FilmInk speaks to genre buff, Mark Ryan, about the changing response to genre flicks and what film fans can expect at D-Day, a side event at Brisbane?s Supanova.
?In Australia, until quite recently, genre has most definitely been a dirty word,? local genre film expert, Mark Ryan, tells FilmInk. ?The emphasis has been on Australian stories and authentic cultural stories. Anything genre-based was seen as debased, too-American and low-brow. But what we?re seeing at the moment is a blurring of the distinction between B-grade and A-grade movies, between cult and mainstream movies. Perhaps thanks to digital technology and Youtube, cult/trash film is more accessible than ever before.?
Indeed, despite the fact that many of the so-called ?great movies? are actually genre pics (The Godfather, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, and Casablanca to name just a few), this form of filmmaking that slots within identifiable categories is often derided ? especially in Australia ? in favour of naturalistic and more ?worthy? works. But it?s a viewpoint ? spurred on by online fan communities and the huge success of a couple of genre flicks ? that is slowly shifting. And zeroing in on that trend is D-Day, a special event returning as part of Brisbane?s Supanova Pop Culture Expo, which celebrates the creators of genre content in all its forms and peels back the curtain on how it all works.
And set to speak at this event is Ryan, an expert on genre film who teaches at the Queensland University of Technology. While Ryan may be a genre buff now, it definitely wasn?t due to a childhood weaned on movies. ?I?ve always loved genre movies particularly sci-fi horrors, psychological thrillers and gothic horror,? he reveals. ?But growing up, my parents were heavily religious and restricted what we were allowed to watch. I wasn?t even allowed to watch Ghostbusters! When I was finally exposed, I fell in love with the diversity of movies on offer across genres. The final result of restricting what I could and couldn?t watch was that I ended up becoming a horror and cult movie scholar,? he adds wryly.
As part of D-Day?s proceedings, Ryan will speak to Larry Cohen, the American screenwriter of close to eighty movies and director of twenty, including Maniac Cop (pictured), It?s Alive, The Ambulance, Q The Winged Serpent and God Told Me To. ?The pair will be joined by Cohen?s actress collaborator, Laurene Landon, who has starred in such cult hits as Roller Boogie, Full Moon High, Hundra, and Robert Aldrich?s final film, All The Marbles. ?You?ll get great insight into the craft of filmmaking,? Ryan promises with regard to his discussion. ?You?ll also get the inside words on some classic cult films and Larry and Laurene?s careers, and receive advice from a cult filmmaking master and iconic B-movie actress on how to make it in filmmaking.?
Other events scheduled for D-Day include a script reading of Let?s Sing... There?s Zombies Outside!, a zombie musical feature film created by writers Candice Deere and Mark Deere and developed through the Screen Queensland Writers? Room initiative. The actors and creative team will also be on hand to canvass opinions. And there will also be a special Q&A with Felicia Day, the web series creator behind the hugely successful The Guild.
An event dedicated to genre content is particularly timely given that the once-dismissed and marginalised form has hit on mainstream legitimacy due to hefty commercial success thanks to the likes of flicks like The Dark Knight, Avengers and Transformers. But Ryan believes that despite indication otherwise, Hollywood is actually pulling back on genre flicks.
?Genre has always driven Hollywood cinema,? Ryan says, ?and genre gives producers a tradition to work within, a category to market and a cue for audiences to decide what they want to watch. But for Hollywood movies, we?re actually seeing a contraction in the genres they produce. At the moment, they?re only really remaking movies, making sequels or producing franchise films. Genres like sci-fi, horror and thriller have been less popular for Hollywood. But on the other hand, more indie producers are producing these movies than ever before.?
Supanova will run in Brisbane from November 9-11 and D-Day will take place on Friday, November 9. More information and tickets can be pre-purchased here.
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Source: http://www.filmink.com.au/news/genre-not-a-dirty-word-/
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