film because some techniques are commonly found in film and have become conventional. For example, after a long shot there may commonly be a cut to a closer view. If a character is walking across the stage, the audience expects the camera to pan or follow the character's movement. Viewers expect to interact with and be a part of the film, rather than simply being shown a group of images. These expectations come from experiences with both the real and film worlds; we follow a character in our real world with our eyes, just as a camera pans to follow a character on the screen. The audience expects films to appear like real life, and be shot according to a certain style. Classical Hollywood narrative film styles and the conventions of other genres help to guide the audience in what to expect. Some film makers use styles that challenge these conventions. Difference between genre and film style Film style and film genre should not be confused; they are different aspects of the medium. Style is the way a movie is filmed, as in the techniques that are used in the production process. Genre is the category a film is placed in regarding the narrative elements. For instance, Western films are about the American frontier, romance films are about love, and so on. Film style categorizes films based on the techniques used in the making of the film, such as cinematography or lighting. Two films may be from the same genre, but may well look different as a result of the film style. For example, Independence Day and Cloverfield are both sci-fi, action films about the possible end of the world. However, they are shot differently, with Cloverfield using a handheld camera for the entire movie. Films in the same genre do not necessarily have the same film style. Therefore, film genre and film style are two separate, distinct terms in film. Types of film styles Absolute Arthouse Art horror Arthouse action European art Auteur Bourekas Documentary Cinéma vérité Direct cinema Documentary mode Fly on the wall Cannibal Experimental Film-poem Film noir Neo-noir Heimatfilm Kammerspielfilm Narrative Underground German underground horror Spaghetti Western Realist Poetic Neorealist Socialist Social Kitchen sink Structural Surrealist Group styles While film style can describe the techniques used by specific filmmakers, it can also be used to describe a movement or group of filmmakers from the same area