The Holiday opening scene analysis

The first sign of romance in the film is a clip of a man and women kissing, the women is in a white dress which connoted being a virgin, this connotation was used sometimes in very traditional romance film but not normally used in this day in age. The area they are standing is very attractive; this type of scenery is used a lot in romance films. Focus pull is then used when the couple are kissing with shallow focus on the background this is done so you focus on the characters rather than the nice back drop. Behind the scene of the couple some non-diegetic music is played which sounds heart warming this type of music is stereo-typically in romance films. After the scene has been on for a couple of seconds you notice its someone working on the film we know this because they zoom out and show someone playing the music through the piano, this gives the audience the occupations of the character and some extra information. Due to the strong stereo-types used in the clip of the couple it gives the impression that the actual film may not be a very conventional romance film.

Another non-diegetic sound is used quickly after the music stops however this time its dialogue of a women discussing love .This is gives us the idea that the film is based round her love life. Non-diegetic dialogue is used regularly in romance films and all ways seem to be  women moaning about how they have no love life, then suddenly they end up falling in love with their dream man. The dialogue starts when the camera is focusing on man, this gives us the idea these two people will somehow end up together. However a woman is introduced who kisses the man yet the man seems to be more interested in her than she does towards him, this gives the audience the idea that their romance may end soon. This is also shown through the appearance of the two people, the women is stereo typically pretty however the man isn't very attractive. Due to the accent of the women speaking in the background it suggests the film will be set in England.

Titles start coming up on the screen in a very simple text and colour this type is normally used when the audience of the film are teenagers and adults. The titles will entice and excite the audience because it tells the audience that there are some very famous actors and actresses in it, such as Kate Winslet and Jude Law two very famous actors/actresses in the UK. 

Juxtaposition is then used between the very happy looking couple to  the couple who look like they have fallen out of love. In the same scene you can see Christmas lights in the street; the Christmas season is very conventional for romance films because it’s a magical time of the year when family and friends meet up. The couple are sitting in a car and the light is very dark this mirrors what their relationship is like. The camera then zooms out to the outside of the car to show a long shot of the town. The car they are in  is a black Porsche, this shows that they are very wealthy.

Juxtaposition is used a lot in the opening because they are using examples of different types of relationship. A man who looks as if he could be old due to the use of a walking stick appears we don't get to see to his face because they zoom into an old photo of a women, they haven't showed his face at this point so you are just focusing on and thinking about the photo frame, the camera then shows his face which reveals that the women could be his late wife.

A shot of the back of a womens head is shown; this adds suspense because the audience will want to know who she is. The use of slow zooming adds sympathy towards the character. The antagonist is revealed when a shot of a man is shown and the un-identified women is talking about how she loves a man who doesn't love her back, the women which we see at the computer is looking straight at him so we suspect she is the person speaking in the background.

The use of shallow focus on the crowd is used so the audience keep our focus on the main character while the camera pans the room. Long editing/takes are also used throughout the clip to add dramatic effect.