Idea 1:
Our first idea was that there is a young boy who is very popular in high school he gets all the girls, his funny, very attractive, plays football, his the typical ideal boyfriend for a high school girl. We decided that he would start to date 3 of the most popular girls in the school who are best friends and eventually there other friends told the girls when they found out that the boy there dating is dating all of them. The 3 popular girls then became arch enemies, and wanted to hurt each other. The hate they had turned into a big argument over face book until one of the girls said lets talk on msn and sort this out properley. So they did and when they spoke on msn they decided there not going to fight over a boy and made a plan to get him back. The ways the girls try to get the boy back are very humorous and they never seem to go right. In the end the boy gets the girls back for trying to get him in the first place by dating there best friend.
Idea 2:
Our second idea was that there is a very pretty boy, who’s sweet, and knows how to talk to the ladies, he gets all the attention he needs and he has a best friend who’s not so pretty. He knows he can get any girl he likes so he uses it to his advantage. And one day his at a party, he sees a girl he is very attached to and he begins to like her. He then realises that she doesn’t like him and his determined to prove his friend that he can get her because there’s not one girl he can not get. He begins to do anything and everything for this girl until he gets to the point where he thinks she really does just not like him. He then goes to another party, and the girl secretly is beginning to like him. She also turns up to the party and she sees him kissing another girl. Just when she was about to tell him how she felt she saw this and she ends up heartbroken and runs out the party where he then chases her, and try’s his best to get her before its too late...
Idea 3:
There’s a couple and there a couple everyone in the college knows about, every boy fancies the girl and would want her has a girlfriend and most girls would love to date the boy, the relationship is going well and nothing can really in the way. One day in the college a new boy arrives and has in the same class has the girl the teacher puts them together to work on a project and they start to talk. The boy begins to like the girl not knowing that the girl has a boyfriend. Not just any boyfriend at that 'The Top Boy' boyfriend. The girl’s boyfriend seems to clock on that the new boy likes her and he warns his girlfriend to make him know before its too late, the new boy then tells the girl that he likes her and she tells him he can’t because she’s no good for him. The girl’s boyfriend sees the girl and new boy talking about this and his holding her hand, the girl’s boyfriend tells the girl she has to set him up so he can deal with him. She refuses as she slowly falling for him but she refuses to tell her boyfriend that. The boyfriend and girl split up has he threatens her to do so, and she continues to refuse, the boyfriend try’s to get back with the girl in humorous ways before the new boy gets her...
Idea 4: (Main Idea)
Characters
3 Boys:
# Kymani - 17, Black Hair, Brown Eyes, Mixed Race.
# Khiri - 17, Brown Hair, Brown Eyes, Mixed Race.
# Kieran 17, Brown Hair, Brown Eyes, Mixed Race.
3 Girls:
# Chyante - 16, Brown Hair, Brown Eyes, Mixed Race.
# Courtney - 16, Black Hair, Brown Eyes, Mixed Race.
# Cassandra - 16, Brown Hair, Brown Eyes, Mixed Race.
The story is based in Kymani's house.
Kymani and Chyante are brother and sister. Chyante is Kymanis younger sister who he is very protective over no boys can talk to her in a relationship way, and the 3 boys, Kymani, Khiri and Kieran who are best friends make sure of this. The 3 boys are best friends they class each other as family because there so tight, nothing and no one can come in between them, there all very good looking boys who get any girls they want, they have no respect for girls and they all use the same chat up lines on the girls which is how they get girls. The 3 boys know each other inside out. Where as with the 3 girls their also best friends they tell each other everything. The storyline is that basically Khiri, Kymani and Kieran are in Kymanis rooms getting ready to go out to a party, whilst there getting ready they fail to realise that Chyante and her friends are also getting ready to go to a party. Because the boys are so intrigued by the phone calls there getting from girls they don’t pay any attention to the girls that night. The boys are in Kymanis room and there phones begin to ring they all run to the phones and answer it, the screen would then split into 3 and we would see and hear the way the boys talk to girls. They then come off the phone and we see them talking and making jokes until Khiris thirsty and he decides he wants a drink and goes out the bedroom to get one, whilst he is about to do this, Chyantes secretly sneaking out her room to grab her mascara from the bathroom, when she turns around from closing her door Khiris standing in front of her and he asks her where she thinks she going dressed like that. She replies, once they have there talk, eventually Khiri tells her she looks beautiful and she can’t believe he said that to her and he cant believe he did either after, they both freeze and walk off to where they were going in the first place. Slowly has the days pass, they begin to see each other secretly and begin to like each other allot however the 3boys know that if there’s anything they cant do in there click is date or have a relationship with a family member. So for Khiri and Chyante to be seeing each other and Kymani finding out will cause some serious problems. The boys have a sleepover the week later at Kymanis house and Chyantes in her room whilst the boys fall asleep after playing play station and smoking Khiris still awake and sneaks into Chyantes room, they kiss and hug and talk about them until Kieran wakes up and sees them together whilst he’s on his way to the bathroom. Kieran gets mad and start arguing with Khiri but eventually calms down as they talk about it, and decide not to tell Kymani. But has they continue to see each other and get more serious, Chyante feels she wants to tell her brother has she doesn’t want to hide from him anymore. They tell him and after fighting and arguments they sort it out and he lets them be on one condition that he treats her right and drops every other girl on his line.
Opening Sequence:
The opening scene begins where we see a long shot of the house, you hear non diegetic music start which is played until dialogue is heard, the music is very lively, we then see a medium shot of feet running upstairs, we then see a close up of a girls lips in the mirror putting on her lip-gloss slowly, we then see a close-up of a girls eye on the mirror putting on her mascara, the shot then changes to a medium shot of a spliff being rolled up by a boy, and a bed with a mobile phone on it and magazines and play station pads. We then see an extreme close up on the phone ringing with a girls name on the screen, the non diegtic music then stops and we hear the ringing. A match on action the takes place where a hand picks up the phone and the screen splits into 3 where we see three different boys faces and they all say 'Yoooo' we hear them talking to the girls one by one, the scene then changes to a birds eye view on the girls room, where three girls are lying down and sitting on a bed and there talking reading magazines and getting ready at the same time. We then go back to the boy’s room and see Khiri getting up from the bed and he goes out the door to get a drink, we then see Chyante coming out of her room to get a drink. We then see a shot over the shoulder shot of them talking and then a medium shot of them walking away after. You can tell this is a rom-com because there is no violence in the beginning, the atmosphere is very loved up, and the music isn’t eerie, the bright background senses the happier effect than a dark background which symbolises a thriller or horror.
Character Analysis:
Kymanis the oldest, he’s very cheeky and hates being ignored. Out of the three boys his the one that can fight the best and always gets in arguments and fights over his sister.
Kieran’s the cleverest, he knows how to talk to the police when Kymani gets in trouble with them, he doesn’t smoke and he has manners, just not to girls.
Khiris the one who gets the most girls, he’s funny, the hyper, and the one who sorts out all the problems in the click.
Chyantes very pretty, she gets all the boys, which gets her brother angry, she’s polite and very clever, she likes to play netball, and loves celebrities and music.
Cassandra’s chyantes closest friend, she’s cute, she loves music and her hair, and she can’t live without her mobile phone. She’s very cheeky when she wants to be.
Courtney’s the 'ghetto' one who loves tracksuits and money, she’s also very pretty and gets boys, but she’s more interested in money and having a laugh with her girls.
Friday 18 December 2009
Template Of Our Questionnaire
Here is the template to our questionnaire:
1. What gender are you?
Female ___ Male ___
2. What age are you?
15-16 ___ 17-18 ___ 19-20 ___ 21-23 ___ 24+ ___
3. What genre in films do you prefer?
Romantic Comedies
Horror
Thriller
Other _____________________________
4. Do you watch romantic comedies?
Yes ___ No ___ Sometimes ___
5. What would attract your attention to watch a romantic film?
6. What do you dislike about a romantic comedy?
Predictable Story Lines
Too Unrealistic
‘’Perfect’’ Looking Actors
Too Dramatic
Other ________________________________________________
7. Would you prefer a romantic comedy if you could relate to it?
Yes ___ No ___
8. What do you prefer?
American Romantic Comedies
English Comedies
Why …………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………
9. What lifestyle do you prefer in romantic comedies?
‘Urban Lifestyle’ ____ ‘Posh Lifestyle’ ___
10. What point of view would you prefer to see a romantic comedy from?
1st Person ____ 3rd Person _____
11. What emotion are you normally left feeling with at the end of a romantic comedy?
12. Why do you watch romantic comedies?
We appreciate that you have taken time out to complete our questionnaire!
Thank You :)
1. What gender are you?
Female ___ Male ___
2. What age are you?
15-16 ___ 17-18 ___ 19-20 ___ 21-23 ___ 24+ ___
3. What genre in films do you prefer?
Romantic Comedies
Horror
Thriller
Other _____________________________
4. Do you watch romantic comedies?
Yes ___ No ___ Sometimes ___
5. What would attract your attention to watch a romantic film?
6. What do you dislike about a romantic comedy?
Predictable Story Lines
Too Unrealistic
‘’Perfect’’ Looking Actors
Too Dramatic
Other ________________________________________________
7. Would you prefer a romantic comedy if you could relate to it?
Yes ___ No ___
8. What do you prefer?
American Romantic Comedies
English Comedies
Why …………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………
9. What lifestyle do you prefer in romantic comedies?
‘Urban Lifestyle’ ____ ‘Posh Lifestyle’ ___
10. What point of view would you prefer to see a romantic comedy from?
1st Person ____ 3rd Person _____
11. What emotion are you normally left feeling with at the end of a romantic comedy?
12. Why do you watch romantic comedies?
We appreciate that you have taken time out to complete our questionnaire!
Thank You :)
Friday 4 December 2009
Questionnaire Summary
After researching through the different genres and gaining an understanding of the codes and conventions through different analysis, I have decided to do a romantic comedy as my final piece as 40% of people aged between 15-20 preferred romantic comedy to any other genre. I gathered this information from my questionnaires which where handed out around the college and out side of the working environment into my family home. By doing this gathered that majority of females asked aged 15-19 favoured romantic comedies rather than watch a horror or a thriller, some of the reasons given for this for this was that they found a romantic comedies more interesting and funny, and it was they liked the idea they could watch a film without being scared of what is going to happen and afraid of what will happen next. A large amount of females aged 15-20 said that the only thing they disliked about watching a romantic comedy was that it is too unrealistic and the story lines are sometimes predictable.
The most popular style of romantic comedy was American Rom Com’s which were preferred by both male and female. In the questionnaire they were asked to define why they preferred American comedies and both genders answered because they hadn’t really seen many British Romantic Comedies and because the actors are funnier and the actors in American Romantic Comedies are at a better standard of acting. Also 30% of females who took part answered they favoured an American comedy to an English one for the reason that the actors are more “glamorous” and English films always look low budgeted.
The question 9 was ‘what lifestyle do you prefer in romantic comedies?’ they had the choices of ‘urban lifestyle’ and ‘posh lifestyle’ and 80% of the participants answered ‘urban lifestyle’.The participants where also asked what point of view they prefer to see a romantic comedy from and 17 / 30 people said that they prefer to see it in 1st person. 13/30 said they find it hard to stay engaged into a film being told in 1st person. Overall the main question of the questionnaire was ‘why do you watch romantic comedies’ and the males aged 20-23 stated that they watch it because they get dragged to watch it with there female companions.
The participants were then asked, other than this why would you go to the cinemas to watch a romantic comedy females aged between 20-23 stated that they would watch a romantic comedy because it makes them feel better and they feel that sometimes they can relate to the film in situations wise. The younger generation of females aged between 15-19 stated they watch romantic comedies because its entertaining and they make them smile and they feel they have better knowledge on how boys think and what they want, however a lot of the males asked also response was slightly different from the age15-19 as they stated that they would watch a romantic because they are funny and there are always dilemmas in the end which they find amusing, The males aged 23+ stated that they would watch romantic comedies because they feel they’re sometimes interesting to watch, where as the females aged 23+ replied in a unexpected way as they would prefer to watch a horror or thriller but if they where to watch a romantic comedy it would be because they are interested in watching it through the reviews off the mass media.
Due to the feedback I received on my questionnaire, I have decided that I will be doing Romantic Comedy with a target audience of people aged between 15-20. Mainly because of the positive feedback we received from this particular age group.
The most popular style of romantic comedy was American Rom Com’s which were preferred by both male and female. In the questionnaire they were asked to define why they preferred American comedies and both genders answered because they hadn’t really seen many British Romantic Comedies and because the actors are funnier and the actors in American Romantic Comedies are at a better standard of acting. Also 30% of females who took part answered they favoured an American comedy to an English one for the reason that the actors are more “glamorous” and English films always look low budgeted.
The question 9 was ‘what lifestyle do you prefer in romantic comedies?’ they had the choices of ‘urban lifestyle’ and ‘posh lifestyle’ and 80% of the participants answered ‘urban lifestyle’.The participants where also asked what point of view they prefer to see a romantic comedy from and 17 / 30 people said that they prefer to see it in 1st person. 13/30 said they find it hard to stay engaged into a film being told in 1st person. Overall the main question of the questionnaire was ‘why do you watch romantic comedies’ and the males aged 20-23 stated that they watch it because they get dragged to watch it with there female companions.
The participants were then asked, other than this why would you go to the cinemas to watch a romantic comedy females aged between 20-23 stated that they would watch a romantic comedy because it makes them feel better and they feel that sometimes they can relate to the film in situations wise. The younger generation of females aged between 15-19 stated they watch romantic comedies because its entertaining and they make them smile and they feel they have better knowledge on how boys think and what they want, however a lot of the males asked also response was slightly different from the age15-19 as they stated that they would watch a romantic because they are funny and there are always dilemmas in the end which they find amusing, The males aged 23+ stated that they would watch romantic comedies because they feel they’re sometimes interesting to watch, where as the females aged 23+ replied in a unexpected way as they would prefer to watch a horror or thriller but if they where to watch a romantic comedy it would be because they are interested in watching it through the reviews off the mass media.
Due to the feedback I received on my questionnaire, I have decided that I will be doing Romantic Comedy with a target audience of people aged between 15-20. Mainly because of the positive feedback we received from this particular age group.
Codes and Conventions Of A Horror And Thriller
A horror film is usually going to start of with music being played, the music will be played at a certain pace depending on how the director wants the audience to feel at that present moment in time, either way the music is to make the audience feel anxious or tensed, it creates a eerie atmosphere. This type of genre strives to encourage fear and apprehension from their viewers by colliding supernatural into reality situations. Modernized horrors usually contain graphic violence or bloody gore. Horror films differentiate due to the years which make it harder to compare or group them largely which results in contrasts between them which become very clear.
The typical settings of A Horror Film Are:
o Preliminary introduction into ordinary lifestyle
o Type of bizarre murder/death – killer maybe known or unknown
o Credits follow horror theme – creepy font, title movement, image eg pumpkin, weapon, etc
o Main characters introduced – young/ youthful
o Teenage kids – easy target also vulnerable – home alone
o Teenagers usually a couple – football jock boyfriend and cheerleader blonde bimbo girlfriend.
o Mysterious phone calls – dubbed sinister voice “Who’s There…?”
o Family ties broken
o Sisters killed by brothers e.g: Halloween
o Sometimes unsuccessful acts of heroism
o Victim unprotected
o Superhuman killer – doesn’t die successfully = sequels
Some information was gathered from: http://smay-fuller-suttonmediaas.blogspot.com/2008/12/codes-and-conventions-of-horror-film.html
Codes and Conventions of A Thriller Film:
Thriller are typically set in claustrophobic spaces such as:
* planes
* coffins
* under water
* boot of a car
* elevator/lift
* walk in freezer
* tube trains
* white van
* small room
* car
* prison cell
* narrow alleyways
* multi-storey car parks
and the lighting is always seem to be very dark and Chiaroscuro - light against dark - creates a sense of illusion, nightmare whilst also being aesthetically pleasing. The director always uses surprises and twists to play with the viewers mind, and the different camera angles and quick cuts to draw suspense, the music that is added to create tension, there's typically always mirrors and stairs, flashbacks and time sequences are also used to make the audience think and your most likely to always see the film from a killers point of view.
The typical settings of A Horror Film Are:
o Preliminary introduction into ordinary lifestyle
o Type of bizarre murder/death – killer maybe known or unknown
o Credits follow horror theme – creepy font, title movement, image eg pumpkin, weapon, etc
o Main characters introduced – young/ youthful
o Teenage kids – easy target also vulnerable – home alone
o Teenagers usually a couple – football jock boyfriend and cheerleader blonde bimbo girlfriend.
o Mysterious phone calls – dubbed sinister voice “Who’s There…?”
o Family ties broken
o Sisters killed by brothers e.g: Halloween
o Sometimes unsuccessful acts of heroism
o Victim unprotected
o Superhuman killer – doesn’t die successfully = sequels
Some information was gathered from: http://smay-fuller-suttonmediaas.blogspot.com/2008/12/codes-and-conventions-of-horror-film.html
Codes and Conventions of A Thriller Film:
Thriller are typically set in claustrophobic spaces such as:
* planes
* coffins
* under water
* boot of a car
* elevator/lift
* walk in freezer
* tube trains
* white van
* small room
* car
* prison cell
* narrow alleyways
* multi-storey car parks
and the lighting is always seem to be very dark and Chiaroscuro - light against dark - creates a sense of illusion, nightmare whilst also being aesthetically pleasing. The director always uses surprises and twists to play with the viewers mind, and the different camera angles and quick cuts to draw suspense, the music that is added to create tension, there's typically always mirrors and stairs, flashbacks and time sequences are also used to make the audience think and your most likely to always see the film from a killers point of view.
The History Of Romantic Films
The screwball comedy is a subgenre of the comedy film genre. It has proven to be one of the most popular and enduring film genres. It first gained prominence in 1934 with It Happened One Night, and, although many film scholars would agree that its classic period ended sometime in the early 1940s, elements of the genre have persisted, or have been paid homage to, in contemporary film.
While there is no authoritative list of the defining characteristics of the screwball comedy genre, films considered to be definitive of the genre usually feature farcical situations, a combination of slapstick with fast-paced repartee, and a plot involving courtship and marriage or remarriage. The film critic Andrew Sarris has defined the screwball comedy as "a sex comedy without the sex.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screwball_comedy_film
The Kiss (1896) (aka The May Irwin Kiss) although regarded as "disgusting" and scandalous, a Victorian couple May Irwin and John Rice re-enacted a lingering kiss. This was produced for Thomas Edison's film from their 1895 Broadway stage play The Widow Jones; it was the first film ever made of a couple kissing in cinematic history. It then became the most popular film produced that year by Edison's film company (it was filmed at Edison's Black Maria studio, in West Orange, NJ)
The first American feature-length sex film was Traffic in Souls (1913) (aka While New York Sleeps) The original vamp and first movie sex goddess, the full-bosomed Theda Bara, starred in a number of early silent’s for the Fox Film Corporation - her first lurid, slinky vamp appearance (and first lead role) was in Fox's melodramatic A Fool There Was (1915).
It was not until the creation of romantic love in the western European medieval period, though, that "romance" came to refer to "romantic love" situations, rather than the heroic adventures of medieval Romance. These adventures, however, often revolved about a knight's feats on behalf of a lady, and so the modern themes of love were quickly woven into them, as in Chrétien de Troyes's Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_comedy_film
Book Research
The Cinemas Book Third Edition BFI Edited By Pam Cook
Part 5: Genre Comedy (Steve Neale)
Romantic Comedies:
Rom Com, has received the greatest attention in recent years, at least in part because of its revival by Hollywood in the mid 1980s under the guise of what Neale and Krutnik have termed ‘the new romance’ (Neale and Krutnik, 1990; Krutnik; 1990: Neale, 1992) In contrast to the screwball films, little has been written on the ‘sex comedies’ of the 1950s and 1960s – films such as Pillow Talk (1959) and Lovers Come Back (1961). There has been a revival of interest in the ‘sophisticated’ comedies of romance, sex, marriage and remarriage that preceded the screwball cycle in the late 1910’s and 1920s, especially those directed by Cecil B. DeMille. (Higashi; 1994; Musser1995.) However, there are as yet no histories of romantic comedy in Hollywood that encompass all these trends. Neale (1992) proposes a number of basic conventions, including ‘the meet cute’, ‘the wrong partner’, the learning process the couple nearly always have to undergo and the initial hostility it eventually dispels. Neale and Krutnik (1990) argue that deviations from the norm are conventional in comedy and hence that ‘subversion’ is a licensed and integral aspect of comedy’s social and institutional existence. And Purdie (1993) has explicitly attacked the views of Balchtin and others, arguing that all forms of comedy involve a recognition of the norms whose transgression they entail, and hence a claim to social membership at the expense not only of those who are comedy’s butts, but also of those who do not get it jokes. Either way, it is likely that, as is the case with most genres, comedy’s ideological significance and impact varies from film to film, cycle to cycle, and audience to audience, and is probably best assessed at specific and local levels rather than through universal generalisations.
Miss Congeniality
(USA/Australia 2000 p.c- Warner Bros. /Castle Rock Entertainment/Village ROADSHOW Pictures/NPV Entertainment/Fortis Films; d – Donald Petrie)
Traditionally classic Hollywood romantic comedy focused on the apparently mismatched heterosexual couple, overcoming conflicts and obstacles in order to move towards their happy union. As a contemporary rom-com, Miss Congeniality follows this formula, but the predictable romance that develops between FBI agents Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) and Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt) is pushed away from the centre and towards the margins of the narrative which instead focuses on the question of female identity and the performance of gender – contributing to the films queer appeal. Miss Congeniality plays with the conventions of this popular Hollywood genre to provide its audience marriage of masculine and feminine characteristics within Gracie’s personality. Thus it is Gracie herself, rather than the couple who undergoes a significant change. Miss Congeniality makes use of stereotypes and much of the comedy derives from gendered attitudes to hair, make-up, costume and behaviour. The films opening scenes establish Gracie as a social definition of femininity. Consequently she is a misfit who exhibits typically masculine characteristics she is aggressive, violent and clumsy.
Part 5: Genre Comedy (Steve Neale)
Romantic Comedies:
Rom Com, has received the greatest attention in recent years, at least in part because of its revival by Hollywood in the mid 1980s under the guise of what Neale and Krutnik have termed ‘the new romance’ (Neale and Krutnik, 1990; Krutnik; 1990: Neale, 1992) In contrast to the screwball films, little has been written on the ‘sex comedies’ of the 1950s and 1960s – films such as Pillow Talk (1959) and Lovers Come Back (1961). There has been a revival of interest in the ‘sophisticated’ comedies of romance, sex, marriage and remarriage that preceded the screwball cycle in the late 1910’s and 1920s, especially those directed by Cecil B. DeMille. (Higashi; 1994; Musser1995.) However, there are as yet no histories of romantic comedy in Hollywood that encompass all these trends. Neale (1992) proposes a number of basic conventions, including ‘the meet cute’, ‘the wrong partner’, the learning process the couple nearly always have to undergo and the initial hostility it eventually dispels. Neale and Krutnik (1990) argue that deviations from the norm are conventional in comedy and hence that ‘subversion’ is a licensed and integral aspect of comedy’s social and institutional existence. And Purdie (1993) has explicitly attacked the views of Balchtin and others, arguing that all forms of comedy involve a recognition of the norms whose transgression they entail, and hence a claim to social membership at the expense not only of those who are comedy’s butts, but also of those who do not get it jokes. Either way, it is likely that, as is the case with most genres, comedy’s ideological significance and impact varies from film to film, cycle to cycle, and audience to audience, and is probably best assessed at specific and local levels rather than through universal generalisations.
Miss Congeniality
(USA/Australia 2000 p.c- Warner Bros. /Castle Rock Entertainment/Village ROADSHOW Pictures/NPV Entertainment/Fortis Films; d – Donald Petrie)
Traditionally classic Hollywood romantic comedy focused on the apparently mismatched heterosexual couple, overcoming conflicts and obstacles in order to move towards their happy union. As a contemporary rom-com, Miss Congeniality follows this formula, but the predictable romance that develops between FBI agents Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) and Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt) is pushed away from the centre and towards the margins of the narrative which instead focuses on the question of female identity and the performance of gender – contributing to the films queer appeal. Miss Congeniality plays with the conventions of this popular Hollywood genre to provide its audience marriage of masculine and feminine characteristics within Gracie’s personality. Thus it is Gracie herself, rather than the couple who undergoes a significant change. Miss Congeniality makes use of stereotypes and much of the comedy derives from gendered attitudes to hair, make-up, costume and behaviour. The films opening scenes establish Gracie as a social definition of femininity. Consequently she is a misfit who exhibits typically masculine characteristics she is aggressive, violent and clumsy.
Friday 27 November 2009
Narrative Codes and Conventions of Romantic Comedy
Currently Romantic comedy is one of the most popular film genres there are. In 2008 comedy topped all other genres including action and thriller. Of course there are certain expectations you would expect to see in a Rom Com and they started in some of the very earliest Romantic Comedies such as The Apartment. The Apartment was made in 1960 and has which was a typical story line of “boy meets girl, boy looses girl, boy gets girl back”. This is a very basic story line however even to this day big Hollywood movies use this same method such as 500 Hundred Days of Summer, which is a more recent Rom Com being made in the year 2000 however it has the exact narrative of a film made in the early 60’s. However even those two separate films share the same narrative the substance of the film is very different, making each Romantic comedy different from the other.
Another film which was made in the early 80’s called Sixteen Candles, also contains roughly the same sort of story line however this time, instead of the boy winning the girl back the girl gets the boy back. This is slightly different to the “typical” romantic comedy however it still shares the same concept of two lovers meeting, having trouble and splitting up. This romantic comedy was aimed at teenagers so it includes things teenagers would be interested in such as adolescent love, young parties, school, cheating and other things that a stereo typical in a young persons life. Another more recent teen Rom Com called John Tucker Must Die, made in 2006 share similarities between the story line because the main characters are three young girls, in a school, who like to go to parties and things a “typical” young teenager would do, who find out their boyfriend has been cheating on them and swears revenge.
No matter what age the Rom Com’s target audience is the film will normally include an attractive male or female as the main actor because this will appeal to all ages and all sexes. The male is normally slightly dorky, however loveable and the female is usually quite sexy and independent (someone woman can resemble themselves in). I also found out in my question air that attractive characters are one of the main reasons why people watch Romantic Comedies so it is crucial the film includes them
Research into Romantic Comedies & Classification
2008 was a great year for the Box Office UK as it grew to a record £850 million. The top film of 2008 was Mamma Mia which is a romantic comedy and has gone down in history by becoming the highest grossing film of all time in the UK, which means romantic comedies becoming increasingly popular. Another romantic comedy which was in the top five best film releases of 2008 is Sex in the City which was made in the USA.
Four Weddings and a Funeral is an English romantic comedy which is the top independent UK film which shows that the public do enjoy watching romantic comedies even if they are independent. This is also inspirational for me and my media team as we will be an independent group making a romantic comedy.
Comedy is currently the UK’s favourite genre and making almost a quarter of the Box Office in 2008. Comedy was the dominate genre of films sold in 2008 accounting for around 22% o the market figure. The next genre was action with 18% of all sales. However although comedy did exceptionally well in 2008, it did perform as well as it did in 2007.
Comedy was again this year the top grossing genre which means comedy alone turned over £222.4 million, which was followed by action which achieved £203.7 million. Primarily, comedy did so well because of the record breaking Mamma Mia which was the highest grossing film of all time.
In 2008 the Box Office released 140 comedy films which toped all other genres, however only 7 romance films toped the UK box office which states that romance is not as popular has comedy, however merging the two genres it will be drawing two types of audience together so that will be increasing the amount of viewers.
Classification
All films in the UK must carry a classification indicating the age group suitable to view the film. The British Board of Film Classification classifies most of the films of the theatre, however some local authority’s also can grant their own classification.
The box office released 193 films and15 rating topped all other classifications. It also made the most gross profit at the box office. The top film of this classification was Sex in the City which is also a romantic comedy and classified 15 rated film. The lowest gross profit made at the box office was 18 rating which only turned made 0.1 million gross box office. This is because of the rude and offence nature of 18 classified films the audience is very restricted.
From the classification 15 and above the nature of the film contains much stronger material than any other younger classification. Most of the older classified the films (depending of what genre it is), are more likely to involve adult – oriented topics.
If the classification of the film is U rated, then the film is limited to what it can show. The film has to make sure that all the material showing is suitable for all ages and contains no material likely to harm or offend anyone of any age or culture.
PG classification is abbreviated for Parental Guidance. Which means young children are suitable to watch the film, however an adult should be present at the time because the child may feel uncomfortable at times as the film may contain mild, infrequent language or mild fantasy violence.
The next rating is 12A, which means 12 years of ages accompanied with an adult. This classification allows the film to have mild language, moderate violence and sex; it is also aloud to show drug use which is band from any younger rating.
Rating 15 is the next rating above 12A and there is a large gap between what can been shown in a 12A and a 15. 15 is currently the most popular rating of film mainly because the martial approved for the film is much stronger and can me more attacking/shocking. The language in a 15 can be a great deal stronger and the film can contain scenes of a sexual nature and strong violence.
http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org/media/pdf/2/p/2009.pdf
Another film which was made in the early 80’s called Sixteen Candles, also contains roughly the same sort of story line however this time, instead of the boy winning the girl back the girl gets the boy back. This is slightly different to the “typical” romantic comedy however it still shares the same concept of two lovers meeting, having trouble and splitting up. This romantic comedy was aimed at teenagers so it includes things teenagers would be interested in such as adolescent love, young parties, school, cheating and other things that a stereo typical in a young persons life. Another more recent teen Rom Com called John Tucker Must Die, made in 2006 share similarities between the story line because the main characters are three young girls, in a school, who like to go to parties and things a “typical” young teenager would do, who find out their boyfriend has been cheating on them and swears revenge.
No matter what age the Rom Com’s target audience is the film will normally include an attractive male or female as the main actor because this will appeal to all ages and all sexes. The male is normally slightly dorky, however loveable and the female is usually quite sexy and independent (someone woman can resemble themselves in). I also found out in my question air that attractive characters are one of the main reasons why people watch Romantic Comedies so it is crucial the film includes them
Research into Romantic Comedies & Classification
2008 was a great year for the Box Office UK as it grew to a record £850 million. The top film of 2008 was Mamma Mia which is a romantic comedy and has gone down in history by becoming the highest grossing film of all time in the UK, which means romantic comedies becoming increasingly popular. Another romantic comedy which was in the top five best film releases of 2008 is Sex in the City which was made in the USA.
Four Weddings and a Funeral is an English romantic comedy which is the top independent UK film which shows that the public do enjoy watching romantic comedies even if they are independent. This is also inspirational for me and my media team as we will be an independent group making a romantic comedy.
Comedy is currently the UK’s favourite genre and making almost a quarter of the Box Office in 2008. Comedy was the dominate genre of films sold in 2008 accounting for around 22% o the market figure. The next genre was action with 18% of all sales. However although comedy did exceptionally well in 2008, it did perform as well as it did in 2007.
Comedy was again this year the top grossing genre which means comedy alone turned over £222.4 million, which was followed by action which achieved £203.7 million. Primarily, comedy did so well because of the record breaking Mamma Mia which was the highest grossing film of all time.
In 2008 the Box Office released 140 comedy films which toped all other genres, however only 7 romance films toped the UK box office which states that romance is not as popular has comedy, however merging the two genres it will be drawing two types of audience together so that will be increasing the amount of viewers.
Classification
All films in the UK must carry a classification indicating the age group suitable to view the film. The British Board of Film Classification classifies most of the films of the theatre, however some local authority’s also can grant their own classification.
The box office released 193 films and15 rating topped all other classifications. It also made the most gross profit at the box office. The top film of this classification was Sex in the City which is also a romantic comedy and classified 15 rated film. The lowest gross profit made at the box office was 18 rating which only turned made 0.1 million gross box office. This is because of the rude and offence nature of 18 classified films the audience is very restricted.
From the classification 15 and above the nature of the film contains much stronger material than any other younger classification. Most of the older classified the films (depending of what genre it is), are more likely to involve adult – oriented topics.
If the classification of the film is U rated, then the film is limited to what it can show. The film has to make sure that all the material showing is suitable for all ages and contains no material likely to harm or offend anyone of any age or culture.
PG classification is abbreviated for Parental Guidance. Which means young children are suitable to watch the film, however an adult should be present at the time because the child may feel uncomfortable at times as the film may contain mild, infrequent language or mild fantasy violence.
The next rating is 12A, which means 12 years of ages accompanied with an adult. This classification allows the film to have mild language, moderate violence and sex; it is also aloud to show drug use which is band from any younger rating.
Rating 15 is the next rating above 12A and there is a large gap between what can been shown in a 12A and a 15. 15 is currently the most popular rating of film mainly because the martial approved for the film is much stronger and can me more attacking/shocking. The language in a 15 can be a great deal stronger and the film can contain scenes of a sexual nature and strong violence.
http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org/media/pdf/2/p/2009.pdf
Story Board And Making Of Production
The making of our short video:
I worked with a colleague of mine names Jaime Sugar as we were both doing a romantic comedy and we then decided to work together. At first when we got the equipment together set it up and found our location and everything seemed to be going well. We then realised the concentration, patience, and time we needed to record the short production. And realised it was more stressful then we thought it would be. Once the video had been completed and we watched it back, we had positive and negative feedback and we saw that the lighting in the production was dark at certain points but this could not have been helped due to natural lighting. we saw that the panning of the smoking shelter could have been done before we have a long shot of character A walking up towards the shelter which could have made the production look more understandable. people thought that the shots in the beginning looked a bit disjointed however overall people liked the match on action and the over the shoulder shot conversation between the characters and the production turned out good. If we where to improve the production we would wait for the natural lighting to become more clear so that you can see what is going on more in the production. It would be important that the character used contnuity in there clothes and accents. The different camera angles we used where long shot, close up, shot reverse, match on action, and medium close up. we panned around the shelter and we also did over the shoulder shot.
Above is the storyboard to our production.
Friday 23 October 2009
Research Into Existing Products
Codes and Conventions of a Romantic Comedy.
A Prologue introduction into love themes – Occasionally you hear voice over the Main characters which introduces the film. The Credits continue the love film.
Different styles of text e.g.: hearts, flowers, wedding bells, etc.
“Boy Meets Girl” Two Protagonist Characters – Man and Woman hesitant to become romantically involved. There are Hints that they may be a good love match. Some form of an argument or disagreement is likely to occur. And they ultimately reunite. And one of the two makes the grand “gesture” to Live Happily Ever After.
There’s always a hero and the hero must be involved in some sexual or romantic pursuit. The hero usually is desperate to win or win back the lover of another character. The hero must pursue some additional visible desire. The characters in the romantic comedy never find there situation humorous.
A Prologue introduction into love themes – Occasionally you hear voice over the Main characters which introduces the film. The Credits continue the love film.
Different styles of text e.g.: hearts, flowers, wedding bells, etc.
“Boy Meets Girl” Two Protagonist Characters – Man and Woman hesitant to become romantically involved. There are Hints that they may be a good love match. Some form of an argument or disagreement is likely to occur. And they ultimately reunite. And one of the two makes the grand “gesture” to Live Happily Ever After.
There’s always a hero and the hero must be involved in some sexual or romantic pursuit. The hero usually is desperate to win or win back the lover of another character. The hero must pursue some additional visible desire. The characters in the romantic comedy never find there situation humorous.
Romantic comdies are sexy, always habe happy endings, they involve deception and the hero alwats pretends to be something there not.
Opening Sequences:
Happy Music
Title
Style and Title
Party in built up area
Split up with previous girlfriend and meets a new girl
Landscape
Meet by accident
Meets two main characters: 2 different locations.
The typical settings of a romantic comedy are:
High School
America
Clubs/Bars
Holiday
Bedroom
Restaurant
Dining Room
House
Work
The typical characters of a romantic comedy are:
Cheating men/women
Uncommitted men/women
Hero
Protagonist
Children for previous marriages
Geeky boys/girls
Cheerleaders/Jocks
High School Characters
Mother/Father Figure
Clumsy Character
Character that falls in love too easily
The reference where I got this information from: http://www.screenplaymastery.com/RomanticComedies.htm
The Camera Angles in Romantic films start off on a very low level, you see an overhead of the main characters, the audience are engaged more when extreme close ups are made. Close-ups are made on the characters emotions and facials expressions; we see mid-shots, and wide-shots which show the audience what is happening around the main characters in the film. Camera angles are used in Romantic films such as an eye line match where it portrays two characters gazing into each other eyes. The audience see Transitions, we see slow fading when it goes from a sexual love scene to the next day when they wake up, the transitions also fade in and out this is so that the editing is not visibly seen by the audience and there more engaged on what is happening in the film then the editing. There is also a shot reverse shot this is used to show two characters speaking to each other. Continuity is used so that the film makes sense. The characters can not change clothes or have one house and then the next day have another house because the audience would become confused and loose concentration on the concept of the film. The speed that is consumed is slow motion this is mainly done to represent two people falling in love at a certain speed.
Pretty Woman
The film pretty woman opens with a black screen with large font writing saying the names of which the film is associated with. In the background you can hear diagetic sound of voices which is the characters. The editing then becomes visible as it fades into two hands and the diagetic dialogues you can hear in the background make more sense as you can see what is happening. We don't see any faces until 20 seconds into the film at first we only see hands. This visual effect leaves the audience thinking whose hands they are and what is going to happen next. There is diagetic sound again as a piano is played in the background of where they are. different titles are being displayed during the sequence it is the opening names of characters and who is featuring in the film. we see a man talking on the phone further on into the film and the camera gradually zooms into him and his conversation as he walks over to the window to continue his conversation the camera tracks around him, we see his reflection in the window. We hear diagetic sound as the woman on the other side of the line can be heard so we as an audience understand what the conversation is about clearly. We can tell 'Edward' is a central character as the camera stays based on him further on into the film. we can tell the film is romantic through the diagetic sound of the piano in the background and the venue of where it is set. it looks like a posh mansion and the people around all talk posh the males have suits on and the women are dressed in heels and dresses. The flowers and food around on tables make the evening look romantic. we can tell that the people are wealthy as when Edward runs out the building he goes to a car a man who runs after him asks him why he doesn't take the limo. We gradually see how wealthy these people are when we see the sign of Hollywood and the man shouts that Beverly hills is down the hill. The camera is tracking with the car as he drives up the hill and the camera zooms out into a cutaway of the sign Hollywood. non diagetic sound is heard of music whilst he drives his car we hear diagetic sound of the engine and the car skidding. the camera tilts down on the car and tracks along with it as he drives it then gradually zooms out further into the bushes and then fades into a view of the city and titles then appear again on the screen introducing the main characters. non diagetic sound is heard again but louder and the camera continues to smoothly pan across the city.
Notting Hill
The film start off with a black screen and non-diegetic sound is heard a voice over and cheering in the background then atmospheric music begins to play and the black screen turns into blur and a close up of a woman’s face appears .
Medium shots and close ups appear of the woman’s lifestyle these shots are seen through the editing of fade inn’s and fade outs we see transactions of images of magazine covers with her face on them the camera composition goes into shallow focus , the camera movement is the zooming into and out of the woman’s lifestyle. The film then begins and we see the title ‘Notting Hill’ a voice over is heard and its of a man telling his story and we see a man walking along the London streets, we automatically assume that its him who’s telling the story the camera begins to dolly across the streets as we begin to see different characters, we continue to hear atmospheric music in the background, the camera angles goes from medium shot of a drunken man looking at his tattoo into a fade out of a hair shop and a woman coming out fades out continue showing us different views of London Notting hill. We then see that the voiceover that was heard in the background of the non-diegetic music was the man who was walking around London, he walks into a house on the street and then the music slowly fades out we see a long shot of him at his front door and he begins to put a bike up a wall and he then shouts his lodgers name who then comes out of another room into the long shot. This turns into a medium shot as they begin to talk. We see an over the shoulder shot of a conversation between the man and his but we only see the over the shoulder shot from the lodgers point of view when the man begins to talk the camera shot becomes an establishing shot. This continues and then we hear non-diegetic sound again of the music in the background and the man begins to walk us to his work place we see this through a wide shot and the camera pans along with him he then start to tell us what he is doing in the voice over this is also heard amongst the music. The mise-en-scene is seen, the location is set in the heart of London Notting Hill.
Four Weddings And A Funeral
The films begins an invitation on a black screen in white writing, saying ‘’POLYGRAM FILMED ENTERTAINMENT and CHANNEL FOUR FILMS invite you to” and the titles continue, we hear non diegetic sound in the background of atmospheric music the black screen fades into a bunch of flowers on a book with the title ‘Four Weddings and A Funeral ’we then see a establishing shot of a man in bed sleeping his alarm goes off an we see a medium shot of the alarm and his hand turning it off the camera then –pans across with him back to his bed and we see a close up of his tired face. We then see another shot of another male in his bed sleeping and his alarm also goes off, this is a medium shot and we see from a low angle him switching off the alarm. The camera then goes into another shot of a woman coming out of a door into a room this is in a long shot, we then see her looking in the mirror, it then goes onto a close up of a fry up being made on a hob we see a medium shot of a man getting ready another man wiping another mans face and them laughing, it then goes back to the first shot of the male sleeping and he is still sleeping in his bed, we then see another shot which is a long shot of a woman walking down the stairs the camera then pans with the woman into another room. The camera then is set outside and we see a car in a long shot which then becomes a close up and the car stops, there a men on the side of the road next to the car and they begin to get in the car, non diegetic sound can be heard of the atmospheric music and we then see a medium shot of London bridge and the cars driving towards there destination. We then go back to the first male we seen and he is still sleeping he then wakes up and picks up his clock he realises the time and jumps up then shot then goes straight into another room where we see him running towards his sister and waking her up this is a medium shot. The editing then jump cuts to outside where we see him and his sister in a car at a wide shot. We hear them talking and then she says ‘it only goes at 40 miles and hour’ the camera then jump cuts again to a point of view of the back of the car driving very fast on a motor way diegetic sound can be heard of the engine.
Love Actually
The audience see the film love actually start with a fade into a medium shot of people in an airport it then goes straight into where a girl and a boy are hugging and begin to kiss, we then see another medium shot of children running towards some one we assume is there mother we hear we hear non diegetic music and a voice over then appear we hear him taking about what he thinks about the world whilst he is speaking we see loads of people hugging and kissing showing love to another and that where the title ‘love actually’ comes from. The screen then goes black and fades into a man with headphones on and his in front of a microphone this is seen through a close up shot. He begins to sing and we hear voices backing his voice we then see a long shot of 3 people singing along with him. It then goes into a medium shot and we see three men in a studio talking to the main man who was singing. There is then a re-take of the song they were singing and we see an aerial shot of the man who is singing sitting on a chair whilst he is singing. It then goes into a close up of him and he says ‘this is shit isn’t it?’ the man in the booth replies and then the scene jump cuts to a point of view of the London city. It then continues to a low angle view looking up into the shopping malls ceiling view ‘5 weeks till Christmas’ in writing appears on the screen and we see a long shot of a busy street in London and people shopping. Non diegetic sound can still be heard in the background as the music plays and the different scene are seen. We then see a close up of a draw being open and a man walking around his room and we then hear his girlfriends voice as she on a bed and is seen through a medium shot he kisses her on the head and wee see this through a high angle shit and we then see a over the shoulder shot of there conversation. The man then exits the room and we see a medium shot of the door he walks through. It then jump cuts to outside another house and it jumps again to a scene where a man is in his house on his laptop and he looks stressed with his hands on his head we can see this through a medium shot and non-diegetic sound can still be heard. We see him pick up the phone and make a phone call when the person on the other side begins to talk we see a shot of her walking in her kitchen with a pepper in her hand. We then see the woman and man come off the phone and an over the shoulder shot of the woman and her daughter talking.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)