Genre Research Blog Activity

Genre: Romantic Comedy (Rom-Com)

Typical Target Audience:

• Usually teens and adults (ages 16-40) who like funny, heartwarming love stories. Rom-coms often attract women but are enjoyed by a broad range of people.

Genre Conventions – Content:

• Common Themes: Love, misunderstandings, personal growth, and fate in romance.
• Plot Elements: "Meet-cute" (when characters meet in a funny or unusual way), love triangles, grand romantic gestures, funny mistakes, and happy endings.
• Character Types: Likable main characters, funny best friends, exes, and meddling family or friends.

Genre Conventions – Production Techniques:

• Lighting: Soft, bright lighting that feels warm and happy.
• Camera Work: Often uses shots that focus on characters' faces to show their feelings.
• Editing: Smooth and easy to follow, sometimes with montages to show how the relationship grows.
• Music: Upbeat, romantic songs that make scenes feel fun and lighthearted.

Institutional Conventions – Marketing:

• Posters: Show the two main characters, often smiling or doing something funny.
• Trailers: Highlight the funny, feel-good moments and show the main characters' chemistry.
• Release Dates: Often released near Valentine’s Day or in the summer when people are looking for lighthearted movies.

Film Sample #1: Crazy Rich Asians

• Plot Summary: Rachel, a young woman, goes with her boyfriend Nick to Singapore to meet his family. She’s shocked to find out they’re incredibly rich. Nick’s family, especially his mom, disapproves of her, and Rachel struggles to fit in.
• Analysis: This movie has typical rom-com elements like a character feeling out of place, funny and emotional moments, and family getting in the way of love. There’s also a big romantic gesture near the end, a common rom-com feature.
• Audience Appeal: People enjoy Rachel’s journey of trying to fit in, the humor around cultural differences, and the exciting love story. The glamorous setting and family drama make it fun to watch and relatable for fans of romance and comedy.

Film Sample #2: 10 Things I Hate About You

• Plot Summary: A high school story about two people who seem very different but eventually fall in love.
• Analysis: Shows typical rom-com moments like funny arguments, the “bad boy” changing for love, and a romantic gesture at the end.
• Audience Appeal: Set in high school, it appeals to teens and explores familiar ideas about young love and relationships.

List of Additional Examples:

1. La La Land
2. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
3. The Princess Diaries
4. The Half of It
5. The Holiday
6. Sweet Home Alabama
7. 27 Dresses

 

Representation

The Hunger Games is a popular movie series based on the books by Suzanne Collins. It takes place in a future where society is divided into different districts controlled by the Capitol. The story focuses on two main characters: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Their characters help us understand important themes like gender roles, survival, and the fight against oppression.

Katniss Everdeen is a strong and brave character who challenges traditional gender roles. Initially, she is a caretaker for her family, but she quickly becomes a symbol of hope and rebellion against the Capitol. Katniss shows both strength and vulnerability, proving that women can be both tough and caring. A key moment for Katniss is when she volunteers to take her sister Prim’s place in the Hunger Games. This act of bravery shows that she is willing to risk her life for her family. Her journey from a survivor to the "Mockingjay" challenges the idea of what a female character can be.

In contrast, Peeta Mellark represents a different side of masculinity. He is kind, smart, and emotionally strong. Instead of being just a typical "male hero," Peeta shows that caring and understanding are important in difficult situations. One important moment is when Peeta declares his love for Katniss during the Games. This helps them gain support from the audience and shows how love can be a powerful tool in tough times. Peeta’s character proves that being sensitive and emotional can also be a strength.

Through Katniss and Peeta, The Hunger Games offers a look at gender and identity. Katniss is a fierce warrior who still shows her caring side, while Peeta demonstrates that strength isn’t just about being tough; it can also come from kindness and connection with others. Together, they show that both masculine and feminine traits can coexist in one person, making them both heroic. Ultimately, The Hunger Games encourages us to think about how society views gender and what it means to be a hero.

Sound Project

 In the sound lesson, I learned that sound helps give more depth to a scene, adds emotion, helps the audience understand what’s happening, and even helps show a character’s personality. We went over different types of sounds used in movies, like background noise, sound effects, and how to make our own sounds using foley techniques.

For our project, my group of three had to create a soundscape of something that could happen in real life and last 1-2 minutes. We needed to find different sounds for everything you would hear in that scene and edit them together. We also had to make at least four foley sounds ourselves for the project.

When we started brainstorming, my group thought about creating a scene where you’d hear creepy sounds. We decided on the idea of going through a haunted or abandoned house. As we wrote our outline, we came up with sounds like footsteps echoing on old wooden floors, doors creaking open, and strange whispers. The outline helped us organize the sounds in the right order and plan what we needed to record or find.

For editing, we used Adobe Premiere Pro. It helped us put the sounds together smoothly. The software made it easier to layer sounds and fix the volume so everything sounded balanced.

What went well: I think our scene sounds like a real haunted house, and the sounds worked well to create a spooky atmosphere.

What we could improve: Some transitions between sounds could be smoother. Next time, we’ll focus more on making the changes between sounds feel less sudden.

Here’s the link to my Sound Project:  https://1drv.ms/u/c/0537ed308174537e/EfI12rpdg3pDkEIX2bCx5pABUn9xUeBic7ZWRSFOPLntSw?e=Cp1y0c