As the camera zooms out further, another screen becomes visible but on this one there are musical notes, and the audience are shown the first of the protagonists of the film as he plays a keyboard, creating the soft, gentle non-diegetic music that is accompanying the scene played within the film, and the diegetic music audible during the start of ‘The Holiday’. This style of music is also typical of the romance genre. - This section of 'The Holiday' made Hannah and I begin to consider our musical choices for our own film. We are planning on using a classic track, with a lot of piano notes, to reflect the interests of one of our characters (Ophelia) and also to enhance the romanctic atmosphere.
The third major indication that it is a romance film is when the male lead looks up, and a small smile spreads across his face - Our protagonists will share a small, loving smile, to insinuate the nature of their developing relationship -. There is then a cut to the reason he is smiling; a woman has just entered the room, laughing at a conversation she is having with someone on the other end of a mobile phone and then smiling lovingly at the man. When she approaches, he takes her hand and plants a kiss upon it – these affectionate gestures show that the couple is deeply fond of each other.
During the entire opening scene, there is a non-diegetic narrative - We have decided not to have a monologue like this over our film opening as it would not fit in with the plotline -, which is a woman talking about her opinion and experiences with love. This creates an enigma code; the woman is not yet visible on screen, so audiences begin to wonder who she is and what role does she play within the plotline. It also helps the audience feel more emotionally connected to the film and the protagonists, as it feels like she is talking directly to the viewers. Her monologue may well relate to them.
After the earliest opening section, the camera pans to the right, the screen going dark as it passes over a wall but instead of emerging in the same location, the title of the film appears and is then moved away again as the next scene slides in; a man and a woman sat in a car. During this time the woman speaking is describing the loss of love and a shot reverse shot between the two new characters shows their distant expressions. The movement from one scene to the next encourages a comparison between the first couple and the second. The fondness shown by the two in the previous scene compared with the less affectionate expressions of the pair in the car makes it clear to the audience that the newly introduced duo are no longer in love.
Initially, it is not entirely apparent that Music And Lyrics is a romance film. For example, the opening two minutes are taken up by an 80’s music video, made clear by the song title, band name and year of release in the corner of the screen, in which the main male character stars. It is a very important part of the film plot, as it subtly shows the audience a glimpse of the protagonist’s history. However, the titles, whilst fun, bold and curvy, and very fitting with the 80’s theme as they slide in on alternate sides, do not hint at the romance genre. Neither does ‘POP’, the name of the band, which leaps out of the screen at the end of the video in chunky, comic book style font. This font does fit with the connotations of comedy, which is a genre also present in this film. Hannah and I are creating a film that is more romance than ‘rom-com’ however, so we were not inspired by the titles of this particular film.
The actual song featured in the opening, which is being played by the band in the video, is a romance pop song. It’s fun and catchy, which shows audiences that although the film is a romance, it is also a fun, light-hearted romance with an edge of comedy. This is not the kind of track than Hannah and I desire for our own film, which will be more romantic than comedy and therefore more serious. We will most likely choose a light, floaty classical piece.
The music video is mainly made up of a variety of mid- and long-shots of the musicians, singers and dancers, but about half way through there is a cut to a long-shot of a young woman storming out of a room and down a corridor. She is followed by a man, and a series of over-shoulder shots show the viewers that these characters are both quite upset; as she leaves and the man’s friend arrives, his heart appears to cease beating and he is rushed into hospital. Whilst this is clearly very over-dramatic, it fits with the 80’s music video style and the comedy genre, and it also indicates that the film contains romance as, after his heart has been broken, he does not seem able to live any longer, which illustrates the importance of love. There is a close up of his ‘lifeless, loveless’ face as he lies on a hospital bed, which emphasises this point further.
During his time in ‘hospital’, the image wobbles and fades into the male protagonist and his female companion holding hands and smiling in front of a variety of beautiful, romantic backdrops. This is the largest indication of the film’s genre, as I have already seen how beautiful locations are common in romance. Of course, so are romantic gestures such as holding hands, smiling lovingly at each other and kissing, all three of which the two characters were doing. In our film, Hannah and I are going to use romantic gestures. However, during the section of the film we are creating for our coursework, the two protagonists will be strangers and so the gestures will be far smaller and much less intimate than kissing. For example, they may smile shyly at one another, or brush hands, which will be played upon and dramatised so the audience really takes notice and understands subtly what is to come for the two characters. It will also help to keep viewers interested as they will see the small signs and hints and will become intrigued by the chemistry between the two of them.
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