Commodification - Used and Consumed

Different genres appeal to certain target audiences, for example soap operas (TV, Eastenders, Coronation St) and Rom-Com (Sex and the City). 

Genres tend to become 'tired' over time, with audiences becoming less interested e.g. Western. Christian Metz identified four phases: 

1. The Initial Phase
2. The Classical Phase
3. The Declining Phase
4. The Parody Phase

An example of Metz's four phases is The Disaster movie genre;

• Initial - Airport
• Classical - The Towering Inferno
• Declining - Airport 80: The Concorde
• Parody - Airplane

Other clear examples are in the Horror and Western genres.

Soaps e.g. Eastenders because people like to be entertained to the edge of there seats, this is targeted at the working class. Genres are popular because without them there wouldn't be any movies.