Film styles
A film style is a recognizable group of conventions
used by
filmmakers to give specific meaning, or depth to their
work. It can encompass every aspect of film; dialogue,
cinematography, attitude (i.e., seriousness or lack
thereof).
Film style is distinct from film genre, which defines what a film is about -- Western films are about the American West, love stories are about love, and so on. Although some styles are strongly associated with certain genres, a style can be applied to any genre -- Barbarella is a surrealistic science fiction film, for example.