The Vow - Opening two minutes analysis

The Vow

Opening two minutes analysis

 

The genre can be identified quite early on as pink lighting refers to the feminine side of the viewers, the cold settings relate to the warm cosy evenings in, a common convention of romance films. This romance film doesn’t fit other conventions though as it begins where most other romance films would end – with the couple together, happy and married, this therefore leads to a slightly different sort or love story. Rather than one where the two people are meeting, its showing their lives together and how happy they were, this is then contradicted by the sudden event which causes her to forget their lives together and we are effectively back to an original love story – but this time with a twist, one character has already played out this love story. There is also an interesting dynamic we’re introduced to where some of the time we are portrayed the story through her eyes (as in we don’t know what's going on and cant remember past events) whereas the rest of the time we’re portrayed the story through his eye (as in we know what's going on and become annoyed and frustrated when she doesn’t remember). In the opening two minutes the story is told through both of their points of view as she has not lost her memory and shows union before they are effectively separated by this dramatic event, it also links to the end of the movie when the film completes a full circle as they’re back out in the cold, snowy, dark setting and despite their troubles are once again united. Arguably it could be said the opening two minutes are seen through his eyes as she can’t remember the crash throughout the story, and shows how, although she is the one directly affected by the crash, he will play a very important in the story, almost if not more important the her. The car crash is the tragedy that serves as the focus point of the film, it is unusual though to have it right at the beginning; usually it’s later on in the film to throw an extra bit of drama into the film.  On the other hand though it could be a clever tactic to get the viewers to relate to the characters early on as it’s a common fact that tragedies bring people together and could make the viewers empathise with the characters and draw them into the film. Also it usually brings the lovers together whereas in this scenario it rips the lovers apart and threatens to destroy the love they had for one another.  It conforms to romance conventions and highlights the genre through use of sound, shots, plot and characters.

 

 

The sound conforms to romance conventions as non diegetic music plays whilst the opening credits are on which is soft, happy and peaceful that simply excites viewers for the film to begin and for them to see what happens in this love story rather than high tempo, suspenseful music commonly used in horror films to create drama and tension. This music fades out as they out the radio on in the car and you hear diegetic sound of a flicker of a news report, this could lead the viewer to think about the tragedy that is going to happen (the car crash) as news is often related to tragedies and death, this could lead the viewer to think that the crash will be really bad and possibly news worthy and makes them worried for the safety of these characters we’ve only just met therefore drawing them into the film and curious to see if they do crash, what happens to them afterwards. The romance song that comes onto the radio serves as another pointer to how madly in love they truly are and how much heartache he is going to go through when the car crashes and she loses her memory. This makes the viewer again, empathise with the characters particularly him who is going to effectively lose the love of his life when she comes to no longer remember him. As he sings along to it you feel brought into their little world where simply having each other is enough and you feel even sorrier for him, and her, as you as the viewer know that tragedy will strike at any moment – this is effective as it draws you into the film and makes you want to watch it to find out what happens to them and if their love survives.

 

 

The narrative of them both giggling is enough to show how much they love each other and highlights again how sad it s for this to happen to them as they were so happy together, it makes the viewer empathise with the characters. This is contrasted by the loud screeching of tyres seconds later right before a truck comes barging into them and throws them forward with some force, the laughter is happy and innocent whereas the tyres screeching and the truck smashing into them is violent and brutal. The diegetic sound of the glass shattering is frightening and scary as it’s usually associated to robberies, danger or anger as glass doesn’t smash for a good reason. It is used to heighten the viewers’ senses and grab their attention back if they were fading from the film due to the lovey dovey cute scenes beforehand, it could also represent their relationship as it smashes and is destroyed forever. It would take a lot of time and effort to put that glass back together, it would hurt picking up all the pieces and putting them back together and would be much easier to move on and get a new piece of glass. This is the same as their relationship which is metaphorically being smashed – it would be much easier to move on and find a new love but instead they goes through the pain of trying to piece their relationship back together and Leo especially gets hurt a lot in the process. As Paige smashes through the front windscreen it could represent her love for Leo being smashed as she goes on to forget who he is and what a massive part of her life he was, Leo though who has his seatbelt on is saved from this but instead subjected to heart ache which Paige is effectively saved from as she can’t remember her love for Leo. The music by this point (non diegetic) has turned quite eerie and suspenseful as the viewers are left wondering what is going to happen next and how the film will follow up to such a dramatic scene. Sirens can also be heard which is a sign for the viewers that the danger is not over, the crash may have already happened but now the after effects come into play as the characters fight for their lives, and their memories. Leos narrative for part of this scene is also effective as I removes us from the crash just before it happens so we our guided through the next bit in 3^rd person, this is so we are not left completely unsure of what's going on, it also links us to the hospital scene and is a sound bridge that links us from the crash, to the ambulance, to the hospital so we are not lost along the way.

We are introduced to the two love interests together at the beginning of the movie which is an unusual dynamic as usually the love interests start apart before being drawn together, this creates a different sort of feel to the romance film and leaves the viewer curious to where their love story will go from here as they’ve already achieved arguably the hardest part - finding each other and getting together. Their composition on screen is an immediate indicator to the fact they are a close couple as they’re interlocking arms show a sense of union and subtle love in everyday life. Her red coat is another subtle indicator to love as red connotes romance, alternatively it could connote blood as later on in the film she is in a car crash which blows apart their love as she can no longer remember him. Also the car is a deep red blood like colour which supports the theory that the film is sending subliminal message about death and tragedy. A uniform laugh and gentle kiss on her head again highlights the strong bond between these characters and shows the love they share, this only makes the viewer empathise more with them as they know a tragedy is coming that will almost destroy their relationship. The fact they are stood alone before being joined by a mass of people shows how all they need is each other and no-one else to be happy and enjoy life, they are in their own little bubble which the viewers crave to be in as they wish to have a love just like theirs. As the main title ‘The Vow’ appears on screen the background image of them fades slightly as they walk of screen – this could link to the convention that love fades when you get married but is contradicted by the following scene when they are so close and intimate and shows marriage has not faded their love at all. Their endless smiles and general joy whilst around one another is similar to one when in a new found relationship and so is sweet to consider that even though they’re married they are still just as in love with each other as the day they met – this makes the viewer empathise with them even more and draws them into this beautiful love story that the viewers crave to have. It links to Maslow’s need to find friendship and meaning in life – for some people to get married and be as in love as these two characters are is all they want in their lives. It also links to users and gratifications theory to escape from their lives and imagine being these characters and having the love they do in their lives. Paige fits the stereotype of the female lead in a romance story as she is fairly dependent on Leo and comes across as quite weak whereas Leo (the stereotypical male lead) is protective and strong. Leo also subverts from the stereotypical male lead as he’s quite feminine as he sings love songs in the car to his wife and seems quite enveloped by Paige as it comes across that she actually wears the trousers in the relationship and is a free standing woman. This fits the convention of a modern romance story but not a traditional one as it used to be that men were always the assertive ones, not woman. (this also links to the titles where the actors names come up on screen, usually the main character – the male – is the first name to appear but not in this film, Rachel Mcadams, the female lead, is the first name to appear and subverts from romance stereotypes that men have the leading role. Alternatively it could be because she is the one who loses her memory, she is the main character that her name should appear first) There is equal focus on both characters showing that neither of them is more important and both will play an equally substantial part, Leo will tell the story from the point of view of someone who has seen the love of his life look at him like a stranger whereas Paige will tell the story from the point of view of someone who has lost her memory and forgotten crucial bits of information that shaped who she was as a person. As I said earlier we, as the viewer, alternate between these views to create a more unique insight into a story of memory loss as most films choose to tell the story from the  victims families point of view (by establishing characters and settings first then having the crash). We can relate to the characters quite easily as we all aspire to have a loving relationship and find the one person we want to spend the rest of our lives with and this therefore makes us as the viewers empathise more with these characters when they crash and draws us into the film even more.

 

The scene starts of with a high angle shot panning down to a long shot of a couple walking out of a movie theatre, the high angle shot could represent how vulnerable they are and unaware they are of the tragedy that is about to happen, alternatively it could show how insignificant they are at this point as to the viewers they are just another loved up couple like thousands of others all over the world. This cuts to a low angle shot of them which makes the viewer empathise with the characters as they seem happy and joyful about being together in this romantic setting (cold, snowing), it makes the viewers look up to this couple and start to gain an insight into how strong their love is and relate to the situation from their own lives. The next shot is a long shot of the setting and shows the romantic setting of snow (a genre indicator), it also shows the events from the characters point of view and again makes the viewer imagine life from their point of view and fantasise about having that perfect relationship – this is perfect and one of the main drawing points of any romance film, to see people succeed in love and achieve happiness. This is especially key in this film as it was released on valentines day, a perfect alternative for people who don’t have a date but wish they did, a good old love story, or for people who want to take their date to a cinema as the film sends subliminal messages that your life could be this nice, you could be this loved up and is a key selling point of the film rather than taking them to see a scary horror film which may make them scared to go out with a near stranger or an action with blood and guts which isn’t going to make a perfect romantic evening. It then returns to a low angle shot of the characters as they huddle close showing the intimacy and love of their relationship, they are also the main focus of the shot as they are centre of the screen – this captivates the viewers attention to focus on their love and relate to the couple. All the people that follow them out the cinema are female to highlight the fact Leo and Paige are such a strong couple. The camera then cuts to a medium shot of Paige’s face from the side and shows the steam coming from her breath and her shivering shows her vulnerable side and conforms to the stereotype that she is weak. This then cuts to a low angle shot of Leo as he takes charge and cleans the snow of the windscreen, this shot suggest he is dominant and strong as he suffers the cold whilst Paige warms up inside the car and again conforms to the stereotype that men and strong whilst females are weak and need protecting and caring for by the men as they rely on men. The next shot is a close up two shot of them in the car in close proximity suggesting they have a close bond, as they drive of the camera changes to over the shoulder shots of each character alternatively, this supports my theory that both characters are equally as important so get equal amounts of screen time rather than one being dominant, this is a love story containing two people rather than a film with one character taking prevolence and the others following behind. This shot also shows their facial expressions and chemistry between them, this makes the audience want to have this relationship as everything seems so perfect in this moment. Lots of two shots are used to show the characters together, this shows they are a unit rather than two individuals and makes the reader empathise more when they crash as they want them to survive together. This is followed by a medium shot of them sharing an intimate moment oblivious to the danger that is fast approaching them, a two shot of them sharing a passionate kiss is contrasted by the blinding lights approaching behind them which engages the viewers and grabs their attention. As a narration overtakes we are removed from the intimate moment and are now bystanders to the tragedy that occurs next as the truck smashes into the car, a long shot is used to the viewers can have a clear view of the setting, see the vehicles in comparison (size) and the prepare the viewers of the danger that is seconds away from occurring (the truck struggling to break in time). This then switches to a medium shot of the crash in slow motion and emphasises how in this moment both characters lose so much. Paige then smashes through the front windscreen in slow motion showing the detail of the impact, before falling onto the bonnet in real time, highlighting the fact the damage is done and although this scene is movie like it will have devastating consequences that affect their real lives. The camera then zooms out into a high angle shot of her lying there and shows her vulnerability as now her husband, who is also injured, can’t just rush over and make everything okay. As she is the sole focus of the shot it suggest that she will be the most injured.