Firstly, our film is half based around the Romantic film genre. Here is an example of a scene from a Romantic film, Dear John, containing many conventions such as the slow editing and the fade-in of slow instrumental music.
Here are conventions of our film that are similar to that of the Romantic genre:
1 The editing in scenes containing the couple together are edited slowly, representing their care and happiness together.
2 The slow editing in the introduction to the main character allows the audience time to judge his character and 'get to know him'
3 The couple spend time apart and the man is shown wanting to be with her again - This is true, however she died as opposed to them splitting up
4 There is often soft music playing as a soundtrack to some scenes
5 The weather often represents the mood of the scene, for example sunshine equals love/happiness and rain represents sadness or bad times
6 The audience is led to side with one character
7 Flashbacks show how the couple used to be when they were together
Conventions that challenge that of the Romantic genre include:
1 The man is quite deranged, however this is not apparent to the viewer at the beginning
2 There is an unexpected twist to plot at the end, not usually present in Romance films
3 There is a few scenes of quite heavy violence and deep emotions, making the film unsuitable for some ages. This is not usually the case in Romantic films
Secondly, our film relates to the Psychological Thriller genre and below is a clip containing many conventions of a typical Psychological Thriller. This is a clip reviewing Shutter Island (2009), it contains a scene where Teddy (Leonardo DiCaprio) is imagining his wife and trying to talk to her but she does not really exist in the scene (0:50).
The following are conventions in our film that are similar to that of a Psychological Thriller:
1 The male character is not the man the audience thinks he is, he has a hidden side to his personality
2 The ending contains an unpredictable twist
3 Flashbacks reveal events that have previously happened that change the audience's perception about a character
4 Tension and suspicion is built up throughout the film to a climax at the end where all is revealed
Conventions in our film that challenge the conventions of a Psychological Thriller include:
1 The plot contains a big focus on genuine romance, whereas most 'villain' characters in the Psychological Thriller are known for their repetition of the same crime
2 The main character is made out to be very innocent and relatable, when really he is the one who has committed the murder
3 The audience is never quite certain whether the protagonist is guilty of any crimes or whether he is imagining it all
Overall, we plan to take conventions from both genres, main conventions including:
- Slow editing and leading the audience to side with a character (Romantic)
- The male protagonist is not who the audience first thinks he is and the ending contains a twist (Psychological Thriller)
