Title Sequence - Love Actually (2003)

Love Actually is a Romcom however I will look more indepth to see how the conventions of Romance are introduced in the title sequence.

In terms of film conventions, it begins with the production companies images

 

Then there is footage of people hugging in Heathrow, showing the film is about love and care. This clip isn't really 'part of the movie', nor is the voice over.

 The beginning also includes credits with the institution and production companies. There is then also the voice over which shows it is about love and care, which is when they also introduce the title of the film. The quote is:

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around."

 The credits go over the film. The more famous actors, have their names alone (such as Alan Rickman and Colin Firth) Colin Firth has connotations of being a good 'romance actor' because of his popularity at the BBC adaption of Pride and Prejudice in 1995. The actors and actresses are mostly all British, especially the ones given separate credits.This helps set the scene as the action takes place in London. 

 We also have different shots introducing us to the characters that we will be following throughout the story. We have an idea on background of the characters. For example we see that Liam Neeson's character has recently been widowed and we have expectations that his plot line will be him either finding a new love or coming to terms with his wife's death. 

 

 The fact the story is based around christmas could be a link to the romance genre. Christmas is a time of giving gifts to those you love or spending time with loved ones. The audience will expect happy family moments (which the film subverts slightly in the storyline of Emma Thompson/Alan Rickmans character.) 

The audience also expects love to be heavily involved because in the opening sequence we also have the introduction of a wedding. Incidentally, it has almost a 'red herring' subsitute in terms of comedy as it introduces the wedding with the best man and the groom standing together. When I first watched it, I thought it was a gay couple until they started talking. Whether this was incidental or not, I don't know.

The credits also include: Casting, Music/Music Supervisor, Co-producers, Hair & Make-up, Costume, Line Producer, Production designer, Director of Photography, Editor, Producers and the Writer/Director. 

In this case, the writer/director was very important. Richard Curtis directed and wrote the screenplay for this film. He is heavily connotated with comedies such as Blackadder and Vicar of Dibley. He, too, is British. This film targets British audiences heavily, showing the best of british talent.

Casting may be important here because the cast is majorly the 'Prides of Britain'. Music is important because it determines the mood of the film and most films, including Romance, determine on music to create the mood (in the case the mood of love/happiness)

Title Sequence - Grease (1977)

Although a famous musical, Grease is also famous for telling the love story between T-Bird Danny Zuko and Good Girl Sandy.

The beginning of the film is the image of the media insitution - Paramount Pictures

 

It then has a bit of the film. This is important as it conveys the romance genre with the romantic sunset and the appearance of the two leads; Danny and Sandy. This introduces the fact that it was supposed to be a 'summer romance' but had resulted in a relationship. (This is done through speech) 

Romance is built up because the song 'Love is a Splendid thing' plays in the background as waves crash against the beach. This introduces the idea of the summer romance and then we see a sunset image with two silhouettes. 

The real title sequence falls more into the 1st bullet point I stated below. It is in the format of a cartoon/drawing that depicts each character and their personalities. The male lead is introduced first.

The picture on the left shows the stereotypical teenage boys room, a mess. He has 'bed hair' and there is a flag with the school name on at his bed which suggests he supports the school. To the right we get a cartoon image of the character. We're given only his first name, perhaps so we can build a relationship with the character. John Travolta at this time was just becoming famous, having been in TV Series and a couple of movies so he was known enough.

The second character introduced is the female lead. I'm slightly surprised because Olivia Newton-John was more famous than John at this point and maybe she should've gone first however she had had a few 'flops' just previous to this film. There is a big contrast between Danny's images and Sandy's images which could show an obstacle to their relationship. 

Sandy is portrayed as very graceful, kind. They use an image similarly seen in 'Snow White' where the animals flock around her, showing her 'friendly aura'.

The title sequence also gives the audience a reference to the time in which it was set. It is set in the 50's, twenty years prior to the film and this reference was needed. For example there were neo-Nazis and Martin Luther King Jnr/Civil Rights

 

The film is set slightly around a car (Grease Lightning) so a lot of the credits are given on billboards as cars drive passed. The Main supporting actors are given grouped credits (excluding Stockard Channing and Jeff Conaway who were quite famous at this time). 

 





The credits include : Music, Producers, The Title, Choreographer, Edited By,Director of Photography, Director, 'Based on', Screenplay, adapted by, Production design.

Music, Choreographer, 'based on' and Adapted by are vital here because it's a musical. Since mine is not a musical, they will not be heavily depended on.

The different types of Title Sequence.

1. Separate credit/ title sequence

2.     Titles appear over the images as narrative plays

3.     Film (blackscreen with credit) film (credit) etc.
(There are ofcourse films that don't have opening credits, such as Time Travellers Wife and Stardust. The credits are left until the end.)

The first one could be seen mainly in TV shows, where the title sequence does not feature in the actual movie. 

The film Se7en (find analysis below) would fall into the second category/third as some of the titles appear in the actual image and other on a black screen. 

The Dawn of the Dead is an example of the third section. 

I will now analyse different Romance films to see the credits included in a romance film, the type of title sequence and what is involved in the title sequence that introduces the genre, plot, characters etc.

Title Sequences

Editing

• Jump Cuts - creates a psychotic impression of the character, who we never see the face of. 
• Visual Effects - Ghosting. This emphasises the strange character and the genre of the film. 
• Colours - Dark, black/white, little contrast. 

Titles

• Director of Photography (Visual film)
• Production Company (shows it's an Independent Film)
• Actors/Actresses (Famous ones; Brad Pitt, Gwenyth Paltrow to name two)

Music

• Discorded, squeaky, sinister "Nine Inch Nails - Closer"

Camera shots

• ECUs - We don't see the face of the person, letting us know we shouldn't relate to them. We see dirty fingers and visual clues towards the character.

What does the audience expect from the text?

Survey:
Do you expect a happy ending or tragedy?

Happy Ending (17)    Tragic  (3)

Which season do you think is best for romance?

Spring  (3)     Summer (5)    Winter  (5)  Autumn  (5)  Don't know (2)

How old should the main characters be?

15-17 (6)   18-25  (6)    26-35  (4)    36-50 (3)    50+ (1)

Do you prefer a charming male or a couple that clash (Bennet and Darcy)? ]

Charming  (6)     Clash  (6)      Don't Mind (8)

Whose perspective should the film be from?

Girls (9)  Boys (0)  Mixture (11)

After conducting this small survey, I've found out that when watching a romance film my target audience expect:

• A Happy Ending
• A Season depending on plot *
• Characters slightly older/same age as themselves (18-25 was most)
• They don't really mind about the type of relationship
• From both the girl's and boy's perspective

* They suggested: 

Summer - Teenage relationship

Winter - A Tragic relationship

Autumn/Spring- 

Who is the target audience of the text?

Women; teenage girls; little girls (Fairytales). 

Looking at my research, most romance films look at the relationship from the woman's point of view. The males are either perfectly charming, or perfectly stubborn which may not be able to target the male audiences. Emotions that are displayed in the romance genre, are not conventionally enjoyed by men (males stereotypically do not like publically sharing emotions)  Fairytales (Lady and the Tramp; Beauty and the Beast; Sleeping Beauty) are forms of romance that are targeted towards children, showing innocent love. 

Most romance films are PG to 18. The films go up in certificate depending on the 'sexual' natures of the films. Sleepless in Seattle, for example, is a PG however I think it's aimed more towards adults because of the adult leads. Twilight, a 12, is a romance film that is targeted towards teenagers as opposed to adults. We see this by the age of the lead characters. 

Target Audience Questions

Four Golden Questions
1. Who is the target audience of the text?

2. What does the audience expect from the text?

3. How does the text appeal to or cater for the target audience?

4. To what extent does the target audience feel the text is successful in targeting them?


In the next two blogs, I'll answer the first two questions looking at the romance genre. 

    

Sound of Music - Characterisation

The Sound of Music is a 1965 Rodger and Hammerstein Musical based in the 1930's/1940's. Maria is a nun who can't really live the secluded life, she goes to the hills to sing. Her Matron sends her to Captain Von Trapp's house to be a Governess for his 7 'perfect' children. Von Trapp is a strict military widow who originally disapproves of Maria's idea of fun, freedom and singing but they do fall in love. 

Interpretations after approx. 2 minutes. 

Maria

1. Carefree - She sings and spins on the hills happily. She doesn't mind not having anything (extreme longshot to show she has no one around and nothing but the clothes on her back) 
2. Poor - Her clothes are drabby, dark and look overworn. 
3. 'Head in the Clouds' - She hears the bells of the Convent and starts to panic, showing she isn't where she is supposed to be. 
4. Wants more freedom- "My Hearts wants to beat like the wings of the birds..." 
5. Feels like an outcast - "I go to the hills, when my heart is lonely..."

The last two suggest she wants to find someone who accepts her as she doesn't fulfill the 'criteria' to be a nun. This helps the audience expect change or a possible romance. 

Captain Von Trapp

He still misses his wife, it appears he still wears the
wedding ring in this picture. This shows that the strict
demeanor may be to hide his sadness and loneliness
after he lost his wife.

1. Widowed with children -  Dialogue from the Matron to Maria
2. Rich - Lives in a mansion, this could also be a sign of being a workaholic as he is very strict and treats his children like soldiers in his 'navy'. He is also dressed in a sharp suit.
3. Intimidating - He slams the doors open and he has a stern expression so Maria runs out without him having to say anything to her. He also says 'I will not permit them [The children] to dream their summers away'
4. Cold, Emotionless - He stands far away from Maria, his voice is very emotionless and he is either frowning or has no expression. 
5. Can't control/isn't there for his kids - "You're twelfth in a long line of Governesses" 
6. Proud - "There's nothing wrong with the children, only with the Governesses" 
7. Naval Officer - His name and he uses a naval whistle to 'assemble' the children. It shows he had strict training and upbringing. He is controlled and takes 'no nonsense'

You've Got Mail -Characterisation

You've Got Mail was created by the same director as Sleepless in Seattle,  including the same actors as the leads. It was released in 1998 about a modest shop keeper, Kathleen Kelly, who finds she communicates online with a chain-store owner, Joe Fox, who becomes her enemy. 


Interpretations after approx. 2 minutes. 


Kathleen Kelly 

1. Laid back - She is still in bed, dressed in PJ's whilst her boyfriend is dressed in a suit ready for work. Her house isn't spotless suggesting she's laid back and doesn't feel the need to tidy up to impress people. She doesn't seem to mind that she is almost ordered about dinner 'Sushi!' although this could be a reminder which would fit into the next point. 
2. Good humoured/Disobedient -  the music that plays in the background as she sneaks to check whether her boyfriend's gone, mixed with how she moves (quite childlike)
3. Confident -  Despite living with a man, the house looks predominantly feminine, inferring she stands her ground.

Joe Fox

1. The Voiceover - his jokes and hearing his thoughts portray him as very humourous and kind- more likely to be the real him as he doesn't need to be afraid of being himself as Kathleen doesn't know who he is (at this stage, he doesn't know it's her talking to him either)
2. Dominated - His girlfriend tells him to put the cappuccino machine on and he does it without question (subverts male/female stereotype) and she persuades him to attend a party he initially planned to avoid. 
3. Solves problems by throwing money at it - "Can't I just send some money?" 
4. Dog lover - He talks fondly of his dog and shows him affection
5. Businessman - He's dressed in a smart, expensive looking suit. His kitchen at the beginning is very modern for it's time and everything seems tidy. 

He also has 'sneaky' music. This suggests what they're doing is almost seen as 'forbidden'. This is more obvious with Kathleen as her boyfriend says her laptop is dangerous -'You think it's your friend but it isn't' 

Character Analysis: 'Pretty Woman’s Edward Lewis

(Watch to about 3.20)

Richard Gere’s character in Pretty Woman is known as Edward Lewis and he is represented as a rich, successful and perhaps emotionless man.

He is represented as rich through mise-en-scène effectively. His house is a grand house in the ‘posh side’ of Hollywood and he is dressed in an expensive and sharp suit. Dialogue is also used to portray Richard’s character but also the theme of the film. His lawyer says “It’s all about the money”. His success also contributes to this representation as people approach him congratulating him. He is spoken about several times before we even showing him, representing his success ‘Where is the guest of honour?’ Through dialogue, we hear that Edward works with stocks and this strengthens the representation of a businessperson. His success and wealth is also shown through his pampered lifestyle, he does not appear to be able to drive and we can infer that he’s always being driven everywhere.

He appears to be a workaholic businessman, he speaks to his partner about not being able to see her and she says “I speak more to your secretary more than I speak to you,” and when he asked a former girlfriend whether it was the same for her, she replies “She was one of my Bridesmaids” showing that this was not a new thing. He spends little time with his guests, talking to his girlfriend as if it’s a business transaction and heading straight out, showing focus. His workaholic nature appears to have made him an emotionless character. When we first see him, he turns his back on the camera, as if preventing the audience from creating much of a relationship with him. 

He doesn’t seem too upset by the argument he has with his partner. His house, though posh, is very cold. There is very little personality (such as photos) and little colour. It has a clinical atmosphere to the house, because everything is white, and he does not seem too attached to it as a home as opposed just a place to stay as he leaves quickly. He shows no consideration to his guests as he leaves suggesting he doesn’t really have friends, just colleagues and other business partners or employees. 

This is Edward with his ex. You can also see the white clinical walls in the background