{"id":68,"date":"2018-10-03T21:57:22","date_gmt":"2018-10-03T21:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freestyleacademy.rocks\/~HasmikG\/?page_id=68"},"modified":"2019-05-24T20:12:42","modified_gmt":"2019-05-24T20:12:42","slug":"podcasts","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~HasmikG\/podcasts\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcasts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

The goal of the Podcast unit is to listen to podcasts and then afterwards create our own. I made my podcast centered around tropes used in film and media, most specifically movies. With the podcast that I did, I had it more focused on the romantic subplot trope that’s included in movies.<\/p>\n

Podcast<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Welcome to my podcast where we talk about certain movie tropes and why they suck, also known as the podcast where I rant about movies, because what more is there to life? On today\u2019s episode, we\u2019ll be reviewing the \u201cromantic subplot\u201d discussed by someone who has absolutely no idea what romance is other than the ridiculous amount of anime I watch. I\u2019m gonna be such a reliable narrator.<\/span><\/p>\n

But before we jump into it though, a word from our sponsor! Today\u2019s sponsor is Freestyle Academy. Have you ever wanted to express your inner creativity through the arts or music? Have you ever felt like you were missing a part of your life that your normal school took away from you? Well then, come to Freestyle Academy. Here are this \u201cprestigious\u201d school, you have all the tools and assistance you need to excel and show your true colors. Not only are there wonderful teachers that can help you improve in your art, but you\u2019ll get to make some amazing new friends. Apply to Freestyle Academy today! Warning, the documentary project may kill you inside.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sorry, I think there was something in my throat. Anyways, before we start, let me just say that this podcast will contain some spoilers for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Civil War, and Infinity War. If you haven\u2019t seen those films and want to see them, I suggest not listening to this podcast until after you\u2019ve seen it. But if you have seen it or don\u2019t care about spoilers, then keep on listening.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyways, what was this about again? Oh yeah, the romantic subplot. There are a lot of things to talk about here, both good and bad. Everything that I\u2019m about to say is my own opinion on how to handle the trope and the issues that come with it. By no means am I a professional in romance or movies or… anything really.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now with that out of the way, let\u2019s start with the major issue I have when it comes to romance in movies. Just because there is a male and female character on screen together, that does not equal a romantic relationship. Even in 2019, people are still making this mistake. Now, don\u2019t mistake this for me saying we need to replace them with more diverse relationships, because that is a whole other can of worms that I won\u2019t address in this podcast. Simply put, I\u2019m saying that if you are trying to force a romance where it doesn\u2019t belong, whether the straight, gay, lesbian, or whatever, then don\u2019t force it. Unless you\u2019re writing a romantic comedy, in which case you kind of have to force it. <\/span><\/p>\n

The thing that a lot of writers struggle with when it comes to romance is writing good chemistry between the characters. Just because you drop two characters next to each other, it doesn’t mean that they\u2019ll automatically start (*dramatic start*) staring into each other’s eyes for more than three seconds as if it was destiny that they met and then proceed to kiss so passionately that the Sun literally explodes, (*dramatic end*) and expect that alone to make anyone compelled to follow their romance. There needs to be a visible progression in their relationship. Show me these characters talking and spending time together. Show me that these characters compliment one another with their own unique personalities. Show me that these characters actually care about each other and want to be together. Literally just give me a reason to want these two to make out by the end of the movie.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let me give you an example. Okay, so Endgame came out recently, which I\u2019m not here to talk about, but let\u2019s go back to one of Marvel\u2019s previous films, Avengers: Age of Ultron. Let\u2019s talk the quote, unquote \u201cromance\u201d between Natasha, aka Black Widow, and Bruce, aka the Hulk. In my own opinion, this romance wasn\u2019t well put together. There was no chemistry between the two, not before or after this movie, at least not enough for them to suddenly start \u201cfalling in love.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The writers were trying to make it seem like the two are very close, when we never even saw their relationship begin to blossom. It\u2019s like trying to write an essay, but you only write the conclusion without the introduction or main paragraphs. Then, we jump ahead to Infinity War. After being apart for several years after the Hulk leaves at the end of Age of Ultron, Natasha and Bruce hardly even acknowledge each other when they reunite, much rather whatever romantic history they may have had in the past. With Natasha\u2019s history and how this romance wouldn\u2019t have fit her character at the time, this relationship was clearly not going to last. Including it at all did nothing to the story nor the characters, although it probably left some fans confused or annoyed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The other thing is if you want to include romance, don\u2019t make it cliche. Okay, let me rephrase that. If you want to include romance, don\u2019t make it boring and predictable. Let\u2019s be real, romances exist everywhere. You cannot tell me that you have gone through your life without seeing a single movie or reading a book that involves romance in some shape or form. In fact, because of this, there are so many pre-existing romance tropes. \u201cLove at first sight,\u201d the \u201clove triangle,\u201d the \u201cbad boy meets good girl who changes him,\u201d the \u201cI\u2019m stalking you but it\u2019s okay because I\u2019m hot.\u201d You name it, it most likely exists.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, does that makes it seem that every single romance written today would be considered cliche because it\u2019s most likely been done before? Well, it depends. If you write a bland, formulaic plot that can be predicted from start to end, then yes, it is cliche and sometimes it can harm not only the story but also the characters within that story. And it can also bore your audience to death because they know the characters are going to confess their love for one another by the end, but the writer tries to pretend like it\u2019ll be some big reveal. However, you can include romantic elements in your movie without making it come across as boring or cliche.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike the previous example, let\u2019s look at a good relationship in Marvel\u2019s cinematic universe. Wanda, aka the Scarlet Witch, and Vision. I actually like this couple (Again, this is just my opinion.) Their relationship began to blossom in Civil War and eventually led the two to wanting to focus more on their relationship rather than being heroes. Vision is a robot who doesn\u2019t know what love is, and Wanda helped him understand it more. As much as I liked this couple though, I do wish they had some more time to develop their relationship. However, despite their bumpy start, there was a major payoff at the end. That scene near the end of Infinity War where Wanda had no choice but to destroy Vision\u2019s mind stone to stop Thanos from getting it was heart wrenching. Even more so after Thanos just ended up reversing time and taking the stone from Vision regardless, so she had to watch him get killed not once, but twice. I know I cried when that happened.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, in conclusion, write romances that are realistic. I know that sounds obvious to a lot of people, and I know for a fact that there are many people who do know how to write good romance stories, but let me make it clear. No matter what kind of romance story you write, no matter how cheesy or cliche it may be\u2026 It\u2019ll never be as bad as Twilight. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.<\/span><\/p>\n