Institutions

I explored different film institutions looking at the production and reception of the major 5, focusing especially on 20th Century Fox. However, when researching this institution I discovered that although they produce many romantic comedy films and TV programmes, Universal Pictures are more renowned for doing so.

Summary of Films and Codes and Conventions Presentation

After discovering the generic codes and conventions of a romantic comedy, I then had to summarise my findings in a powerpoint presentation and deliver it to the class. As the audience questionnaire results showed that the intended audience were between the ages of 16 and 25, I decided to explore the possibility of a 'teen romantic comedy.' The aspects of this sub-genre are pretty much the same as any other romantic comedy, apart form the setting and obviously the characters used. This was explained in my presentationn and it helped me gain a clear view as to how my film would pan out.

Analysis of 3 films

After analysing 5 openings, the next stage was to analyse in detail 3 romantic comedy films commenting on aspects of mise en scene, general codes and conventions and theories by Propp and Todorov. The films I decided upon were 'Bridget Jones' Diary,' 'Just Like Heaven' and 'Miss Congeniality.'

This task took me a long time to complete, as I found it difficult to find what parts of the narrative were most important. Commenting on stock characters and generic codes and conventions was easier and helped me realise what the aspects of this genre were. As the generic make-up of these films were similar it was easier to identify what all romantic comedies should be like, which will help me when creating my own film opening.

Analysis of 5 film openings

After choosing which genre of film to pursue after the results of the audinece research questionnaire, the next step was to analyse 5 film openings from the chosen genre. The romantic comedies I chose to look at were:

• Hitch
• How to Lose a Guy in 10 days
• Never Been Kissed
• Love Actually
• 13 Going on 30

The analysis of these openings was helpful as it highlighted the general codes and conventions used and techniques needed to create a successful romantic comedy film opening. What was most noticable was the use of non-diegetic sound, especially voice-overs to which we can incorporate in our own opening.