Question 1 - Use Of Conventions

My answer for Question 1 on the use of conventions




A (not so) brief overview of the points made about our use of conventions can be found after the break.

We have used various conventions within our film, one of them being the use of diegetic titles, seen in the comedies Bunny and the Bull and Napoleon Dynamite. We were very happy with the quality of many of these titles, particularly the title with the butter on the toast and also the lipstick in the mirror. One of the ways in which we very directly referenced Bunny and the Bull was by writing out a title using toothpaste in a sink. I think that, while this title does work, it could be a little bit better.

Another convention we used is a love triangle. However, we somewhat challenged this convention Instead of the main character being undecided between two people, something that can be seen in Bridget Jones' Diary, we decided to make it so that the love interest to the main character would be the one undecided between two people. We made this choice based on two main factors. One of them was our target audience would most likely be female, particularly with the romantic elements of the film. And the other being verisimilitude, By having two girls fight over a boy it makes the movie more believable (and so makes the movie more relatable) than it would were it to be  2 boys fighting over a girl.

A third convention we made use of was the use of a montage, which can be seen in the movie Up!, we found that the montage was an effective way to display our titles as well as providing exposition on our characters. We also thought that the montage would go hand in hand with the standard pop song that is also a convention in Rom-Coms. As it would allow us to cut to the beat and keep a steady rate between clips.

We also tried to introduce some post modern ideas into our opening, by referencing and taking inspiration from various movies, both in and outside of our genre. We took inspiration for starting in the characters' bedrooms from Trick or Treat, as it enabled us to provide an insight into the characters while the montage played. As well as that, we took inspiration for the slam into the locker from Trick or Treat, in the movie the bullies push by the main character, who is in the middle of the corridor, in our opening we decided to have the bully push the main character into the locker.
We also took inspiration for the love interest's outfit and the school scenes from Pretty in Pink. Where the character duckie wears a somewhat similar hat and a shirt with a waistcoat.