Romantic Comedies' - Do they all conform to Hollywood film-making standards?

The Romantic Comedy or the ‘RomCom’ is a typical example of genre of film which highly conforms to the Hollywood film-making standard. Whilst they may not necessarily become the biggest blockbusters or highest grossing, they are easy to make and are churned out month after month as people are willing to watch them in the cinema.

“...it employs so formulaic a storyline, is so over-familiar a product, that it is easy to take for granted” (2007, Jeffers Mcdonald)

The key ingredients of a romantic comedy usually includes two famous or well-known protagonists, both of whom are normally very good looking (if not the male then the female, who tend to always be better looking) and a plot which involves the two characters not getting along or hating one another at the beginning, they then begin to fall in love which is halted by a minor event, and finishing with the two characters realising they belong together and living happily ever after.

A perfect example of this scenario is:

“’Boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back’ is exhibit A of standard plots in all fictional media.” (2003, Shumway, p.157)

What Women Want (2000) directed by Nancy Meyers and starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt is probably one of the best known and most clichéd Romantic Comedy of all time. IMDb describes the plot as “After an accident, a chauvinistic executive gains the ability to hear what women are really thinking.” The storyline portrays the two characters having nothing in common and not getting along; but after an accident with a hairdryer allows Nick to hear the thoughts of women, he realises that he is falling for his employee Darcy.

With a budget of $70 million the film was a huge success and grossed $182,811,707 worldwide – the second highest grossing RomCom of all time. The storyline is easy to follow and doesn’t require a lot of thinking whilst watching it. The large budget, A-list protagonists and fairytale ending all highlight how much What Women Want, and the Romantic Comedy genre in particular, conforms to Hollywood and mainstream film-making standards.

To some people (500) Days of Summer, directed by Marc Webb, can be classed as a Romantic Comedy, but to others it can be seen as totally the opposite. This is because the storyline focuses on two people who start a romance, break up and never get back together. The film does not run in chronological order, and it was easy to expect the two to end up getting back together at the end of the film – which does not happen.

Whilst the two main characters - played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zoey Deschanel - can be described as good looking, they both don’t conform to the Hollywood stereotype of ‘attractive’. They are both pale with dark features and in the film both of their personalities are very different and odd (in comparison to a normal, outgoing American protagonist).

The budget for (500) Days of Summer was a tenth of what it was for What Women Want, $7.5 million, but it still managed to do well by grossing $60 million worldwide. It also gained good reviews from critics, as it was described as “refreshing” compared to its stereotypical love story companions.

Overall, whilst the film can still be classed as ‘Hollywood’ it completely subverts the standard mainstream film-making standards used by so many others in regards to romance. The film does end with a relatively happy ending, perhaps proving that audiences aren’t quite ready for a completely miserable ending to a love story.

References

JEFFERS MCDONALD, T., 2007. Romantic Comedy: Boy Meets Girl Genre. Great Britain: Wallflower Press.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0207201/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1022603/?ref_=sr_1

http://bigfrog104.com/10-top-grossing-romantic-comedies-of-all-time/

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=500daysofsummer.htm

http://www.imdb.com/list/KdTlHjWsMSs/

What makes a filmmaker an Auteur?

"Auteur: A French term that originated in the pages of the film journal Cahiers du Cinema in the 1950s to refer to directors who infused their films with their distinctive personal vision through the salient manipulation of film technique...These ideas were originally cultivated in the pages of the French journal Cahiers du Cinema during the 1950s, and were subsequently formulated into what was designated in the 1960s by the American critic Andrew Sarris as ‘auteur theory’."  (2003, Nelmes)

"Autuer Theory: the idea that within the collective endeavours of filmmaking, there is creative signature that emerges, which is, most often, that of the director’s...Truffaut argued that the director, not the writer, is the vital force that shapes a film. The director integrates the various film techniques, creates the film’s style, and structures the film’s themes, which are often delivered in visual, not verbal, codes.” (2006, Costanzo Cahir)

Tim Burton is one of the most famous directors of our time in regards to his auteurship. His distinct eccentric style contrasts with his common use of dark, gothic settings, costumes and plots. Taking a look through his 28 films that he has directed over his 32-year career it is clear to see that there are consistent themes and visual elements that define his work.

For instance, his continuous use of the same crew and actors’ such as Johnny Depp, who has appeared in 7 of his films, and his partner Helena Bonham-Carter, who has also appeared in 7. Also, the composer Danny Elfman has composed music for all but 5 of his films.

Another consistent element which is ongoing throughout Burton’s work is the use of the “outsider” being put into an everyday scenario, often one of suburbia, and is used as a message or symbol for people to embrace their individuality. The storylines and setting are often conveyed with dark, gothic humour and there tends to be a childish theme consistent throughout his films, but many are not suitable for children.

One of Burton’s most notable films, Edward Scissorhands (1990), tells the tale of Edward – an outsider with scissors for hands– who is taken in by kind woman and happens to fall in love with her beautiful teenage daughter. The film has been described as a “modern fairytale”, whilst it does has some resemblance to a fairytale many elements of the film are now obvious signs of a Tim Burton film; such as the pale, horror inspired make-up used on Johnny Depp.

In Burton’s adaption of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Johnny Depp is noticeably much creepier than Gene Wilder in the 1971 version, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. With his pale complexion and dark hair, Depp ticks all the boxes needed for being a Tim Burton protagonist. His portrayal of Willy Wonka is disturbed and again gives off the impression of an outsider.

Most recently his 2010 sequel of Alice in Wonderland is as equally bizarre and crazy to watch. The topsy turvy set and distorted use of effects in regards to the characters result in the film becoming more peculiar than the original book. Again the pale make-up and extraordinary visual effects give off an obvious Burton signature.

The question that must be asked is whether or not these elements of Tim Burton’s auteurship are still brilliant pieces of a mastermind director, or if they are becoming worn out and tedious? Regardless of your opinion, there is no denying that Burton’s films have brought joy to many and he has made a name for himself by continuously reusing his signature styles again and again to audiences who are showing no signs of getting bored with Burton’s wacky characteristics. 

References

CONSTANZO CAHIR, L., 2006. Literature Into Film: Theory and Practical Approaches. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc.

NELMES, J., ed. 2003. An Introduction to Film Studies. 3rd ed. London: Routledge.

http://uk.imdb.com/name/nm0000318/?ref_=sr_1

http://caseylamarca.com/auteur_theory_7.html

http://ptpotts.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/the-dark-world-of-tim-burton-auteur-outsider/

http://fmstheory.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/tim-burton-an-auteur-or-a/

Defining Moments of Cinema Pre 1930s

The Lumière Brothers, Louis and Auguste Lumière, were the first people to present screenings of a projected motion picture in the world's first movie theatre to a paying public. This was done so after they had created the Cinématographe in 1895 - a camera combined with a printer and projector - which had a film speed of 16 frames per second. The screenings involved ten short films, the first of which to be shown was La Sortie des Ouiviers de L'Usine Lumière à Lyon  (1895) (Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory). The film was a 46 second long clip of female workers coming out of a factory, taken from a single fixed position, which fascinated audiences.

http://www.earlycinema.com/pioneers/lumiere_bio.html

http://blog.cinemaautopsy.com/tag/workers-leaving-the-lumiere-factory/

http://www.filmsite.org/pre20sintro2.html

Monkeyshines No.1 was the first experimental Kinetoscope trial film created by Thomas Edison's assistants, William Kennedy Laurie Dickson and William Heise, on an earlier version of a film projector called a Kinetoscope. The Kinetoscope was devised one year after Dickson created the Kinetograph - a motor-powered camera which could photograph motion pictures and create rapid intermittent, or stop-and-go, film movement. The film involves the movement of a laboratory assistant at Edison's lab and there is debate between scholars regarding whether it was shot in June 1889, starring John Ott, or in November 1890, starring G.Sacco Albanese. 

Monkeyshines No.1 is claimed to be the first production of photographic film from the US, although Monkeyshines No.1, 2 and 3 were not created for commercial use.

http://www.filmsite.org/pre20sintro.html

http://www.rowthree.com/2010/11/15/133-years-of-film-18891990-monkey-shines-no-1/
http://mubi.com/films/monkeyshines-no-1

Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip to the Moon) (1902) was the first ever science-fiction film. Directed by George Melies, who also starred in the film, he had previously developed the art of special effects and included innovative editing techniques such as animation, actors performing with themselves over split screens and trick photography with superimposed images into the production of the film. The 14-minute production contained 30 separate scenes  involving extremely creative set, costume and editing resulting in the masterpiece becoming a huge success, it also included all the elements which later on distinguish the sci-fi genre. 

http://www.filmsite.org/voya.html

http://www.filmsite.org/visualeffects2.html

The Great Train Robbery (1903) paved the way for not only modern-day Westerns but also all scripted films, as this was the first film to have a narrative (about the dramatic robbery of a train by four bandits, who are eventually shot dead). In the ten-minute long film Porter managed to develop a number of modern editing techniques such as location shooting, minor camera movement and multiple camera positions. The film was extremely influential due to its many 'firsts', exciting new use of a storyline and not to mention the image of the fireman being thrown off the moving train, which was a first in screen history. 

http://www.filmsite.org/grea.html

http://www.filmsite.org/visualeffects2.html

The Jazz Singer (1927) is often mistaken as the first sound film or 'talkie', it was, in fact, neither, although it was the first feature-length Hollywood 'talkie' film. Director Alan Crosland used the Vitaphone sound system to create synchronised dialogue after Warner Brothers had invested $500,000 in it, with the first use of the sound system in the 1926 film Don Juan. The investment proved a great success and not only significantly boosted Warner's reputation but also led to a new era in cinema with the introduction of sound in the movies. Even though the film was only 25% talkie it managed to play a big part in the downfall of the silent-film era. 

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/a/jazzsinger.htm
http://www.filmsite.org/jazz.html