My short film combines conventions of a typical romantic comedy with those of an art house film. It uses a small cast of four characters and only a few narrative conventions typical of art house films. The film challenges typical romantic comedy structures by having the protagonist end unhappily with the tragic realization that he cannot care for his child. It also explores binary opposites between the male and female leads and intends to be a postmodern take on the romantic comedy genre through less clearly defined characters that use more subdued art house-style expressions and responses.

1. My short film is a hybrid of a typical Rom Com, boy meets girl
story line but using the conventions more associated with an Art
House genre.
FLUFF
RESTLESS: 2011
fluff
THE UGLY TRUTH 2010

2. ART HOUSE CONVENTIONS....
Fluff uses a small cast of four -Very Art House
Fluff uses only a few conventions- Very Art House
• An Art Film aims at reaching a
niche audience rather than a
mass market.
• Often a serious piece of work
not intended for wide appeal.
• The principle intention is
aesthetic reasons rather than
commercial profit.
• Contains unconventional or
highly symbolic content.
The ‘helper’ role identified by Vladimir Prop, most
stories, features a helper who supports the main
character.
Typically this convention is used in ‘rom coms’.
In Definitely, Maybe, the main protagonist has his
child as the ‘helper.’
‘The helper’....
Fluff’s helper: the mystic
Rom Com Conventions.....

3. EQUILIBRIUM DISEQUILIBRIUM NEW EQUILIBRIUM
Bridget Jones starts quite contented...
DISEQUILIBRIUM
Hugh Grant as
antagonist causes conflict..
Happy Ever After
EQUILIBRIUM
NEW EQUILIBRIUM
CHILLED
THE BLOW
PRETTY DARN GOOD
stories always start
normal, get disrupted and
then get sorted and return
to normal, well usually.
Tzvetan Todorov

4. challenging Todorov....
Protagonist starts film unhappy
High point in the middle of the story....
BUT ENDS WITH THE TRAGIC REALISATION- HE CANNOT FEND FOR HIS CHILD
Art House films often challenge this convention. For example:

5. Girl VS Boy
Binary Opposites in fluff
Levi Straussʼ theory on Binary Opposites occurs
right from the outset of my film. The boy wants romance
And she really doesnʼt.............

6. BATHE’S CODES...
Alash the mystical character gives Noah advice in Fluff
The enigma/ Brother Bear talking to mystical ghost elephants
CODE: E N I G M A
MAKE THE AUDIENCE CURIOUS KEEP THEM WANTING TO WATCH

7. Fluff’s intentions....
A POST MODERN ROM COM
The characters in a ʻrom comʼ tend to be familiar ʻstockʼ
characters, where as in my film, the protagonist as well as the
supporting cast are not really that clearly defined. Their facial
expressions and verbal responses lean more towards Art House.

8. My film was inspired my a small budget short, ‘The Plan’ where the
main character falls out of love with his girlfriend but finds new love whilst on a
road trip.....
INSPIRATION....
WITH MOMENTS OF NOTTING HILL.....
THE PLAN
HUGH ON HIS QUEST
NOAH ON HIS
NEW
LOVE INTEREST
NOAHʼS
NEW LOVE INTEREST