This is the research for our short film.

Conventions of Romantic Comedies

Audiences expect a certain structure from romantic comedies. Generally the basic outline of a romantic comedy is that boy meets girl via some sort of event or communication. For example, in the film “Notting Hill” the superstar “Anna Scott” meets the average, ordinary, English man “William Thacker” when he accidentally spills orange juice down her top, in a market street of Notting Hill. This is a typical beginning to a romantic comedy as the audience are shown that, “Will” and “Anna” share an attraction even though they are so different by their status and roles, it’s seems an impossibility.

However the is always some sort of obstacle between the two. Such as, in “You’ve Got Mail”, “Kathleen Kelly” is a small time bookshop owner; her shop is under the threat of closer. Due to a huge, new book chain store shop just opened nearby, owned by “Joe Fox”. The audience know that they are the perfect couple, by the way that they have been communicating via email, and are pinning for the couple to work out their differences and realise the are meant for each other. Unfortunately, the “perfect couple” are separated by their roles, as “Fox’s” company eliminates competition via discounts and “coffee”. “Kelly” and “Fox” are at a business war that can only end in the death of a business.

Finally, the climax of the story is when the character that realises their feelings at the last moment makes public statement, or does something such as an extraordinarily romantic gesture towards the person that knew their feelings all along. For example, in the film “Bridget Jones’s Diary”, “Marc Darcy” already knows his feelings, where as “Bridget Jones” doesn't realise hers until the latest possible moment. Therefore means that she makes a heart-warming, embarrassing statement, which the audience greatly appeals to.

Also, in romantic comedy films there is a lot of pathetic fallacy used (when the weather matches the mood), for instance, in “Wimbledon” when “Peter Colt” and “Lizzie Bradbury” spend the day training together realising their feelings for each other, the weather is spectacular. The film shows a beautiful, bold, colourful sunset; which is a typical romantic situation, which the audience just falls in love with. In contrast further on in the film when “Bradbury” and “Colt” have an argument the weather is dark, gloomy and upsetting. Also, to add to the setting, there is rain on the ground when “Colt” turns up to “Bradbury’s” house to apologise, which symbolises the tears and upset which is keeping them apart at the moment.

The music/audio has a huge affect upon the audience and determines their feelings, meaning that the music indicates to the audience what they should be feeling at that particular moment. For example, if the music was slow, delicate and moving, the audience know that they should be feeling sympathy for that particular character or set of characters.

“Bridget Jones’s Diary: The Edge Of Reason” and “Notting Hill” uses a narrator throughout the film, or at the start, which is also an example of non-diagetic sound. This gives an insight about the character towards the audience, for instance they get a sense of the characters education, and personality. Also they feel as if they are a part of the film, especially when the film writers use rhetorical questions, which help the audience to see their point of view.

Within romantic comedies sometimes certain things happen that lack verisimilitude, such as in “27 Dresses”, when “Jane” finally realises her feelings for “Kevin” she crashes a wedding reception. This is a classic example of when a film hasn’t included verisimilitude, as the bride was ecstatic and excited to let this wedding crasher stand up and make a speech, which wouldn’t happen in real life.

The characters are also, quite typical, as there is one that realises their feelings first are generally the male, and the character that makes a public statement or romantic gesture is the female. This is the case with many romantic comedies such as: “Runaway Bride”, “Bridget Jones’s Diary” one and two, “Wimbledon”, “27 Dresses”, “There’s Something About Mary”, “The Proposal” and “Roxanne” so on so forth.

However, there are a few romantic comedies that have the male realise their feelings last the female first, such as: “Shallow Hall”, “He’s Just Not That Into You” and “The Break Up”. Which go against the audience’s conventions but make the movie a whole lot more enjoyable.

The main convention of a romantic comedy is the structure, meaning that the beginning starts off with boy meets girl, (either for the first time, or haven’t seen for a long time) there is some sort of obstacle keeping them apart. Then during finale/climax, the obstacle is removed and the last character realises their feelings makes a public statement, or romantic gesture.

Our Chosen Colour Theme

As a group it was decided that we would use mainly black and white throughout our opening sequence.

However there is one exception to this; we will be using two purple items for each of the main characters. These two purple items would be seen as a way to give the two characters an instant connection, a way of setting them apart from everyone else, whilst bringing them closer through the use of the same colour.

We thought it would be best to do a black and white theme as it would mean that the purple will stand out a lot more in comparison to using colours.

We researched colours and decided on the colour purple for a number of reasons; the first of these reasons being that it would set this movie apart and didn’t follow the usual conventions found in romantic comedies, which would use pinks and reds as their main colour.

In many cultures, purple is also the colour of passion and romance, with its warm blend of ‘passionate red and tranquil blue’. It is also a colour that induces mystery, sophistication, spirituality and royalty.

The two items that we were thinking of making purple were a pair of shoes and a tie. This is because these items are known to ‘finish an outfit’ and are often the article of clothing that stands out the most, therefore it would be noticeable and effective. The audience would see these items and instantly predict a possible storyline outcome.

Questionnaire Results

The majority of people we asked were female who watched romantic comedies quite often. The males we asked said they hardly ever watched rom-coms but they did admit to enjoying them when they did get the chance to watch one. The males that did enjoy these films said they liked them because they had better story lines than a lot of other genres. They also confessed to rom-coms being good date movies and being films that allowed them to have a good cry. The males that didn't like rom-coms said that other genres had stronger story lines with stronger characters.

The perfect age group for the main characters appears to be between 20 and 30 years old. There are several reasons for this: 1) people aged 20 and above can relate to these characters if they have similar personalities or if they have been in situations like the main characters. 2) people under the age of 20 have something to aspire to and can picture themselves in similar situations when they are older. However, two of the teenagers we asked said they prefer films with teenage characters in. This could be because they can easily relate to these characters and find it harder to relate to the characters aged 20-30.

From our questionnaire, it is apparent that the main twists people like to see are love triangles and affairs. Reasons for this could be that people have experienced a partner cheating on them or having an affair. Most people, at some point in their life, will no doubt be part of a love triangle which, the majority of the time, will lead to an affair in some way or another.

The personalities of the different characters are very similar. The male character has been described as being a romantic man who is also manly and can stand their ground. This has been described because a lot of females would like their partner to have these characteristics. None of the people we asked said that they wanted uncaring males in the films. This shows that women want to be with someone who will love them as well as being someone like a friend. The main characteristics of the female character has been described as an outgoing woman. Sometimes a bit ditsy and someone with a high class job. The reasons of women being depicted in this way could be because men like to see this in their partner but also because a lot of women want to be this type of character if they aren't already.

Filming Locations (If We choose some of these, we will have to as permission to film of the premises)

Park – Arboretum
Sutton College
Own Houses
City Centre (Birmingham, Walsall, Sutton)
Church
Swimming Pool
Restaurant/Café

Number of romantic comedies released since 2000

Spring 64 (This is because it’s the season of valentines and start of new life/love/relationships.)
Summer 69
Autumn 54
Winter 58

Top 20 Romantic Comedies

1) My Big Fat Greek Wedding - 19/04/02 - Lifetime Gross £145,174,380
2) What Women Want – 15/12/00 - Lifetime Gross £109,922,851
3) Hitch – 11/02/05 - Lifetime Gross £107,928,882
4) Pretty Woman – 23/03/90
5) There’s Something About Mary – 15/07/98
6) Sea And The City – 30/05/08
7) Runaway Bride – 30/07/09
8) Knocked Up – 01/06/07
9) As Good As It Gets – 23/12/97
10) Bringing The House Down – 07/03/03
11) The Proposal – 19/06/09
12) Coming To America – 29/06/88
13) Sweet Home Alabama – 27/09/02
14) My Best Friends Wedding – 20/06/97
15) Sleepless In Seattle – 25/06/93
16) Mr Deeds – 28/06/02
17) Something’s Gotta Give – 12/12/03
18) 50 First Dates – 13/02/04
19) The Break Up - 06/02/06
20) Notting Hill – 28/05/99


Things you can legally include in different rated films

U
Discrimination
No discriminatory language or behaviour unless
clearly disapproved of.
Drugs
No references to illegal drugs or drug misuse unless
they are infrequent and innocuous, or there is a clear
educational purpose or anti-drug message suitable
for young children.
Horror
Scary sequences should be mild, brief and unlikely to
cause undue anxiety to young children. The outcome
should be reassuring.
Imitable behaviour
No potentially dangerous behaviour which young
children are likely to copy. No emphasis on realistic
or easily accessible weapons.
Language
Infrequent use only of very mild bad language.
Nudity
Occasional natural nudity, with no sexual context.
Sex
Mild sexual behaviour (for example, kissing) and
references only (for example, to ‘making love’).
Theme
While problematic themes may be present, their
treatment must be sensitive and appropriate for
young children.
Violence
Mild violence only. Occasional mild threat or
menace only.

PG
Discrimination
Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to
be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of or in an
educational or historical context. Discrimination by
a character with which children can readily identify
is unlikely to be acceptable.
Drugs
References to illegal drugs or drug misuse must be
innocuous or carry a suitable anti-drug message.
Horror
Frightening sequences should not be prolonged or
intense. Fantasy settings may be a mitigating factor.
Imitable behaviour
No detail of potentially dangerous behaviour which
young children are likely to copy. No glamorisation
of realistic or easily accessible weapons.
Language
Mild bad language only.
Nudity
Natural nudity, with no sexual context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be implied, but should be
discreet and infrequent. Mild sex references and
innuendo only.
Theme
Where more serious issues are featured (for example,
domestic violence) nothing in their treatment should
condone unacceptable behaviour.
Violence
Moderate violence, without detail, may be allowed,
if justified by its context (for example, history,
comedy or fantasy).

12
Discrimination
Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be
endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive
discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely
to be acceptable unless clearly condemned.
Drugs
Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should
not be glamorised or give instructional detail.
Horror
Moderate physical and psychological threat may be
permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not
frequent or sustained.
Imitable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and
self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be
copied, or appear pain or harm free. Easily accessible
weapons should not be glamorised.
Language
Moderate language is allowed. The use of strong
language (for example, ‘fuck’) must be infrequent.
Nudity
Nudity is allowed, but in a sexual context must be brief
and discreet.
Sex
Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed.
Sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for
young teenagers. Frequent crude references are unlikely
to be acceptable.
Theme
Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must
be suitable for young teenagers.
Violence
Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on
detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood,
but occasional gory moments may be permitted if
justified by the context.
Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and
discreetly indicated, and must have a strong contextual
justification.

15
Discrimination
The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory
language or behaviour.
Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not
promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily
accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example,
aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.
Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic
or sexualised.
Imitable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and
self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be
copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Language
There may be frequent use of strong language (for example,
‘fuck’). The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be
acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated
use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without
strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a
non-sexual or educational context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail.
There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour,
but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable
unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is
sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is
appropriate for 15 year olds.
Violence
Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction
of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to
be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also
unlikely to be acceptable.
There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence
but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and
have a strong contextual justification.

18
In line with the consistent findings of the BBFC’s public
consultations and The Human Rights Act 1998, at ‘18’ the
BBFC’s guideline concerns will not normally override
the principle that adults should be free to choose their
own entertainment. Exceptions are most likely in the
following areas:
• where the material is in breach of the criminal law,
or has been created through the commission of a
criminal offence
• where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to
risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour,
to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of
violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use,
which may cause harm to public health or morals.
This may include portrayals of sexual or sexualised
violence which might, for example, eroticise or
endorse sexual assault
• where there are more explicit images of sexual
activity which cannot be justified by context. Such
images may be appropriate in ‘R18’ works, and in
‘sex works’ (see below) would normally be confined
to that category.
In the case of video works (including video games),
which may be more accessible to younger viewers,
intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.
Sex education at ‘18’
Where sex material genuinely seeks to inform and
educate in matters such as human sexuality, safer
sex and health, explicit images of sexual activity may
be permitted.
Sex works at ‘18’
Sex works are works whose primary purpose is sexual
arousal or stimulation. Sex works containing only material
which may be simulated are generally passed ‘18’. Sex
works containing clear images of real sex, strong fetish
material, sexually explicit animated images, or other
very strong sexual images will be confined to the ‘R18’
category. Material which is unacceptable in a sex work
at ‘R18’ is also unacceptable in a sex work at ‘18’.

This information was taken from the British Board of Film Classification website: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/about/

The Pitch

For The Pitch, we created a powerpoint presentation,

Story Idea 1

Kimberly and William meet at a party. Unfortunately, to the horror of Kimberly, William has already got a girlfriend. William breaks up with Amelia (his girlfriend) and decided to meet up with Kimberly again. They both hit it of like a house on fire, and William asks Kimberly out on a date. The date goes fanatically at the start, however Amelia decided to take revenge on the ‘bitch’ who stole her boyfriend. And humiliates Kimberly in front of 300 people. William turned down Amelia and stays with Kimberly.

Story Idea 2

The second idea for our story is a teenage girl, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Clark, who is really into performing arts. She goes to an audition at her college and a few weeks later she gets a letter in the post telling her that she hasn’t made it into the musical. Inside the letter is a handwritten message form the producer, Alfred (Alfie) Jones, of this particular play. This message tells her that the producer is composing the next big musical in the West End and would like Lizzie to play the lead role. She agrees and the two of them end up getting married.

Story Idea 3

Emily Baker and Edward Percy live in Dartmoor (countryside) and they are engaged to be married. The couple move to the city of London as they are both offered substantially better jobs there. However, there lifestyles differ so much from the peaceful and lied back life of the countryside to the busy life of London, their relationship fall under stain.
Edward throws himself head first into the nightlife of the city and find that there's more to life then having a nuclear family. He meets a very beautiful girl called Verity, he forgets all his responsibilities and doesn’t turn up at their apartment until 3 days later.
Emily and Edward spilt, Edward goes on the marry Verity (who goes on to become a lesbian). Emily tried dating, but eventually found love in an unexpected place, the convent.

Story Idea 4

Bijen Madalinci is an introvert, hard working, aspiring best-selling author, whose books always end up with bad reviews. After her latest fail, Bijen’s agent tells her to go out and live more in order to gain inspiration for a great book. This is what Bijen does, she goes top the bar that she went to in order to celebrate the publishing of her book, the same place in which she met Jamie Dunn, the bar tender who is care-free, enjoys life and is always up for a laugh. She begins a relationship with Jamie and uses it for her book, she reflects her relationship within the book. Bijen ponders over whether or not to publish the book, however her agent publishes for her anyway…without Bijen knowing! Jamie finds out that the book is about the relationship he shared with her and ends all contact…he then finds out that she never wanted it published and chases Bijen’s love.

Story Idea 5

Georgia is a homeless teenager living on the streets due to her father being in prison and her mother died 2 years ago. The local council helped her out, by giving her a small council flat and got her back into education, so she could get out of her situation. At college, she meets an accidence Lewis (most popular boy in college). They become influctated with each other and start dating. They fall in love, get married, grow old together and die together.

Our Main Idea

Unfortunately, we cannot decide upon which idea to carry forward as our main idea, so we have decided to ask you to vote upon which idea you like best and will create a better film.

Story Idea 1: In Detail

Kimberly and William are two completely juxtaposed characters; they meet at a mutual friend party. Unfortunately, however in a slightly embarrassing event William’s true relationship status is revealed leaving Kimberly hanging, alone and confused.

William’s relationship with Amelia (his girlfriend) has already been strained (or on the rocks/cliff) for a while now, and due to a certain circumstance (involving a lot of alcohol and a game of strip poker) the couple finally break up.

Mean while Kimberly keeps on seeing William on a number of occasions and it seems that she cannot escape him. William being the dashing, handsome young man that he, offers to buy Kimberly a cup of coffee, he apologises and explains his new situation. They get on incredibly well and decide to go on their first date together and a new, popular club downtown.

Amelia’s revenge ('Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned‘) is planned and presents it’s self at popular club in front of all Kimberly’s friends.

The climax of the story presents it’s self when William chooses Kimberly over Amelia. The film ends as the couple have a photograph taken of them at a friend’s party, happy and secure.

William’s character

Personality- He can always be found by a crowd and loves attentions. William loves going out to parties and meeting new people. He wears designer clothes that both look good and arte comfortable. William is 18 years old, as he is completing his A2’s.
Family- He live with her mum, dad. Kim’s mother occupation is a home maker and his father’s occupation is the director of the NHS. They live in a mansion on a private road called “Roman Road” – Little Aston
Likes-He likes fine foods, ahs has exquisite expensive taste. William adores sticking to a structured routine, however he does improvise, and every now and the he “takes a walk on the wild side”.
Dislikes- She hates aquard silences and dark rooms. Kimberly also gets jealous of people who have things she wants, however she will never show it (her green monster side).
Job/Education- William used to attend a private school but they didn’t have a sixth form so he decided to attend Birmingham Metropolitan College- Sutton Campus. He has no jobs as his family are extremely rich and doesn’t need to work.
Friends- William has hundreds of friends but none that close, the closest person to William is his girlfriend.

Kimberly’s character

Personality- she is very quiet but when she speaks she draws attention from the crowd (people listen). She has a girlish giggle that causes herself some embarrassment sometimes (as people will suddenly here giggling from out of no where). She chooses to wear comfortable clothing, chooses comfort over fashion. She is 17 years old.
Family- She live with her mum, dad and two brothers, David and Scott. David is 21 and Scott is 14. Kim’s mother occupation is a nurse and her father’s occupation is a local police officer. They live in a small terrist house in Kingstanding.
Likes- She loves marshmallows and Jaffa cakes. She adores spending time with her friends, walking through the park (the it place to be because of them). She’s also an animal fan and sponsors dog’s trust.
Dislikes- She hates aquard silences and dark rooms. Kimberly also gets jealous of people who have things she wants, however she will never show it (her green monster side).
Job/Education- She works part time at her local gym “David Lloyds”, which contributes to her popularity. Kimberly goes to college at Birmingham Metropolitan College- Sutton Campus. Studying AS levels: Music, Art, Psychology and English Literature.
Friends- Crystal and Keeley (best friends). Crystal thinks that Kim needs to speak up a bit more and wear more flattering clothing. Keeley is jealous of Kim as she’s doesn’t try hard to look good, yet she always looks stunning. However she’s known Kim for years and loves her to bits (true friends).

Locations

The Locations that the film will be film in/at are as follows:

Laura’s House
Park- Arboretum


The Walsall Arboretum will be the main location for the film, as it is open, close to us and has a long runway going through which is crucial to the film. The mutual friends party will be filmed at Laura’s house as she has bigger rooms to fit the actors and camera equipment in, also so it looks like a realistic house party. The swimming pool will only be used for one scene, where Edward meets Kimberly, in the middle of the film.

For all the above locations we will ask permission from the owners before filming on the land/property.

Opening sequence

Music starts rolling (songbird - all angels, instrumental if can get it).
Credits rolling, appearing on different sides of the screen as new names follow each otherr. Meanwhile the background is black and whit. Pan MCU of old, scruffy trainers and shoes, pans onto one pair of beautiful, purple high heel shoes (only colour on screen).
Pan MCU of old folders, scruffy and messed up, again black and white background, pan onto an immaculate purple folder.
Pan CU of different ties, black and white background, pans onto one purple tie.
CU of purple shoes on girl, zoom out to LS of Kimberly at friends mutual party.
CU of purple tie, zoom out to LS of William at the same party.
LS of William and Kimberly walking into each other, MCU still image of their facial expressions, black and white background again, only colour showing is purple items.
The still image unfreezes, back into normal speed, colours and motions, both walk away from each other, camera zoom out until both characters are out of shot.
Kimberly sees William across the room, plucks up the courage to talk to him. MCU of her facial expressions as she walks towards him, also his expressions. She gets to about a meter away from him and suddenly all you can here is "William, William from off the screen".
Over the shoulder shot of Amelia running, hugging and then kissing William then drag him away. CU of Kimberly's reaction, non-diagetic narrator voice, of Kimberly saying, "This is my life...“
End scene

Genetic identifiers

Structure- Boy meets girl, obstacle (Amelia), obstacle overcome, get to know each other, makes a public gesture to Kimberly to show his love (choosing Kimberly over Amelia in the crowded club),
Sound- The music is happy, up lifting, developed music when opening credits and through part of first shots.
Pathetic Fallacy- when the characters are having an argument the weather will effect the mood, so it will be dark and quiet e.g. in the club when Amelia publicly humiliates Kimberly, there will be silence in the club and the lights will dim.
Narration- the voice of Kimberly will sometimes be played through the film, to give extra insight into her personality and her thoughts.

Story Idea 2: In Detail

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Clark is in her bathroom one morning singing a romantic song into a hairbrush. She is about to go to college and audition for a part in the next musical to hit the town of Sutton Coldfield. When she arrives at the college she is very nervous and doesn’t think she’ll even be able to get through the first audition.

However, when she begins to sing her song, she catches the eye of the judge, Alfred (Alfie) Jones, and suddenly her confidence boosts. She gets out of the audition feeling a bit more confident in herself yet there is something that still tells her she hasn’t made it through.

In the next 3 weeks she is waiting by the letter box each morning and eventually she receives a letter in the post from the musical company. Unfortunately, Lizzie finds out that she hasn’t got a part in this particular musical and her dreams of being a star are shattered.

When she thinks things could not get any worse, there is a handwritten letter in the same envelope from Alfie explaining the real reason why she hasn’t got a part in the play. Alfie is writing his own musical for London’s West End and has realised the great talent that Lizzie holds and has asked her to be the lead role in his West End show.

Lizzie is over the moon on hearing this news and decides to accept his offer without giving it a second thought. After months of rehearsals and perfecting every tiny detail of the show it is finally opening night. But during these months, Lizzie and Alfie have fallen deeply in love with each other’s charm

After an amazing first performance, Alfie is exceptionally pleased with Lizzie’s performance and makes a special speech on stage at the end of the show. At the end of his speech, Alfie gets down on one knee and proposes to Lizzie with a full audience watching and to Alfie’s amazement, Lizzie says yes.

Lizzie

16 year old college student at Sutton
Quite timid when first met
Studying A levels in Chemistry, History, Media and Sociology
Has dreams about being a star in the West End
Quite a stable background, Father is a doctor, mother works at a bank
Focused on her studies
Would rather spend evening and weekends working than going out
Occasionally enjoys a quiet night in with either the family or a few friends

Alfie

20 year old musical composer
Idolises Andrew Lloyd Webber
Outgoing young man
Great sense of humour
Dad left when he was young, mother died when he was 9
Started composing music and songs
Left school with no qualifications to achieve his dream of being a composer

Locations

My house - for the bathroom when Lizzie is getting ready
College lecture theatre - for the auditions, to make it seem more realistic than just a classroom
The reception at college - When she has finished her audition

Opening sequence

There is a romantic love song playing in the background which overlaps with Elizabeth, Lizzie, singing the same song, She is in her bathroom singing into a hair brush and getting ready for her day at college, Birmingham Metropolitan; Sutton Campus. Lizzie then leaves her house and begins walking to the bus stop so as she can get to the auditions a musical held at her college that day. This then transfers to Alfred, Alfie, setting up at the college for auditions for his musical that it going to be shown in Sutton Coldfield and includes local students as it's main cast. This then leads to a bus going past a bus stop leaving Lizzie next to it. Lizzie then receives a text message from her mom wishing her good luck with the audition. The next thing we see the room where the auditions are taking place. Alfie calls Lizzie’s name and she takes her place on the stage. She begins to sing the song she sung at the beginning of the film but in a very nervous state. As soon as she makes eye contact with Alfie, she gets a sudden boost of confidence as if it was magic. After the audition, Lizzie leaves the stage and returns to her friends with a negative feeling about the audition.

Continuity piece

Our continuity piece, was a really enjoyable experience.Within it we had to include an example of the 180 degree rule, match on action and a variety of angles.

The ideas started flowing as soon as we knew what to do, the story line came first. Charlotte, Katherine and I came up with the idea of two students exchanging drugs for money, in the toilets. Another student walks out and catches them while exchanging the drugs and makes a sharp exit. The short film ends with the character looking very shocked (you would do if you had just been caught exchanging drugs!).
We found two willing actresses, and Charlotte was kind enough to step in as an actress too.

Throughout the piece we have two "match on actions" and obeyed the 180 degree rule. The other shots that where included where: Long shot, Extreme close ups, Close up, Medium shot and "over the shoulder". We also included zoom and pan to show detail and keep up with the moving characters.
This is our Story Board.

Textual Analysis

Media

Laura Porter

Textual Analysis

Opening Scene

Case Study: “Roxanne” – Romantic Comedy

The opening shot, which introduces the film, shows an image of a cloudy, morning sky while the credits are playing. Next the camera tilts down from the sky, to a stand still shot of a house with a man by the window. This shot doesn’t change until the man is out of the house and walking down the porch stairs. The shot changes to a long shot, showing the house in full and it’s setting. During the next medium long shot, the camera zooms out as the character walks towards the camera, this to make the audience believe that the camera is walking at the same pace as the character (“C.D”). The next shot is another long shot of the area with the character (“C.D”) walking (to a destination, to deliver a tennis racket). The shot shows flowers, green grass and not a speck of litter, this means that the character lives in a nice, well-respected area.The next shots show a confrontation between two immature adult men, and “D.C” (the chief fireman). The shots included: a high angle shot showing the main character to be high then the two man, over the shoulder shot from the men’s point of view, however this is a low angle shot as the audience are looking up at “D.C”. Showing the audience that ”D.C” is the respected, hero through the film. Also, the shots include: medium shot of “D.C’s” face, but mainly long shots of the funny fight.

The shots have been edited together so that they flow quickly one after another (invisible editing). The frequency is quite slow when compared to a modern day film such as “Love Actually”.

The non-diagetic music that the audience hears when the credits are playing at the start is jazzy and uplifting. The kind of music an audience would expect from a romantic comedy. Then “D.C’s” voice is heard diegetically, while on the phone. Also, the sound of the characters shoes can be heard, while they are moving about, but this is common in many old films; as they didn’t have the technology that we have today. The music stops when the two immature men shout “Get off the sidewalk”. Clam, soothing music begins when “D.C” wins the fight”.

Sound special effects have been included, such as: the swishing of a tennis racket, and the pulling of something stuck on too tight. These types of affects, are used to show humour and where very common in old films.

Obvious comedy is shown throughout the opening scene to indicate to the audience, that the genre is correct to the film. Comedy such as “I’m bringing it, I’ve only had it about a year and a half”, and when “D.C” is making his way to his destination he is singing what he his doing. For example when he trips on the sidewalk he sings “now I’m stumbling, but I’m okay now yeahh”.

The credits are in pink (the signature colour of women), bold, italics. They are shown at random spots around the screen. The title “Roxanne” was the biggest, boldest, lettering to emphasising it.

The narrative that is displayed throughout the sequence is about the character “D.C”. “D.C” is a very fit and healthy fire fighter who borrows items and forgets to return them, such as the tennis racket. It has shown the audience that he gets very sensitive about people, staring or commenting about his nose. For example, when the two rude, arrogant men make comments about his nose, it starts a fight and ends with “D.C” walking coolly away.

Case Study: “Love Actually” – Romantic Comedy

The opening shot to the film “Love Actually” is a medium long shot and pan of a women running towards her boyfriend, embracing and then kissing, as if they haven’t seen each other in a long time. This opens the heart of the audience already, and gives them a warm happy feeling, knowing that all is okay. Throughout all the scene there are medium close ups and pan of people running towards their friends or loved ones.

Fast, invisible editing is used when jumping from one set of people to the other.

While the “love” is being shown visually, the narrator (“David”) is non-diegetically speaking. As if what is being shown is in his thoughts because he states “When ever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow airport.” Heathrow airport is the images we are seeing. Also, in the monologue that the narrator introduces the title “Love Actually” through and opinion, “love actually is all around”.

An orchestra plays instrumental music very lightly and delicately. To symbolise “love” and to show that it this film is delicate and fragile, like the human heart.

All the credits are at the centre, bottom of the screen, in curvy small writing. Except for the quotation “love actually is all around”, this is in the centre of the screen. However, the title isn’t any capital letters when the title comes on screen, but the only word to be emphasised is the word “is” in red. To show that it isn’t a debate, “love actually is all around”.

The location is Heathrow airport, and the props used are luggage cases. Also, the colour clothing that is worn by the characters are light, pastel colours.

Case Study: “About A Boy” – Romantic Comedy

The camera angles, movement and positing in “About A Boy” are very varied.

Throughout the starting shots the film only shows the audience “Will’s” face occasionally. To start the scene there is a high angled shot while tilting to follow a character. This gives the impression that the audience are almost spying on the character, as if they where a security camera. A close up shot was used to emphasise a clean, modern fish tank. Next there was a pan of the apartment showing modern objects and colours that symbolise “Will’s” personality.

To introduce the next character “Marcus”, a high angle, medium long shot of a poorly dressed boy on a bed was shown. This shows the difference between “Will” and “Marcus”, their characteristics and personality are completely juxtaposed. The next shot was of a hamster in a cage, again showing the difference of rich and poor. Medium long shot of “Marcus” turning the door handle to leave for school, links into “Will’s” life. Visible editing shows this, as if a new slide on a camera had just rolled by. From “Marcus” walking to school it uses a handheld camera and an extreme close up of a car key.

The ending scene shot is of “Will” diving in a flashy, expensive car to a destination. Again this shows the difference between the characters, rich and poor, old and young.

There is visible editing shown when “Marcus’s” life is linked to “Will’s” life. There is a steady pace all the way through the scene; this makes the film run smoothly.

The program “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” is first thing the audience hears (non diegetically), the questions is about the quotation “No man is an island”. The question is answered by “Will’s” non-diegetic voice, while he is talking the “About A Boy” theme tune is also played non-diegetically.

When the characters change, so do the voices, “Marcus” talks about his life and totally contradicts what “Will” had just said. Showing their differences.

The diegetic sound of the unlocking of a car links back to “Will’s” life, and then the engine of the car can also be heard diegetically, this brings the audience back down to earth after hearing about islands.

The theme tune to “About A Boy” an instrumental acoustic, happy, enlightening song.

The titles and credits of “About A Boy” are displayed to the corner of the screen without capital letters. This show the audience that, the letters are cuddly, warm and soft and therefore so are the characters hearts deep down.

For “Will’s” character light, pastel colours (mainly blue) are used throughout his apartment. The apartment is fully equipped with expensive and modern equipment, such as: flat screen TV, espresso maker, see through shelves containing modern objects. This tells the audience that “Will” is very self-proud and likes to think of him self as “pretty cool”.

However, “Marcus” is totally juxtaposed to “Will”. He is shown in the dark of the night, using dull and dank colouring, suggesting to the audience that his personality is boring and unsociable. Also, his clothing is old fashioned and looks as if it was knitted by an “old granny”.

Case Study: “Hostage” – Thriller

The opening scene shots are very unique; the directors decided to computer graphically design the city of “Los Angeles” while the credits are rolling. This means that the directors can really spread their imagination, and the unimaginable is made possible. The shots range from long shot to medium close shots of the graphical images.The human scene starts with long shot zooming out a man shouting down a phone, in a run down neighbourhood. Then the next shot is high angle long shot showing all of the body of a police officer, lying down. Showing that the police officer has been through this situation a million times and has been working through the situation for a long period. The shot moves medium close up and the steadicam swivels round so the audiences face ifs level with the characters.

The shots between the kidnapper (“Joe”) and the negotiator range from close up to long shot. Also, I many cases the medium close ups zoom out and then in too “Joe”, instead of cutting. This makes the scene seem more real.

The instrumental non-diegetic music is threatening and thrilling, but also deep and dark. There is a range of different tones produced through the characters: shouting, calm chatting, alert splutter, begging so on so forth.

These are all dramatic devices designed to gain the attention of the audience, but to also give an insight into the personalities of the characters.

The majority of characters, wear “Swat” uniforms and have gear such as: walkie-talkies and uses helicopters to give the sense of reality.

Through computer graphics the audience are shown a city full of guns, graffiti, death, crime and littler.

The credits as computer graphically crafted into the objects such sign posts and the sides of cars, while the audience are shown everything in cartoon form.

The film is edited so the shots are invisible, quick and very frequent. This is to keep the audience on the edge of their chairs.

Case Study: “Saw 4” – Horror

The opening shot was a close up of a leg, using a steadicam to slow move up the leg. The next shot is also a close up, but this time of medical implements and a saw, again using the steadicam to show all the implements. Next was a close up of a foot, but able to burled background. Long shots and medium close ups where used to show the doctors, but only masked. Medium close up on dead body, slowly zoom in to close up. Close up of medical implements, this emphasises the sharp, dangerous tools, possible weapons.

There was a lot of visible editing used, fading in and out on objects such as the leg and medical implements, emphasise them and make the audience mentally link one and two together. The shots are slow, but the frequencies of cuts are great.

The beginning credits are white with a black background, as if a light has been shining behind them.

Medical clothes, tools and setting where used to create the scene.

The music as mystical and quite to begin with other then when one of the doctors “said get homicide her now” which is when it increased in volume. Which was the end of the scene.

The narration is that a man has died from cancer (obviously known from other previous movies), and something unusual has been found in the male’s stomach, that prompted the doctor to call homicide.

Task 2: Research into Existing Products

Tools for textual Analysis:

• Camera Angles, movement and positing,

• Mise En Scene,

• Audio and sound,

• Editing

In class, we are researching three different genres: Romantic Comedies, Horror and Thrillers.


Horror


Unfortunately, I get incredibly scared at horror movies and therefore haven't watched more two films, so my knowledge of the horror genre is limited.
A horror film is designed to scare, shock and terrify the audience; in order to create these feelings, the films included a range:

• Camera Angles, Movement and Positing,

• Mise En Scene,

• Audio and sound,

• Editing

The camera angles, movement and positing, allow the audience to know how the character is feeling without even saying anything. Also, they can give insight to what is about to happen, or can happen and even help to add to the setting/location of a scene.


For example; in the film "Scream", the camera movement in the opening scene; between a character and the packet of popcorn symbolises the building distress. Also, it symbolises the quickening of pace between the girl and her killer but also the beat of her heart as she begins to get distressed and become afraid of the person lurking in the dark. Further more when a camera shot shows a shot of a garden door by its own, the audience are given an insight or suspicion that the killer is outside lurking in the dark, waiting for the opportune moment. Consequently also giving the audience, some information about the location of the house, as there where no other houses in the background/area. As far as the eye could see it was just wilderness; which means that the location of the house was in the countryside.


The mise en scene creates the whole scene and without it there wouldn't be a scare. Without the blood and gory props, the setting, the dark rooms and so on forth, the whole world that is created using mise en scene would fail.


The audio and music that is associated with horror films, is chilling and creates a spooky, mystical atmosphere.


Romantic Comedies


Audiences expect a certain structure from romantic comedies. Generally the basic outline of a romantic comedy is that boy meets girl via some sort of event or communication. For example, in the film “Notting Hill” the superstar “Anna Scott” meets the average, ordinary, English man “William Thacker” when he accidentally spills orange juice down her top, in a market street of Notting Hill. This is a typical beginning to a romantic comedy as the audience are shown that, “Will” and “Anna” share an attraction even though they are so different by their status and roles, it’s seems an impossibility.


However the is always some sort of obstacle between the two. Such as, in “You’ve Got Mail”, “Kathleen Kelly” is a small time bookshop owner; her shop is under the threat of closer. Due to a huge, new book chain store shop just opened nearby, owned by “Joe Fox”. The audience know that they are the perfect couple, by the way that they have been communicating via email, and are pinning for the couple to work out their differences and realise the are meant for each other. Unfortunately, the “perfect couple” are separated by their roles, as “Fox’s” company eliminates competition via discounts and “coffee”. “Kelly” and “Fox” are at a business war that can only end in the death of a business.


Finally, the climax of the story is when the character that realises their feelings at the last moment makes public statement, or does something such as an extraordinarily romantic gesture towards the person that knew their feelings all along. For example, in the film “Bridget Jones’s Diary”, “Marc Darcy” already knows his feelings, where as “Bridget Jones” doesn’t realise hers until the latest possible moment. Therefore means that she makes a heart-warming, embarrassing statement, which the audience greatly appeals to.


Also, in romantic comedy films there is a lot of pathetic fallacy used (when the weather matches the mood), for instance, in “Wimbledon” when “Peter Colt” and “Lizzie Bradbury” spend the day training together realising their feelings for each other, the weather is spectacular. The film shows a beautiful, bold, colourful sunset; which is a typical romantic situation, which the audience just falls in love with. In contrast further on in the film when “Bradbury” and “Colt” have an argument the weather is dark, gloomy and upsetting. Also, to add to the setting, there is rain on the ground when “Colt” turns up to “Bradbury’s” house to apologise, which symbolises the tears and upset which is keeping them apart at the moment.


The music/audio has a huge affect upon the audience and determines their feelings, meaning that the music indicates to the audience what they should be feeling at that particular moment. For example, if the music was slow, delicate and moving, the audience know that they should be feeling sympathy for that particular character or set of characters.


“Bridget Jones’s Diary: The Edge Of Reason” and “Notting Hill” uses a narrator throughout the film, or at the start, which is also an example of non-diagetic sound. This gives an insight about the character towards the audience, for instance they get a sense of the characters education, and personality. Also they feel as if they are a part of the film, especially when the film writers use rhetorical questions, which help the audience to see their point of view.


Within romantic comedies sometimes certain things happen that lack verisimilitude, such as in “27 Dresses”, when “Jane” finally realises her feelings for “Kevin” she crashes a wedding reception. This is a classic example of when a film hasn’t included verisimilitude, as the bride was ecstatic and excited to let this wedding crasher stand up and make a speech, which wouldn’t happen in real life.

The characters are also, quite typical, as there is one that realises their feelings first are generally the male, and the character that makes a public statement or romantic gesture is the female. This is the case with many romantic comedies such as: “Runaway Bride”, “Bridget Jones’s Diary” one and two, “Wimbledon”, “27 Dresses”, “There’s Something About Mary”, “The Proposal” and “Roxanne” so on so forth.


However, there are a few romantic comedies that have the male realise their feelings last the female first, such as: “Shallow Hall”, “He’s Just Not That Into You” and “The Break Up”. Which go against the audience’s conventions but make the movie a whole lot more enjoyable.


The main convention of a romantic comedy is the structure, meaning that the beginning starts off with boy meets girl, (either for the first time, or haven’t seen for a long time) there is some sort of obstacle keeping them apart. Then during finale/climax, the obstacle is removed and the last character realises their feelings makes a public statement, or romantic gesture.

Thriller

A thriller is designed to make the audience think and thrill them but not scare. There are many sub-genres they are:

• Action - "Die Hard", "James Bond", "The Transporter"
• Conspiracy - "Vantage Point", "Minority Report", "Mercury Rising"
• Crime - "The Godfather", "Seven",
• Disaster - "Transformers", "Poseidon"
• Drama - "The Prestige",
• Eco - "Dasavathaaram",
• Erotic - "Basic Instinct", "Fatal Attraction",
• Legal - "The Innocent Man"
• Medical - "Awake"
• Political - "Agency"
• Psychological - is a film that plays on the minds of the audience - e.g. "The Talented Mr Ripley"
• Spy - "Mission Impossible", "The Borne Identity"
• Techno - "The Hungt For Red October"
• Religious - "The Da Vinci Code",