Evaluation Question 1 - Script

I will be recording and editing my evaluation for Question 1 for 'Remember Me' as a director's commentary this afternoon. Below is the script which I am going to record in smaller paragraphs before assembling it using Adobe Audition. Once I have done that I will add the edited audio as another audio layer on the timeline of the opening sequence (which I will loop because the length of my commentary will be longer than my opening scene). Once I have completed editing on Premiere Pro, I will upload the director's commentary onto YouTube and Google Drive after it's finished.

Here is my script for the director's commentary for 'Remember Me'.

QUESTION 1

Hi, my name’s Tamar and I’m here to talk about the ways my opening sequence for ‘Remember Me’ uses or challenges conventions, and also how I have represented certain social groups or issues. In my opening sequence I incorporated lots of conventions of classic romantic comedies, but also the conventions of opening sequences themselves. 

The first bit of research I did was to watch lots of opening sequences from different genres as I wanted to see if there were similarities even if the opening scenes belonged to different  genres. I analysed romance ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’, ‘The Hustle’ a comedy and the science fiction film ‘Divergent’.

This gave me a good appreciation of what is typically found in opening sequences of films, and I noticed that these scenes almost always introduced the main protagonists, established setting and genre, or created enigma for the spectator.

My opening sequence for ‘Remember Me’ uses some of these conventions, particularly introducing both of the main protagonists (Emma and Jack) and establishing their character traits and their relationship to the audience - they are a couple about to get engaged.

During my research it was also important for me to find out whether these conventions changed or were influenced by genre, so I also looked at a number of opening sequences from the romantic comedy genre such as ‘Clueless’,‘Just Go with It’ and ‘13 Going on 30’. 

This gave me inspiration about how to instantly establish the genre to the audience, which I did through alongside establishing that the film belongs to the romantic comedy genre, through mise- en-scene, music, lighting, and the choice of fonts. 

This research into genre also helped me appreciate how the introduction of central protagonists manifests itself in romcoms – I made sure my main protagonists were likeable by presenting them as a couple clearly in love - shown by their body language around each other and the fact that Jack is intending to propose.

Throughout the planning, I logged all my research onto a blog so that I could quickly and easily refer to my findings when creating my opening scene and planning shot lists, props and costumes, and the music I might want to use. This was incredibly helpful when creating an authentic opening sequence from my genre as it helped me ensure that I incorporated the conventions I had found.

My chosen font for my title cards - another typical convention of opening sequences I noticed during my research - is typical of the style of font used in romantic comedies. My research suggested that usually, the fonts used in rom coms are serif, bold and stereotypically ‘arty’ with flicks and feet, and curved letters, which represent the softer tone of the genre (compared to action or horror films for example). I have used the 'Vogue' font, which follows some of these conventions and feels totally appropriate for my chosen genre.

In terms of my storyline and the use of film language I followed the classic narrative structure and patterns of romantic comedies - couples all loved up, wanting to be happy, before obstacles get in the way (in my case, the car crash which hospitalises Emma), attempts to overcome the obstacle, before the couple end up together.

I also noticed during my research that opening sequences generally have production company logos at the beginning, before the action commences. I have incorporated this convention into my scene by including the production company logos, or idents, for Universal and Working Title – production companies known for making romantic comedies. 

Universal has made rom-coms such as ‘Bridesmaids’ and ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’, whilst Working Title has made ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’, ‘Notting Hill’ and ‘Love Actually’. 

The credits or titles are shown throughout my opening sequence, which I found was a common convention of opening sequences both inside and outside of my genre. These titles include the names of the production companies and the name of the film but also the actors’ names and the name of the director and other crew members. 

To find the right type of music for my opening sequence, I watched and researched different rom-coms such as ‘10 things I Hate About You’, ‘Anyone But You’ and ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’, listening to the soundtracks for each film and compiling a potential playlist on Spotify. What I noticed was that most of the music was upbeat, pop music to help reinforce the positive tone associated with the romantic comedy genre. I chose the song ‘Kiss Me’ by Sixpence None the Richer, as I thought this song had all those qualities, as well as having a good beat to sync the editing to.

In terms of the representation of social groups, I have focused mostly on the representations of gender as it is commonly presented in romantic comedies. Showing Emma and Jack as a couple seemed most appropriate because of my chosen genre. The loved up couple vibe is represented in my opening sequence by showing props around the house to insinuate that it is a close boy and girl couple, like for example the different colour towels (stereotypically pink and blue) or the different products used which are reflective of gender. 

Much of the segment of Emma getting ready in the opening sequence conforms to female stereotypes found in the rom-com genre, including showing her looking excited and happy while she's doing her hair and looking at herself in the mirror, whereas the male protagonist who's doing the same sort of thing by fixing his hair and tux in the mirror looks more nervous as he's about to propose. 

These incidents are intended to establish the closeness between my protagonists and therefore create expectations for the audience regarding their relationship and the plot. 

I wanted to make it clear that the characters are in love and it's the car crash which forms the potential barrier against them being together. I stick to gender stereotypes throughout my opening scene, something I found was common in lots of the romantic comedies I watched as part of my planning, as I feel that this is one of the biggest appeals of the genre with audiences.