BSA 104 (Scriptwriting) Week 5 : Rom Com Conventions
We got a genre that I really had no interest in before doing this assessment. It's one that appeals to a very specific audience, specifically young girls and middle aged moms – I subscribe to neither of those. It was however very interesting to explore and the cookie cutter nature of the films made them easy to break down. By the end of the project I was much more interested in the genre, and while I have no new urges to go out and watch more of them, I am excited to write one.
We had a viewing of three romantic comedies as a group, our findings of the conventions of the genre below:
We had a viewing of three romantic comedies as a group, our findings of the conventions of the genre below:
- 10 Things I Hate About You
This was the most generic romantic comedy that we watched, but I am glad that we did, it gave us a better understanding of the genre as a whole and made us appreciate and take better notice of the subversions in the other two films. Where it subverts is in that it features a bit more of an ensemble cast.
- When Harry Met Sally
This was a highly recommended film, and I see why. It's very well written and while it subverts some conventions of the genre (for example them being friends for most of the story and meeting multiple times) it was a very good example of how to use rom-coms effectively.
- Silver Linings Playbook
Again this film manages to use the conventions of the genre to become more than the sum of its parts. Its an extremely good movie that manages to hide the generic base its built on.
Characters and Setting:
A romantic comedy usually has two leads, one for each party of the relationship. This is one fo the biggest things that put them apart from other genres. They also feature side characters that serve important roles, these are normally best friends of the two leads.
The setting in a romantic comedy is our real world, environments or places that we can find in our own lives.
Note on Setting: The reason we came up with for why they use relatable locations is because it needs be realistic on some level for the target audience, who should be able to feel like the events in the film could happen in their own lives (10 Things I Hate About You, for example, is definitely more for younger viewers as its set in a school).
Structure:
We broke down some of the common story beats we noticed and built a structure that we believe to be staples of the genre.
- Setup
We found that every single one of the films we watched had a period of time wherein we get a look at the protagonist(s) normal life/lives. This is purely to set up their situation and to enhance the change that comes into their life when they meet their significant other. This is very similar to the "status quo" beat in The Hero's Journey.
In Silver Linings Playbook this is very much skewed towards the male characters life, he is the main character and the movie does a good job of establishing the point where he is in his life, his motivations, desires and even faults. This film focused more on his family and home dynamic, spending a lot more time on it than other rom-coms would.
In 10 Things I Hate About You, this is focused more on the side characters than the main characters interestingly enough, This is because they have the greater motivation and their actions are what leads the main romantic leads to meet, An important lesson: don't focus on people who are in a stand still in their lives (unless that's what they have conflict with). The reason 10 Things I Hate About You focuses more on these side-characters is because they are moving the plot forward and seek change in their lives (the main characters at this point are perfectly happy and just being themselves). We still get to see the main characters, but only to establish what kind of people they are. The setup in this film does a good job of establishing the setting and giving us context as to why the protagonists don't necessarily have complimentary personalities.
When Harry Met Sally doesn't really focus on set-up, choosing instead to skip straight to the protagonists meeting as this is where the main appeal of the film lies. It's a good choice, but I found myself somewhat confused about where the characters were in their lives or why they even met in the first place.
10 Things I Hate About You has the most conventional setup of the three even though it lingers more on the side-characters. It does the best job of giving the audience their footing.
- Boy Meets Girl
This is essential to any rom-com, the boy meets girl beat is usually about the two leads first meeting and them displaying conflicting personalities. This is essentially the inciting incident, unlike conventional three act structure it happens quite early in the story. The reason for this is because it's where the main appeal of the film lies.
Rom Com Structure reminds me a lot of The Hero's Journey, where the set-up doesn't last long and the "call to adventure", or "boy meets girl" in this instance, happens quite early on. In a way the assistance and mentor elements of The Hero's Journey is replicated here with the best friend characters.
Silver Linings Playbook is probably the most subversive film that we watched in terms of adhering to the structure of a romantic comedy. All the beats are present but their timing is very different - the Boy Meets Girl beat happens a whopping 23 minutes into the film. This is again because of the fact that Silver Linings has one protagonist (Pat) where most rom coms have two.
In any case all three films we watched had this beat, and in all three the to-be couple showed signs of competing personalities. At this point in the film the leads usually don't get along, true in all three films we watched:
In Silver Linings they don't get along because they have opposing motivations - they are very similar but don't want the same thing.
In 10 Things I Hate About You the leads are very different and neither are really interested in the other.
And in When Harry Met Sally they have opposing personalities but get along. In When Harry Met Sally a lot of the dialogue and events are based on the fact that the two characters have different approaches to life. Billy Crystal's character is brash and decisive, making outlandish claims and not being afraid to voice his opinion. Meg Ryan's character is a perfectionist who takes her time, but who isn't very controversial and prefers to stay in her safe space. The dynamic nature of the dialogue comes from Harry saying something offensive or controversial and Sally defensively disagreeing.
A good visual metaphor from La La Land (a movie which is musical, rom com and
drama all rolled into one), pictured above: Sebastian and Mia's first meeting
This part of the movie usually throws the two characters (who don't get along) into a situation where they are stuck with each other. Forced to interact over a long period of time the two form a romantic relationship.
This is present in 10 Things I Hate About You because of the side characters, who set up the protagonists to achieve their own goals. The two leads wouldn't usually go out, but do because of external forces.
In Silver Linings the main character wants something from the girl and makes a deal with her in which he'll do something for her in return. This happens to be something that requires a lot of time and dedication and he falls for her.
When Harry Met Sally subverts this trope a bit, it's a similar situation as they keep meeting again and again (in a way being forced together), but they continue hanging out completely by their own free will.
A it of a mix between the Boy Meets Girl and what usually starts the Development phase,
in 101 Dalmatians the two characters are forced together by an external force (the dogs),
which also acts as their first meeting.
- Honeymoon Period
As the name suggests this is a period of time, usually represented through montage, in which the two characters are in love and everything goes fine. One of my group intelligently pointed out that the reason this part of the film is in montage form is because any period of time without conflict isn't interesting to watch. It's nice to see them happy, but lingering on this can become boring quickly and there is more story to tell.
This is present in all the films, even the most subversive in this aspect, When Harry Met Sally (because the protags get along very well for the majority of the film, they just happen to not have a romantic relationship) still had a montage.
The two main characters in 10 Things I Hate About You go on a date on the water
and after have a paintball battle, while partly development
this a good representation of a honeymoon period,
- Mistake/Liar
This is where conflict is reintroduced, one of the characters does something hurtful to the other or there is some kind of misunderstanding that breaks the relationship apart.
In Silver Linings this comes late in the film where Tiffany thinks that Pat returns to his ex wife (he doesn't, its a misunderstanding).
In 10 Things I Hate About You, this happens when the girl finds out the guy was paid to go out with her. She's mad with him, but he's started to really fall in love. It's a mix of betrayal and misunderstanding.
In When Harry Met Sally this comes when the characters have intercourse Sally experiences a break-up and Harry consoles her. Harry isn't as sure in the relationship as Sally is and doesn't want to be a rebound (or something like that, it's very internal), they break up.
- Low Point
The Low Point is where we get to see the two leads alone and unhappy, they are no longer together and this makes their lives worse. The "Darkest Hour" of Romantic Comedies. There is no real conflict, at least not between the two leads, as they are not together anymore, so again a montage is usually employed.
The reason Shrek (2001) did so well is probably because it appealed to every market, the satirical and often inappropriate humor for men and teenagers, the animated visuals and fantasy elements for children and of course it's adherence to romantic comedy tropes and structure to appeal to girls and women. Above is a low point montage from Shrek.
The only one of the three films that skips this step is Silver Linings, which goes straight to:
- The Chase
This is where one party decides to take action and declare their never-ending love for the other. But the other party is about to leave the country or something crazy like that! The point is one is leaving and the other has a limited amount of time to fix the situation so they have to chase their loved one. Hence the name.
Shrek (2001) has a good chase sequence, I think Shrek 2's is even better.
This happens in all three films, in 10 Things I Hate About You this happens twice. Each party gets to do this making for two declaration of love scenes. Speaking of:
- Declaration of Love
This is exactly what it sounds like, its the classic Graduate church scene or John Cusack holding up a Boom Box scene. It's a grand gesture, usually public, that proves that one party really loves the other.
Dustin Hoffman's character screaming to stop the wedding in the background as
the procession continues in The Graduate (1967)
- Happy Ending
It's pretty much law that a Rom Com ends happily, with the two leads living happily after. Some choose to subvert this like (500) Days of Summer or La La Land, but it's the status quo usually. Kind of like the "New Life" step in the Hero's Journey.
The Graduate subverts the convention a bit by commenting on the "happily ever after element".
The characters are together, but maybe that isn't the best thing...
Notes on Other Conventions:
Montages – These are used to span large periods of time or convey periods of development in a fraction of the time. The important lesson to take away here is that the audience are not interested if there isn't any conflict. Romantic Comedies rely heavily on the friction created between the characters, periods in their lives where this is absent is boring and thus we don't need to see them in detail.
Use of Pop-Music - These films usually feature the use of popular music, often accompanying the montages.
Love Trumps All - This is a big overarching theme of the genre. If these films had something to say it would be that true love is stronger than any faults that the two individuals involved in a relationship have.
This is an excellent post, Bo -- well done!
ReplyDelete