Do generic conventions help or restrict film makers?

Do generic conventions help or restrict film makers?

I think that filmmakers have a specific template which restricts them depending on what genre the film is, this causes the same narrative and theme to be repeated multiple times. Filmmakers would repeatedly create more films using the same template and over a period of time, this would result in an audience becoming extremely bored. Eventually, they would stop going to watch films as they already know what to expect which means that the film industry would then plummet into the ground. Having a specific template restricts filmmakers when producing a new film because it averts them from adding in any original and new ideas. They are scared to push boundaries and include new, exciting twists because in general, an audience does not like change. This limits filmmakers completely because they will not make as much money if they ignore including any generic conventions however they aspire to make a brand new film that will shock and engage their audience.

 In contrast to this, I also think that generic conventions help filmmakers. Films that usually follow generic conventions earn a lot more money because an audience feels comfortable knowing what to expect from a film. I think that filmmakers should use generic conventions with a specific genre that they know they cannot change around. For example, hundreds of Horror films stick to the same template: remote area, dark environments, young vulnerable women and many more. An audience knows exactly what to expect when they go to see a new Horror film, the genre has only increased its popularity and revenue since the first one came out in the 1930’s. Using the Horror template seems to work as seeing blood and deaths engages an audience more than watching a new film that has a deep and fascinating story line.

In conclusion, I think that generic conventions both help and restrict filmmakers because using a specific template for a genre allows filmmakers to have complete control during the process of making their film and will overall make a lot of money. However, using the same template repeatedly means that filmmakers can never make their own new film original or how they want to because people love familiarity and in order to stay in the film industry, you must always meet the requirements of an audience.