Conventions

These screenshots show how we have tried to stick to the conventions of the comedy genre.

1. The title of the film


The title The Leap Year sticks to the conventions of comedy because it's short and sweet and easy to remember. It's not a complicated title and it gets to the point. Comedy films tend to have very short titles and often start with the word 'the'. This is similar to comedy films such as 'The Hangover' and 'The Big Lebowski.'

2. Setting/location


For our opening sequence we have used a situation which makes the audience think what has happened to cause this? That is why the location of the opening sequence is a park. This is similar to comedy films like 'The Hangover' and 'Dude where's my car?'

3. Costumes and props


 We used props such as party poppers to represent what had happened previously, before the opening sequence began. This again would make the audience think 'how did they get here' a reoccurring theme in comedy theme.

4. Camerawork and editing


This screenshot is when Louis fell out of a tree. It was a close up of Ryan when he fell but zoomed out into a long shot. This is similar to other comedy films and is knows as 'physical humour.' The zoom out is used to show the pain that Louis is in and makes the audience laugh.

5. Title Font and Style


The font colour is yellow and the font type is Arial Rounded MT bold. This font is very informal and is supposed to be inviting to the audience. It contrasts that of romance films and thriller films.

6. Story and how the opening suggests it


The story involves the characters trying to find out what they did the previous night and how it led to the current events. This is shown by Barry being taped to a tree. The audience would want to know how he got in this situation and would want to watch on. It is also shown when Louis says "are you insinuating that I slept with your sister?" That would make the audience want to watch on because they would want to find out if he did or not.

7. Genre and how the opening suggest it


We use a lot of comedy in the opening sequence to make it obvious to the audience that the genre is comedy. Some examples of these are: Louis falling from the tree, Barry taped to a tree, the flashbacks, etc. The picture shows an element of comedy because the position implies Louis and Barry having sex.

8. How characters are introduced


Louis is introduced as the smarter character but also not a kind character. This is shown during the conversation when he doesn't try to help Barry and he leaves Barry taped to a tree after remembering that he slept with her sister. Barry is introduced as a not very smart character. This is shown when he doesn't realise that he is taped to a tree and only cares about a cup of tea even though he's at the park. Also, he is gullible as he is convinced by Barry that he has a fear when in actuality he doesn't. This also shows how mean Louis is to Barry.

9. Special Effects


We used special effects during the flashbacks. This was to show that something has happened in the story before the film started. This was for comedic effect but also to show that this may be explored later in the film.