Wednesday, October 20, 2004
When Harry Met Sally - a classic of the genre
Genre theory is not about being ‘commercial’ (asking writers to compromise their voice and integrity), but rather is about considering the expectations of an audience, and considering why it is important, if not crucial, for new writers to acknowledge these.
The genres of Romantic Comedy and Tragic Love Story share two fundamental characteristics; in each there are two people that the audience must want to be together and there are obstacles to that union. Given this key similarity, these two genres are useful to compare as an illustration of the application of the theory.
In Romantic Comedy it is the present situation of the characters which is important. The obstacles to the union of our two main characters are situational and/or internal to the characters and are invested with humour. The audience doesn’t need a wealth of information about the characters’ histories; we come into a situation and we work it out - in fact part of the pleasure of this genre. Romantic Comedies are defined by the era in which they are set – I have lost count of the number of times that friends have said to me that their friend is 'just like Bridget'! Bridget Jones’ Diary is very much of our current time, and I wonder if this film would have been possible to conceive and make in the 1980’s? Equally, Sally in When Sally Met Harry makes a case for a career rather than a man, which seems rather dated now – however, this sentiment doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the film now because it evokes an era that was in part defined by independent-but-sexy women.
In the Tragic Love Story it is the lovers who want to be together and this is a key and significant difference. The obstacles are that one or both of the protagonists are violating and disregarding the power structures in their lives by pursuing the union. Hence, the obstacles are much more serious and the consequences of this transgression may mean death. In fact, usually one or both of the protagonists will die. Therefore, we do need a wealth of information about the background of the characters in order to understand why the stakes are so high.
Otherwise, the recent Tragic Love Stories are set in the past so that the audience have an instant reference point and a way of understanding the severity of the obstacles to a union. For example, Titanic and more recently Moulin Rouge .
With this information you can decide whether to develop the idea according to the conventions, or whether to think about how to compensate the audience so they are not feeling that their expectations are cheated.
Thanks Niranjan.
Credits: ScriptFactory
The genres of Romantic Comedy and Tragic Love Story share two fundamental characteristics; in each there are two people that the audience must want to be together and there are obstacles to that union. Given this key similarity, these two genres are useful to compare as an illustration of the application of the theory.
In Romantic Comedy it is the present situation of the characters which is important. The obstacles to the union of our two main characters are situational and/or internal to the characters and are invested with humour. The audience doesn’t need a wealth of information about the characters’ histories; we come into a situation and we work it out - in fact part of the pleasure of this genre. Romantic Comedies are defined by the era in which they are set – I have lost count of the number of times that friends have said to me that their friend is 'just like Bridget'! Bridget Jones’ Diary is very much of our current time, and I wonder if this film would have been possible to conceive and make in the 1980’s? Equally, Sally in When Sally Met Harry makes a case for a career rather than a man, which seems rather dated now – however, this sentiment doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the film now because it evokes an era that was in part defined by independent-but-sexy women.
In the Tragic Love Story it is the lovers who want to be together and this is a key and significant difference. The obstacles are that one or both of the protagonists are violating and disregarding the power structures in their lives by pursuing the union. Hence, the obstacles are much more serious and the consequences of this transgression may mean death. In fact, usually one or both of the protagonists will die. Therefore, we do need a wealth of information about the background of the characters in order to understand why the stakes are so high.
Otherwise, the recent Tragic Love Stories are set in the past so that the audience have an instant reference point and a way of understanding the severity of the obstacles to a union. For example, Titanic and more recently Moulin Rouge .
With this information you can decide whether to develop the idea according to the conventions, or whether to think about how to compensate the audience so they are not feeling that their expectations are cheated.
Thanks Niranjan.
Credits: ScriptFactory
