Genre Research: 10 Things I Hate About You

 

In contrast to my last film I researched, 10 Thing I Hate About You is actually what I believe to be the best rom com ever released. I decided to do the same breakdown as The Kissing Booth and rewatch the first 2 minutes of the film, taking notes on the shots presented. 

Establishing shot long take pan right tilt down, same shot but pan right, four shot, close up, ariel shot, low axis shot tilt up (keeps main character in the same spot at the bottom of screen though), tracking shot of her walking, close up of desk name tag, close up, over the shoulder, close up, close up, extreme close up of guidance counselor writing smut, over the shoulder tilt up, close up, close up, close up. 

10 Things I Hate About You Opening Sequence

This shot list is so much shorter than The Kissing Booth's and does so much more to introduce the characters and the tone of the film as a whole. The beginning shots are long takes for the most part too, only occasionally sprinkling in some mid shots/close ups of character reactions. These character reaction shots are also strategically done to further characterize Kat, our main character, within these first 2 minutes. 

It shows the girls looking away from Kat in a condescending way after she pulls her car up next to them, blasting Bad Reputation by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts in contrast to (who we can assume to be the popular girls from the mise en scene of the way they present themselves) the other car playing One Week by Barenaked Ladies. This use of different music also creates this early divide between Kat and the other girls. 

We have no dialogue from Kat in the first 2 minutes, but we already have an idea of what her character is like through diegetic sound of the car music, the shots of character reactions, and the mise en scene of the difference in outfits between Kat and the other girls. Already, we're not having information shoved down our throats of how characters act, but instead we're hinted by what's shown on the screen into assuming everything about these characters. This is exactly the impression I want my film to have.

After the Kat sequence, we're met with the comedic tone for the film, which is perfectly established. We're in a typical guidance room with Cameron waiting to speak with the guidance counselor when we're met with one of my all-time favorite clips in history.

The guidance counselor is casually writing smut in her office while the student waits in front of her. This is peak comedy, especially for a rom com where most of the time, either the comedic or the romantic aspect of the film outweighs the other. In this film, however, it is perfectly balanced and both aspects complement each other. 

My last favorite thing about this film is how Kat is introduced. This film came out in 1999, so this strong, independent female lead who rejects social norms wasn't typical for the year this movie came out. Within the first 2 minutes, we see her rip down a sign for prom, which again wasn't typical for rom coms of their time as prom was romanticized. 

Overall, this rom com is one of my favorites of all time from how balanced every aspect is, nothing in this movie was overlooked, everything is there for a reason.