Rom/com research/analysis: Clueless
- 2. • Upper class/ affluent • Genre (romantic comedy) • Narrative surrounding young people • Concern with appearance • Teenage society • Desirable protagonist
- 3. • Protagonist is portrayed as upper class • Excessive amount of shopping bags connote wealth and a careless attitude towards spending • Shots consist of low angles and are of large locations such as mansions with staff and their owners who look small in comparison, which represents them as affluent • The proxemics between her and her father are close and her body language is very assertive and confrontational which shows she is spoilt • The voiceover describes the protagonist as “teenage” and she owns a large car which signifies affluence at a young age. • Long shots show the father as larger than the maid (someone of lower status) and therefore connotes higher class
- 4. The shots are fast-cut which reflects the protagonist’s upbeat mood and lifestyle The mise-en-scene includes lots of pinks and reds which connote romance The lighting is high-key, even in dimly lit rooms, which reflects the positive feel of the film The music is upbeat, uplifting and feel-good which is typical of romantic comedies
- 5. Teenage Society • The girls body lanuage connotes confidence and flirtatiousness • The shots are fast-cut which gives a sense of the atmosphere of a party • The girls are are all cramped in the car without seatbelts which shows that they value partying more than safety therefore they appear as carefree and rebellious, which is typical of teenagers in rom-coms • They are all moving very quickly in eacb shot which emphasies their youth
- 6. • The shots signify that the protagonist is pre- occupied with her looks, given the camera angles shot at a low angle to show she thinks highly of herself, and she is using props such as a hairbrush which makes her seem vain • The close up of the computer shows “MIS- MATCH!” Is use of of hyperbole • There is a fast-cut rhythm of the protagonist with her possessions, to signify she spends vast amounts of money on looking good regularly, and the camera is shot from a low angle to represent her as confident, which reassures the audience that she is proud of this
- 7. • Medium shots and long shots with both genders which signifies the relationship between boys and girls as a common theme as no matter how close or far away both genders are present. The use of close ups of these gestures are suggestive (e.g. feeding is a connotation of intimacy, also cherries have sexual connotations) and also connotes the protagonist as desirable. • Diegetic Laugh sound creates an upbeat, fun atmosphere, this along with a large use of extras connotes that the protagonist has a large number of friends and is popular therefore signifying that the protagonist is desirable. • There is use of fast cutting rhythm over the suggestive shots, this signifies that the protagonist’s promiscuity is not a large side of her personality and represents this as an underlying sexual tone rather than a main theme.