Textual Analysis: 10 things I hate about you

Distributor:  Touchstone Pictures

Codes and Conventions
The non-dietetic sound is mostly through the use of instrumental and well known artists. For example when Kat goes into the guidance counsellors’ office instrumental music would play to signify that Kat has entered the room so the counsellor looks up from her laptop. Well known artists music signifies a change in time/setting/location. The diegetic sound has been used through the use of dialogue; many of the characters speak words that aren’t commonly known, for instance the word ‘backer’ is used when Michael describes Joey. This use of slang reinforces the stereotype that teenagers all speak in this way.

A stock setting for teen rom-coms is a high school due to it being a main part of their life. 10 things I hate about you is set in America however the characters are seen mostly in a high school, another setting that a few of the characters are seen in are an instrument shop and Kat’s house. The stereotypes that are included with an instrument shot are based on ‘rockers’, which is what Kat or the character of Patrick can be described as. Naturalistic, high key lighting is used thoroughly throughout the film as it allows the audience to relate to the characters more easily as well as creating verisimilitude.

Characters such as Kat and Patrick wear more thorough costumes in order to reflect their personality, for instance Patrick is seen wearing leather trousers which echo’s his need to be different from everyone else. The character of Bianca is seen wearing floral dresses/tops as well as a pink jacket. The colour pink encodes the character to be very feminine, since pink is considered to be a feminine colour. The guidance counsellor is also seen wearing the colour pink frequently throughout the film.

Characters
As I’ve found through the codes and conventions the characters within the film are stereotypical for the genre of teen rom-coms. Towards the start of the film there is a scene where Cameron is told about all of the different social cliques in the school. These stereotypical groups are reinforced through the use of Mise en Scene, specifically though the use of costumes; this helps the audience to identify each social group. For instance a ‘goth’ is seen during the film and his genre is identifiable due to his spiked black hair and black meshed shirt.

Propp’s theory of characters can be applied to this film however since there are many deeper storylines throughout the film only certain characters can be identified. For example Cameron is portrayed as the hero as it is his idea to get Kat and Patrick together. Bianca may be considered as the princess since he is Cameron’s reward at the end of the film. The character that is represented as the mentor is Michael since it is him who explains the different groups to Cameron and it is him to helps him get together with Bianca. The villain of the film is Joey as he wants Bianca to himself and punches Cameron for going to prom with her.

Narrative Structure
The film follows a linear narrative structure with a clear beginning, middle and end. Todorov’s theory can be applied to this film:

Equilibrium: Cameron moves to a new school, where he is given a tour and sees Bianca
Disruption: Bianca’s father forbids her to date and forbids Kat going to her college of choice
Recognition of disruption: Cameron asks Bianca out on a date but is told she is not allowed to date unless her sister does
Attempt to repair disruption: Michael and Cameron look for a boy that will date Kat, so they ask Joey to help them
Disruption: Joey offers to pay Patrick to date Kat but with intentions to date Bianca, without Cameron knowing
Attempt to repair  disruption: Patrick and Kat go out on a date
Disruption: Cameron goes after Bianca but she is too interested in Joey
Disruption: Bianca is not allowed to the prom with Joey unless Kat has a date
Recognition of disruption: Kat and Bianca talk about Kat’s past with Joey
Attempt to repair disruption: Patrick and Cameron go to the prom with Bianca and Kat
Disruption: Joey tell Kat that Patrick was paid to go out with her and then Joey starts attacking Cameron
Recognition of disruption: Kat leaves the prom, whilst Bianca hits Joey for attacking Cameron
Attempt to repair disruption: Kat writes a poem in English explaining that she doesn’t hate Patrick
Reinstatement of Equilibrium: Kat and Patrick go out again whilst Bianca and Cameron go out together

Technical Aspects
Mid-shots are used frequently throughout the film to not only show characters costumes/reactions to one another but to also highlight relationships with each character. For example when the characters of Cameron and Bianca are becoming closer due to his French tutoring, a mid-shot would be used in order to show how close they are becoming physically.

Close-ups are used recurrently within the film in order to show a character’s reaction or to focus on one character instead of another in a scene. For instance a close up of Patrick is used when he speaks the line “You telling me I’m not pretty?”, this use of close up showed the audience just how intimidating this character is for other characters.

Straight cuts are used regularly throughout the film in order to create verisimilitude for the audience. This allows the audience to be drawn into the narrative and feel for the characters compared to if the film was continuous. Tracking movements are used a lot as the characters are always moving, an example of a tracking shot is when Michael is showing Cameron the different groups around the school and as he is explain them the camera is following them.