--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Genres give a vocabulary. They give a…" description: "\"Genres give a vocabulary. They give a frame of reference for the audience to enter into a movie. Then, once they have their footing, that's when you ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad7/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_audience_genres-give-a-vocabulary-they-give-a-fra_2160316.jpg" --- # Genres give a vocabulary. They give a frame of reference… ![“Genres give a vocabulary. They give a frame of reference for the audience to enter into a movie. Then, once they have their footing, that's when you can start doing things that they don't expect.” quote by Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad7/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_audience_genres-give-a-vocabulary-they-give-a-fra_2160316.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad7/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_audience_genres-give-a-vocabulary-they-give-a-fra_2160316.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad7/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_audience_genres-give-a-vocabulary-they-give-a-fra_2160316.jpg) > “Genres give a vocabulary. They give a frame of reference for the audience to enter into a movie. Then, once they have their footing, that's when you can start doing things that they don't expect.” [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Genre provides a familiar framework, then subverts expectations to surprise the audience. **In simple terms:** Use genre as a launchpad for surprise. Key Takeaway Play with expectations creatively. Themes creativity genre surprise Mood playful analytical Type educational creative When to use this quote - scriptwriting - directing - storyboarding Key Concepts narrative theory film studies Questions to Reflect On - When is it safe to break conventions? - How do audiences react to genre twists? A Different Perspective Subverting genre can alienate some viewers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Doing things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-things/) [Enter Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enter-movie-3569546/) [Frame of reference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frame-of-reference/) [Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre/) [Genres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genres/) [Genres Vocabulary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genres-vocabulary-4581639/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Vocabulary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocabulary/) [Vocabulary Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocabulary-frame-4581640/) ## Related quotes > [I think, in fact, there's a plus and a minus to knowing my prior work, Happiness and so forth. The plus is of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-solondz/i-think-in-fact-there-s-a-plus-and-a-minus-to-knowing-my-prior-work/) [Todd Solondz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-solondz/) > [You know, I never expected to enter the movie business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-atkins/you-know-i-never-expected-to-enter-the-movie-business/) [Christopher Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-atkins/) > [Through spontaneity we are re-formed into ourselves. It creates an explosion that for the moment frees us from handed-down frames of reference, memory choked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-spolin/through-spontaneity-we-are-re-formed-into-ourselves-it-creates-an/) [Viola Spolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-spolin/) > [We must re-center philosophy within our frame of reference which I think is the way to deal with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-re-center-philosophy-within-our-frame-of-reference-which-i/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [It's not a matter of us standing outside it and ticking off the boxes: yes, the Bible is faithful here; yes, it's telling the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/it-s-not-a-matter-of-us-standing-outside-it-and-ticking-off-the-boxes/) [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) > [I think, in my life and in my experience, teens have stress, and everybody's stress is unique, and everybody's frame of reference is different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-klein/i-think-in-my-life-and-in-my-experience-teens-have-stress-and/) [Chris Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-klein/) > [Some of Mr. Gregory's poems have merely appeared in The New Yorker ; others are New Yorker poems: the inclusive topicality, the informed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/some-of-mr-gregory-s-poems-have-merely-appeared-in-the-new-yorker/) [Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/) > [Our consciousness, our ideas, our frame of reference and our belief system determine whether we go to the river of life with a teaspoon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anthony/our-consciousness-our-ideas-our-frame-of-reference-and-our-belief/) [Robert Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anthony/) > [If Vin Scully calling a game is just as good in 2013 as he was in 1963, that's the way a game should sound.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-vin-scully-calling-a-game-is-just-as-good-in-2013-as-he-was-in/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Einstein's space is no closer to reality than Van Gogh's sky . The glory of science is not in a truth more absolute than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/einstein-s-space-is-no-closer-to-reality-than-van-gogh-s-sky-the/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The interior deprives men of their senses. Here, the eerie stillness of the wilderness and the darkness of night render the men both deaf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-interior-deprives-men-of-their-senses-here-the-eerie-stillness-of/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [The state of empathy, or being empathic, is to perceive the internal frame of reference of another with accuracy and with the emotional components…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/the-state-of-empathy-or-being-empathic-is-to-perceive-the-internal/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [Reading is not a straightforward linear movement, a merely cumulative affair: our initial speculations generate a frame of reference within which to interpret what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/reading-is-not-a-straightforward-linear-movement-a-merely-cumulative/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [When I studied how to think in school, I was taught that the first rule of logic was that a thing cannot both be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/when-i-studied-how-to-think-in-school-i-was-taught-that-the-first/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [I'm not an educated man. I only know what I'm told, and I'm not told that much; I have no frame of reference for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-m-not-an-educated-man-i-only-know-what-i-m-told-and-i-m-not-told/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) ## More by Joseph Gordon-Levitt > [Let's face it, most pretty girls aren't funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/let-s-face-it-most-pretty-girls-aren-t-funny/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [Most of what Hollywood puts out is crap anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/most-of-what-hollywood-puts-out-is-crap-anyway/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [If you're going to put yourself above everybody else, you might end up alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/if-you-re-going-to-put-yourself-above-everybody-else-you-might-end-up/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I think, honestly, that the word 'indie' is a false gimmick. 'Independent' used to mean a movie that was financed outside corporate Hollywood, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is-a-false-gimmick-independent/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I like making little videos and little records. I've always loved video cameras and four-track cassette recorders, still cameras, anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-like-making-little-videos-and-little-records-i-ve-always-loved/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [You usually get one or the other, you get someone who knows how to tell a story but they don't necessarily know about light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/you-usually-get-one-or-the-other-you-get-someone-who-knows-how-to/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [That is very different from how it used to be in the 20th century. Media was very one way. There's a small little industry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/that-is-very-different-from-how-it-used-to-be-in-the-20th-century/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I knew that if I wanted to really maintain control, I would have to keep the budget down. And I did. And I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-knew-that-if-i-wanted-to-really-maintain-control-i-would-have-to/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [When I was a teenager I loved acting, but I really just loved it for myself. I didn't like the fact that anyone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-loved-acting-but-i-really-just-loved-it-for/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I don't buy into the glory days thing. I think every time has its great things to it. The '60s were such a glorious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-don-t-buy-into-the-glory-days-thing-i-think-every-time-has-its/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I didn't really like doing commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-didn-t-really-like-doing-commercials/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I just need some time away to remember why I stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-just-need-some-time-away-to-remember-why-i-stay/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I love Kimberly Peirce. Incredibly intense is a good way of describing her. Brutally honest. Really sharp. She's a director for actors. That's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-love-kimberly-peirce-incredibly-intense-is-a-good-way-of-describing/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I think there is something beautiful in reveling in sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-think-there-is-something-beautiful-in-reveling-in-sadness/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [That's sort of what I wanted to make fun of a little bit with Don Jon. And I think oftentimes, if you're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/that-s-sort-of-what-i-wanted-to-make-fun-of-a-little-bit-with-don-jon/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) [Explore all 226 Joseph Gordon-Levitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Genres give a vocabulary. They give a frame of reference for the audience to enter into a movie. Then, once they have their footing, that's when you can start doing things that they don't expect.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Gordon-Levitt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/genres-give-a-vocabulary-they-give-a-frame-of-reference-for-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/genres-give-a-vocabulary-they-give-a-frame-of-reference-for-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad7/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_audience_genres-give-a-vocabulary-they-give-a-fra_2160316.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad7/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_audience_genres-give-a-vocabulary-they-give-a-fra_2160316.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad7/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_audience_genres-give-a-vocabulary-they-give-a-fra_2160316.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Genres give a vocabulary. They give a frame of reference for the audience to enter into a movie. Then, once…” — Joseph Gordon-Levitt", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joseph Gordon-Levitt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Genres give a vocabulary. They give...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/genres-give-a-vocabulary-they-give-a-frame-of-reference-for-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/genres-give-a-vocabulary-they-give-a-frame-of-reference-for-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```