Part 4- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

‘Graduation Day’ subverts the linear narrative as our film starts at the end, unlike most Rom-Com films ‘Love Actually’ and ‘Hitch that start at the beginning but it still contains the conventions of a Rom-Com. It is apparent through our opening title sequence that the genre is a Rom-Com. This is apparent as we see the two main characters, Doug and Rose together sharing close moments together e.g. through hugging. The teenage aspect of our film is shown through the unpacking of boxes and bags and also as we see the box with Oxford wrote on it, the viewer realises that they are moving into a dorm room which suggests they are teenagers. Secondly, through the school jumper when she takes it out and puts it on the viewer sees ‘WELLING 10’which suggests to the viewer that it is an end of year jumper. Also, old school photos are shown which connotes memories. In our opening sequence we used a range of shots including: point of view, mid-shots and close-ups. We initially started our sequence with a point of view shot as it shows the viewer her perspective of the dorm room, as she is just moving in. The lighting within our title sequence is quite bright which connotes a sense of happiness. A Rom-Com film that also contains very bright lighting is ‘Love Actually’. In the opening title sequence the lighting is bright which connotes joy as the people in it are seeing their loved ones at the airport. However, we did stick to some of the typical codes and conventions of Rom-Coms such as the couple living ‘Happily Ever After’ as we see Doug and Rose together (in the present) after all they have been through. Secondly, Doug and Rose are seen to be an ‘unlikely couple’ as Doug is a ‘jock’ (one of the popular guys) and Rose is a geek.