Treatment

Questionnaire to target audience and evaluation of results

After sending out our questionnaire to a variety of audiences and summarising the results given, they appear to be very similar and easily comparable. The questionnaire asked for your genre as well as how many times they specifically went to the cinema in one month. The majority of answers presented to us told us that the average amount for our target audience (the mainstream aged between 15-19 years of age) visited the cinema twice a month. Luckily for us as film distributors the bulk of the questionnaires scaled Romantic Comedies as their “favourite”. Whilst answering the question of what they expect to be in an opening sequence very few failed to recognise the conventions even if they didn’t realise what they were pointing out. Listing title sequences, introduction of main characters and establishing shots of locations were only a few of the ideas suggested.

Analysing the films audiences chose as their favourites, the majority of the answers lied within films distributed and made in America. With this answer, this enables a gap in the market for British Romantic Comedy films. We know films like that would be successful due to having hit movies showing actors such as Hugh Grant which have effectively been very successful in the past.

Textual analysis of opening sequences from romantic comedy films

10 Things I Hate About You

A variety of different shot sizes including an establishing shot, the location was established by a crane shot at the beginning of the opening sequence. There appeared to be diegetic sound whilst the characters where in the car. Whilst the opening credits are on the screen there is non-diegetic sound, the music is played whilst there is an establishing shot of the houses. It then alters to diegetic sound as another sound overlaps. As the characters arrive at the school the sound is non-diegetic. The credits of the film are superimposed over the filming. Throughout the opening sequence there is natural lighting and basic character movement, this helps define what stereotype of people the characters fit into and their role in the film. The macro helps build up the meanings from the information portrayed throughout the micro. The location and place of the film is established by the variety of shots used throughout the opening sequence, during these shots we can set up a scenario of what is going to happen during the film in our heads. During “10 things I hate about you” there was an establishing shot of an American high school, this information gives us knowledge that the film will be based in or around a school, including the people who attend the school. The representation of the characters is established as they are first introduced; the very first appearances of the characters allow the audience to work how much of an impact they think they will have throughout the remaining film. As the credits develop the text is superimposed over the footage, this text gives the vital informaiton of the films cast and crew for the production.

Mean Girls

Whilst the opening credits are being played throughout the opening sequence of the film “Mean Girls” there appears to be non-diegetic sound. The first piece of music (non-diegetic) becomes a diegetic radio which is then interrupted with the second cars diegetic radio. As the titles appear on the screen the sound is synchronised, meaning the sound is in sync or in time. The first camera shot introduces two characters, the sound changes to diegetic. Part of the opening sequence is shot reverse shot; this allows the audience to establish the characters and the surrounding areas. The lighting in the opening sequence is natural and basic character movement, this helps establish the personality of the characters in the film. The lighting is mainly generated from natural sources, such as the sun. The sun implies it is a sunny day; the mood at this stage in the film is happy due to the positive attitudes in the surroundings. The location is established by a brief introduction from the characters, we have a brief synopsis of the characters back ground before the film initially starts. A variety of iconic monuments are shown to show the settings, these include the large schools and yellow taxi's these all show that the film is set in the USA. During the opening sequence of “Mean Girls” there was an establishing shot of the variety of characters included in the films. There also appears to be what is described as a map of the variety of clicks in the film. This gives an indication of the sort of characters that are going to appear in the film.

The lighting in the opening sequence is natural and basic character movement, this helps establish the personality of the characters in the film. The lighting is mainly generated from natural sources, such as the sun. The sun implies it is a sunny day; the mood at this stage in the film is happy due to the positive attitudes in the surroundings. Macro:The location is established by a brief introduction from the characters, we have a brief synopsis of the characters back ground before the film initially starts. During the opening sequence of “Mean Girls” there was an establishing shot of the variety of characters included in the films. There also appears to be what is described as a map of the variety of clicks in the film. This gives an indication of the sort of characters that are going to appear in the film.

Recent films from romantic comedy films

Top grossing romantic comedies (by year):
Jerry Maguire (1996) My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) There's Something About Mary (1998) Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) What Women Want (2000) American Pie 2 (2001) My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) Bruce Almighty (2003) Meet the Fockers (2004) Hitch (2005) The Devil Wears Prada (2006) Knocked Up (2007) Sex and the City (film) (2008) The Proposal (2009)

After research on top grossing films for the genre Romantic Comedy films, studies show that the top grossing appear to vary from American to British romantic comedies throughout the years. The most recent top grossing film appears to be “The Proposal” which was directed by famous Anne Fletcher. The film had a standard star power, so its great success was not only a surprise for audiences, but also for distributors and the production company. The film included actors such as Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds and Mary Steenburgen. The main name that stands out initially for me includes American actress Sandra Bullock who has previously stared Speed and Miss Congenitally.

History of genre (romantic comedy)

Romantic comedy films are movies with light hearted, humorous plot lines, centred on romantic ideals such as a true love able to surmount most obstacles. They often explore the essential themes of love at first night. Romantic comedy films are a sub-genre of comedy films as well as of romantic films and often have elements of screwball comedies. 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. The basic plot of a romantic comedy is that two protagonists, usually a man and a woman, meet, part ways due to an argument or other obstacle, then ultimately reunite.

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. Shakespearean comedy and restoration comedy remain influential. Even films from the earliest days of silent cinema combined romance, fantasy and sex.


There is a large gap in the audience for a variety of romantic comedy films, all American films appear to have huge star power allowing them to target the selected audience and achieve the huge popularity they aim to. Hugh Grant often appears in a variety of romantic comedy films including the famous “Love Actually” and “Bridget Jones Diaries”. With films such as the following have such successful actors including Hugh Grant their popularity raises and not only the actors or film production company become popular, but also the genre of the specific film .. In our case Romantic Comedy films.

The image above is actor Hugh Grant who appears in a lot of British Romantic Comedy films, included those analysed above "Love Actually" and "Bridget Jones Diaries".

Group meeting 1: Plot and Outline of whole film

Plot of whole film
The film develops a relationship between two main characters, a boy and girl. As an audience we are introduced to the boy’s friends and the girls. The film follows them build their relationship through an average teenagers every day life. Throughout the film it is clear the couple are destined to be with each other and this comes true they both attend their high school promenade dinner dance together.

Outline of the opening sequence
Throughout the opening sequence we establish the two main characters and their groups of friends; they are introduced whilst getting ready for school and starting a new day. Charlotte is first seen whilst getting out of bed and preparing herself for the day. The first shot introduces the female character as she wakes for a new day. Freddy is a popular boy with a bad reputation, Charlotte is the opposite; she is shy and not well known. As the opening sequence develops we question weather opposites really do attract.

Conventions of an opening sequence

Conventions are codes that you would except to see in a given text. The opening credits are shown at the very beginning of a film and they list the most important members of the production. They are usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. They may or may not be accompanying music. Where opening credits are built into a separate sequence of their own, the correct term is title sequence. Conventionally, throughout the opening sequence of a film an establishing shot of the location, plot and characters are identified through visual, audio and written production techniques. Each of these strategies helps to set up the narrative enigmas, which will be concluded later in the film. The image below is an example of the titles shown at the beginning of the Romantic Comedy “Juno”. The text is superimposed over the top of an existing image.

Throughout the opening sequence of the television programme ‘State Within’ the location was established through a variety of iconic monuments. Road signs, countries flags and props/mise-en-scene for example of a selection of yellow taxis were shown: The yellow taxis represent America. A plot was recognized and it was clear that a bomb was being made, but as an audience we were left unaware of the target. The protagonist of the film is established through the acting in the opening sequence.

During ‘The Italian Job’ the location of the film was established due to iconic monuments and surrounding settings of the city. No characters have been introduced; this could be because at the beginning of the film it relies mainly on the audience’s knowledge of the original film. The camera presents the audience with a variety of shots cautiously giving away aspects of the location without being too obvious.

The last film we used as an example was the recent film ‘Hot Fuzz’. In this opening the sound effects start before the visual, this is affective as its catches the audiences attention and you can guess the theme of the movie if you didn’t already know. The character and character background was established and the mise-en-scene of the characters uniform set the scene and reinforces the location. There are a lot of shots in this opening; these all help establish the sequence and give an indication of the events that will take place. The film uses a variety of mirco elements to present to the viewers the genre of the film and provide them with a range special affects and mise-en-scene aspects to add to the suspicion of the opening sequence. As the opening sequence begins the narrator of the film introduces what appears to be the leading character as a Sergeant. With this vital information it is obvious that the film’s genre specifies in a relation with police work. A second character is soon to be introduced in the opening sequence, with non-diegetic sound between the characters as well as this there is also a narrative diegetic sound response throughout the whole film. The narrator introduces the characters.