the hero's journey, good vs. evil, the chosen one, and coming of age. There is most likely a parallel world in which the main character travels to. The audience's expectations of a genre have a significant role in how well media is consumed. This is why authors or directors usually rely on embracing traditional characteristics such as magic and quests, but adding their own spin or twist to the story so it seems more interesting and engaging. Many advertisements for these specific types of movies include dramatic moments that draw viewers in. For instance, battle/fighting sequences, entering parallel world, romantic scenes, and emotional deaths.

Film example #1: Harry Potter (2001)

Harry Potter is a series of movies about a young boy "the chosen one", who figures out he is a wizard. This story was first a book and then became a movie because of its popularity. He enters a new world where wizards and witches live. The world is magical and full of mystical creatures including trolls, unicorns, dragons, and dementors. There is a trope of good vs. evil, as Harry is the hero and Voldemort is the villain. Harry Potter takes on many quests as he journeys throughout the wizarding world. This story is known by and popular in all age groups as it is a very diverse and fun genre. The movies contain countless battle scenes, romantic scenes (Ex: Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ginny), and various emotional deaths (Ex: Dumbledore, Harry Potter's parents, Severus Snape, Sirius Black).

Film example #2: How to train your dragon (2010)

The How to train your dragon trilogy is about a young boy named Hiccup who is an outcast from his community(Vikings). He doesn't like to kill dragons like his peers. He befriends a dragon named toothless and brings his community to love dragons the same way he does. The story is based off of a medieval time period and takes places on an island called Berk in which the characters live. The story contains a romantic trope between Hiccup and Astrid, who the best Viking Warrior. There are also emotional deaths (Ex: Stoick-Hiccup's dad). This movie is generally known by all ages, however it is mostly aimed toward the younger audience as it is a cartoon and is family friendly film.

Other Fantasy Genre Examples

The Legend of Zelda (2017) - Video game