Romantic Comedy : Codes and Conventions

A romantic comedy (also known as a rom-com)is a hybrid genre where in a romantic plot usually emerges and is presented in a comedic way. In terms of narrative, rom-coms tend to follow a archetypal method and can be observed in three typical parts, such as;

• Boy meets girl, whether this by accident, or most likely in a rom-com with a target audience of teenagers they either meet at school, university or college. Take the romantic comedy 'She's all That' starring Freddie Prince Jr, his character Zach Siller meets love interest Laney Boggs meet from different cliques at school. In which it is based on the storyline of Romeo and Juliet, as Laney goes from an ugly duckling to a swan and begins to fall in love with Zach, much to his ex girlfriends dismay.
• They are torn apart for a certain reason, based on the plot.
• As the film progresses they will realise they were meant to be together/try and get back together again and resolve there differences. Like Bridget Jones from 'Bridget Jones's Diary' goes back and fourth between Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver until she realises that Mark Darcy is the one for her in a love story combined with a lot of humour.

Most rom-coms end with a happy revolution. However it is becoming increasingly poplar to end on a more real life prospective because things don’t necessary work out the way we want them to, it’s a different but more realistic note to end on.

The Theme of a rom-com is love or true love and fate; these are the themes that dominates the plot. There are some other surrounding themes like tragedy or loss but importantly the plot is centred with aspects of moral or life lessons being learnt. The main characters are purposely opposites whether in social class, interest etc; this is because their difference is one of the main obstacles to tackle in the majority of films. The audience don’t necessarily take any side of the two main characters, because they are introduced as likeable people we can relate to or people we can sympathise and relate to as the film goes on.

Humour in such films are imported by other characters who are introduced to us as Best friends, otherwise some family members of the main two characters. They are there for support and usually as a main source of humour; They are also supported by other roles, especially best friends such as '27 Dresses' were Jane, played by Katherine Heigl is in love with her boss, who becomes engaged to her centre of attention sister Tess whilst Jane must tackle her relationships with her boss, journalist Kevin Doyle, Tess alongside not so supportive best friend Casey, played by Judy Greer.

Romantic comedies like to frequently be set in well-known big cities, such as London for British otherwise New York for American rom-coms. These are well known places and full of possibilities; so how ever ambitious the plot is, set in a big city makes the events in the film more believable to actually happen. The Time of year it is set in is just as important. Some films are set around Christmas or Valentines Day, one of the most popular ones is Love Actually, where the film is focused around a group of friends love lives and relationships, which are intertwined to create the plot. These are times of the year when friends, family and people come together however it can be a very lonely time when a character is single.

There is a rather varied atmosphere in romantic comedies. Lighting and soundtracks are chosen to support and used to reflect meaning to the emotions in certain parts of the film. Dark lighting is not used very often in rom-coms  because of the happy sentiment they create, a swell as colours including red and pink which signify love.Music used is very rarely by a score especially in modern day films Songs such as pop or hip-hop are used as it give an insight as to whom the film a aimed at (the audience can recognise the songs) as well as adding to the mood/ emotion of the film. The soundtrack/song must relate to what’s being told in the film; The songs can even assist in the story-telling process. 

The Creation of Mario and Luigi

Final Animation Idea

My animation will be based on game Mario Bros, the two main characters Mario and lugi will appear as cut outs infront of the famous games backdrop. I will begin by printing out two cut outs of the characters from the internet and make it look like they are playing the game in my animation.

Modern Animation

Family Guy

Family Guy is a Cell based American adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company . MacFarlane pitched a seven-minute pilot to Fox on May 15, 1998. The show was given the green light and started production. Shortly after the third season of Family Guy aired in 2001, Fox cancelled the series, putting the series to a 2-year hiatus. However, favorable DVD sales and high ratings for syndicated reruns on Adult Swim convinced the network to renew the show in 2004 for a 4th season, which began airing on May 1, 2005.

The Simpson

The Simpsons is an American adult animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company.Since its debut on December 17, 1989, the show has broadcast 539 episodes and the 25th season began on September 30, 2013. The Simpsons is the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated program, and in 2009 it surpassed Gunsmoke as the longest-running American primetime, scripted television series. The Simpsons Movie, a feature-length film, was released in theaters worldwide on July 26 and July 27, 2007, and grossed over $527 million.

Celebrity Deathmatch

he series was created by Eric Fogel; with the pilots airing on MTV on January 1 & 25 1998. The initial series ran from May 14, 1998 to October 20, 2002, and lasted for a 75-episode run. There was one special that did not contribute to the final episode total, entitled "Celebrity Deathmatch Hits Germany", which aired on June 21, 2001. Professional wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin gave voice to his animated form as the guest commentator. Early in 2003, a film based on the series was announced by MTV to be in the making, but the project was canceled by the end of that year.

Animation 1960s and 1970's

Scooby Doo

Scooby-Doo is an American animated cartoon comprising several animated television series produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series Scooby Doo Where are you?, was created for Hanna Barbara Productions. By writers Joe Rugby and Ken Spears in 1969. The series featured four teenagers Fred, Daphne  Velma and Shaggy, and their talking brown Great Dane named Scooby Doo, who solve mysteries involving supposedly supernatural creatures through a series of antics and missteps.

Scooby-Doo was originally broadcast on CBS from 1969 to 1976, when it moved to  ABC aired the show until cancelling it in 1986, and presented a spin-off featuring the characters as children, A pup named Scooby Doo from 1988 until 1991. 

Postman Pat

Postman Pat is a British Stop motion animation TV series for children, first produced by Woodland Animation. It is aimed at pre-school children, and concerns the adventures of Pat Clifton, a postman in the fictional village of Greendale.

Postman Pat′s first 13-episode series was screened on BBC1 in 1981. John Cunlife wrote the original treatment and scripts, and it was directed by animator Ivor Wood who also worked on The Magic Roundabout, Paddington Bear and The Herbs. Following the success of the first series, and several TV specials in between, a second series of 13 episodes was produced by the same crew in 1996

Bagpuss

Bagpuss is a UK children's television series, made by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate from 12 February 1974 to 7 May 1974 through their company Smallfilms. The title character was "an old, saggy cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams".Although only 13 episodes were made, it remains fondly remembered, and was frequently repeated in the UK for 13 years.In 1999 Bagpuss topped a BBC poll for the UK's favourite children's TV programme.

Tom and Jerry

Tom and Jerry is a series of theatrical animated cartoon films created by  William Hanna and Joseph Barbera  for, centering on a rivalry between a cat (Tom) and a mouse  Jerry whose chases include Slapstick Comdey. Hanna and Barbera ultimately wrote, produced, and directed 114 Tom and Jerry Shorts at MGM Cartoon Studios in Hollywood from 1940 to 1957. The original series is notable for having won seven Academy Awards. A longtime television staple, Tom and Jerry has a worldwide audience and has been recognized as one of the most famous and longest-lived rivalries in American cinema.

The Clangers

Clangers is a British Stop Motion Animation Tv Series of short stories about a family of mouse-like creatures who live on, and in, a small blue planet (quite similar to, but not intended to be, the Moon). They speak in whistles, and eat green soup supplied by the Soup Dragon. The programmes were originally broadcast by the BBC in 1969–1972.

The series was made by Smallfilms the company set up by Oliver Postgate (writer, animator and narrator) and Peter Firmain (modelmaker and illustrator). Firmin designed the characters, and his wife knitted and "dressed" the Clangers. The music, often part of the story, was by Vernon Elliot

Animation 1930's-1950's

 

Snow White

Snow white and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 animated film produced by Walt Disney it is the first full-length animated feature and the earliest in the Walt Disney Classics series. It involved over 1000 drawings, and this film alone set up Walt Disney’s animation empire.

Betty Boop

Betty Boop is animated character created by Max Fleischer she originally appeared in the talkertoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Flecshier Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She has also been featured in comic strips and mass merchandising. Despite having been toned down in the mid-1930s as a result of the Hays Code to appear more demure, she became one of the best-known and popular cartoon characters in the world.

Tom and Jerry

Tom and Jerry is a series of theatrical animated cartoon films created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for, centering on a rivalry between a cat (Tom) and a mouse Jerry whose chases include Slapstick Comdey. Hanna and Barbera ultimately wrote, produced, and directed 114 Tom and Jerry Shorts at MGM Cartoon Studios in Hollywood from 1940 to 1957. The original series is notable for having won seven Academy Awards. A longtime television staple, Tom and Jerry has a worldwide audience and has been recognized as one of the most famous and longest-lived rivalries in American cinema.

 

Stop Motion Animation

George Melles

Georges Melles, was a french filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. Méliès, a prolific innovator in the use of special effects, accidentally discovered the substitution stop trick in 1896, and was one of the first filmmakers to use hand painted colour in his work. Because of his ability to seemingly manipulate and transform reality through cinematography, Méliès is sometimes referred to as the first "Cinemagician".Two of his best-known films are A Trip to the moon and The impossible voyage .Both stories involve strange, surreal voyages, and are considered among the most important early science fiction films, though their approach is closer to fantasy. 

A Trip to the Moon released in the UK initially as Trip to the Moon, is a 1902 French silent film directed by Georges Melles. it follows a group of astronomers who travel to the moon in a cannon-propelled spaceship, explore the moon's surface, escape from an underground group of Selenites and return in a splashdown to Earth with a captive Selenite in tow.

Winsor McCay

Zenas Winsor McCay  was an American cartoonist and animator. He is best known for the comic strip Little Nemo and the animated film Gertie the Dinasour . For contractual reasons, he worked under the pen name Silas on the comic strip Dream of Rarebit Friend.

Little Nemo is a fictional character created by American cartoonist Winsor Macay. Nemo was originally the protagonist of the comic strip Little Nemo . The full-page weekly strip depicted Nemo having fantastic dreams that were interrupted by his awakening in the final panel. The strip is considered McCay's masterpiece for its experiments with the form of the comics page, its use of color, its timing and pacing, the size and shape of its panels, perspective, architectural and other detail.