3/5 Film Openings: The Notebook
12:19The Notebook
Narrative
The movie first focuses on an old man reading a story to an old woman in an nursing home. The story he reads is on of two young lovers names Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun, who meet one evening at a carnival. They are soon separated by Allie's parents who disapprove of Noah's less fortunate family, and move Allie away. After waiting for Noah to write her for several years, Allie meets someone new and gets engaged to a handsome young soldier names Lon. Allie, then, with her love for Noah which is still alive, stops by Noah's 200-year-old home that he had restored for her, "to see if he's okay". It is evident that they are still in love with each other, and Allie has to choose between her fiancé Lon and her first love Noah.
Shots
At the beginning of the trailer there is an Aerial/long shot is used to show the ferries wheel at what seems to be a fair. This is used to establish the place in which the shot is taking place and what is going on. This type of shot supports the genre of the film because it shows the male trying to attract the attention of female characters. Another shot that is frequently used in the sequence is a Close up shot. This is used to show the audience the characters expressions about the situation; which is an indication of the feelings that they have for each other. Towards the beginning of the extract a wide shot it used to show the two couples riding bikes down a road together. This shot introduces the romance because is shows the two different relationships they have but also signifies how in love they are with each other. This shot is used quite frequently so that the audience can see everything that is going on the scene. As the sequence progresses we can see that an over the shoulder shot is used when the two characters are in conversation. The dominance of the male is reflected in this shot, this is because the angle shows him as being taller then the female character and resulting in her seeming shorted therefore having to look up to him to speak. This shows the roles of the genre because as most stereotypes would have it, the male characters are mostly always taller and stronger then the female characters who are represented as being the weaker one with more emotions. After Noah's comment about how much money her earns the camera zooms out from his face to reveal the 'listeners' reactions. Noah is from a different social class and this is represented in the camera shots used throughout this scene.
Editing
Often in trailers the use of the fading effect is used. This is because it helps to transition from one clip to another and also help to break the trailer down, to concentrate on the main scenes throughout the film. It also helps to break down the major scenes so that no spoilers are given away. The editing effect Dissolve is a complimentary effect to use for romance trailers. This is because it is a smooth transition between the different scenes of the trailer. The smooth transition is often used to suggest the genre of romance throughout the endurance of the trailer. It is most often used in scenes where characters are displaying their love for each other, rather than scenes where there is conflict.
Throughout the course of the trailer there is Incidental music, which helps to set the genre of the film as romance. As well as this at the beginning of the trailer there is a voice over, which tells us the story of the two lovers, how they met and what issues where caused. Along with these two things there is also Ambient sound from the different scenes in the adverts content, this helps to produce the atmosphere of romance and love.
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