Genre/Form Headings for Moving Image Materials at BYU

Last updated: April 30, 2012

All records for moving image materials in the BYU Library collection have one of the following form headings:

Fiction films
Nonfiction films
Fiction television programs
Nonfiction television programs
Children’s films
Children’s television programs
Documentary films
Documentary television programs
Made-for-TV movies
Silent films

Films intended for theatrical exhibition have one of the following headings:

Feature films [films with a running time of 40 minutes or more]
Short films [films with a running time of less than 40 minutes]

If appropriate, resources with accessibility features have one of the following headings:

Video recordings for people with visual disabilities
[films produced with captions or sign language for viewing by the hearing impaired]
Video recordings for the hearing impaired
[films with additional audio description provided for people with visual disabilities]

Non-English language resources have headings in the form “… language films” or “… language television programs.”

French language films

Spanish language television programs
Cantonese dialect films
Chinese language films

Resources produced by non-U.S. production companies have headings such as the following (the country is where the company has its principal offices):

Motion pictures–Argentina
Television programs–Canada

In addition, individual records may contain narrower genre/form terms from the following list, searchable in the genre/form index. Terms with an asterisk (*) have an equivalent term for television programs. E.g., “Action and adventure films*” means there is also a term “Action and adventure television programs.”

Note: this is a complete list of available terms as of April 30, 2012; the BYU Library collection does not include examples of all the following genres.

3-D films

Abstract films

Action and adventure films*

Actualities (Motion pictures)

Amateur films

Amusement ride films

Angel films

Animal films*

Animated films*

Anime (Motion pictures)

Anthology films*

Anti-war films*

Apocalyptic films*

Audience participation television programs

Autobiographical films*

Aviation films*

Award presentations (Motion pictures)*

B films

Ballet films*

Beach party films

Beauty contest films*

Bible films*

Biographical films*

Biographical videos

Blaxploitation films

Book review television programs

Buddy films*

Cameraless animation films

Caper films*

Car-chase films

Chase films

Christian films*

Christmas films*

Cinema vérité films

City symphonies (Motion pictures)

Clay animation films*

Closed captioning

use Video recordings for the hearing impaired*

College life films*

Comedy films / Television comedies

Coming-of-age films*

Compilation films*

Computer animation films*

Concert films*

Crime films / Television crime shows

Cultural television programs

Cutout animation films

Dadaist films

Dance films*

Dark comedy films*

Detective and mystery films*

Disaster films*

Documentary-style films*

Domestic comedy films*

Dystopian films*

Educational films*

Environmental films*

Epic films*

Erotic films*

Ethnographic films*

Experimental films

Exploitation films

Expressionist films

Family films

Fan films

Fantasy comedies (Motion pictures)*

Fantasy films*

Feminist films

Film adaptations

Film clips

Film excerpts

Film noir

Film remakes

Film serials

Film trailers

Filmed ballets

Filmed boxing matches

Filmed comedy sketches

Filmed dance

Filmed debates

Filmed football games

Filmed interviews

Filmed literary readings

Filmed lectures

Filmed musicals

Filmed operas

Filmed operettas

Filmed panel discussions

Filmed performances

Filmed plays

Filmed shadow shows

Filmed speeches

Filmed sports events

Filmed stand-up comedy routines

Films for people with visual disabilities

Films for the hearing impaired

Gangster films*

Gay erotic films

Ghost films*

Haunted house films*

Heimatfilme

Historical films*

Historical reenactments (Motion pictures)*

Home shopping television programs

Horror films*

Independent films

Industrial films*

Infomercials

Instructional films*

Internet videos

Journalism films*

Jungle films*

Juvenile delinquency films*

Kinescope films

LDS films

Legal films*

Lesbian erotic films

Live-action/animated films*

Live television programs

Loop films

Low budget films

Machinima films*

Mad scientist films

Magazine format television programs

Makeover television programs

Martial arts films*

Medical films (Motion pictures)

Medical television programs

Melodramas (Motion pictures)

Military films*

Monster films*

Mood films

Motion pictures [NOTE: this is only used for collections of films that are composed of multiple genres]

Motorcycle films

Mountain films

Movie review television programs

Music videos

Musical films / Television musicals

Nature films*

New wave films

Newsreels

Novelty films

Opera films*

Operetta films

Outtakes

Parody films*

Peplum films

Performance art

Pirate films

Pixilated animation films

Police films / Television cop shows

Political films*

Political television commercials

Populist films

Prison films*

Promos (Television commercials)

Promotional films*

Propaganda films*

Public access television programs

Public affairs television programs

Public service announcements (Motion pictures)

Public service television programs

Puppet films*

Race films

Reality television programs

Religious films*

Road films*

Rock concert films

Rock films

Rock videos

Romance films*

Romantic comedy films*

Rubble films

Rural comedy films*

Rushes (Motion pictures)*

Samurai films*

Science fiction films*

Science films*

Screen tests

Screwball comedy films

Show business films*

Silent films

Silhouette animation films

Singing cowboy films*

Situation comedies (Television programs)

Skating films

Sketch comedy television programs

Slapstick comedy films*

Slasher films

Snuff films

Social guidance films

Social problem films

Sophisticated comedy films*

Sound motion pictures

Spaghetti Westerns