Investigation into why audiences watch

melodramas including terminal cancer

Book release years:

A Walk To Remember: 1999My Sister’s Keeper: 2004The Last Song: 2009The Fault In Our Stars: 2012

A more unique Sparks Film?

“impossible nobility, walks on the beach, on-off love affairs, terminal illness (without the mess dying of cancer usually involves)”

(Source 9)

(Source 6)

5

One in three deaths in England are before the age of 75 and more than three quarters of these premature deaths are as a result of the five big killers:1) cancer2) heart disease3) stroke4) respiratory disease5) liver disease

(Source 10)

Do you think ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ contains a positive message for those who are suffering from a similar social situation?

27YES

3NO

(Source 15)

NO?(Source 12)

My Sister’s Keeper

• The Last Song

Nick Cassavetes: (Source 7) Julie Robinson: (Source 8)

9

'An electric portrait of young people who learn to live life with one foot in the grave. Filled with staccato bursts of humor and tragedy, The Fault in Our Stars takes a spin on universal themes-Will I be loved? Will I be remembered? Will I leave a mark on this world? -by dramatically raising the stakes for the characters who are asking.' Jodi Picoult, bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper

(Source 17)

What films have you watched?

The Fault In Our Stars: IIIIII50/50: IIIThe Bucket List: IIIMy Sister’s Keeper: IIIIIIIIIIA Walk To Remember: IINow Is Good: IThe Last Song: IIIIIII

“Feel good films are now including terminal illness and other similar situations to try and help people in real life”

• Yes IIIIIIIIIII• No I

Target audience for cancer films?

ChildrenTeenagers IIIIIIIIIIIIAdults IIIElderly

Are we seeing more of the subject of cancer in films and TV?

Yes IIIIIIIIINo III

(Source 13)

The Kubler-Ross theory

The 5 stages of depression:DenialAngerBargainingDepressionAcceptance

(Source 1)

Acceptance

Depression

Anger

Denial

Bargaining

GUS’ STAGES OF KUBLER ROSS

13

Applying Kubler Ross theoryto Hazel Lancaster?

00:38:15 - 00:41:50

The first hospital scene and the talk with the doctor after

15

*Plays Hazel’s talk with the doctor scene*(I explained to Horton that the clip is being based on my statement and asked her to consider it when she

answers to my following talk about the clip)

A: How did this scene make you feel?

H: I felt surprised, I did not expect this clip to show a girl fighting for her life. In the media we only see teenagers which are feeble and not going out and doing things, obviously it depends on how bad the cancer is but i’ve never seen a representation like Hazel before.

A: So you found it kind of motivating?

H: Yeah I guess, I have read the book and felt this way when reading it, but the film also shows a representation of a passionate girl who’s taking opportunities when she can.

A: It could be argued that the doctor is unfair by dismissing something he is aware would make her happy, do you agree?

H: Yeah I feel like it was unfair but it is the Doctor’s job to make sure Hazel is getting the best treatment she can. Where you see the film in Hazel’s perspective you do want her to go to Amsterdam and you can see that she is strong enough to but I do understand why the doctor refuses her trip.

A: So you do feel Hazel is a strong character?

H: Of course, she is a brilliant representation of a girl who won’t give up on her dreams and wants to go out and see the world. The cancer doesn’t hold her back in the film.

(Source 11)

Restaurant in Amsterdam

00:59:10 - 01:04:00

My Sister’s Keeper – The Prom scenehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm3Hi6bfU5I

“There may be people who can witness

a halfway competent dramatic

representation of the death of children

from cancer without choking up, I am

not among them – and it was the same

before I became a parent.”

TFIOS quote regarding target audiences and who it grabs an

emotional repsonse from.

(Source 2)

The Last Song – Hospital Scene

I read The Fault in Our Stars right when it came out and it has really stuck with me. It's just an incredibly challenging topic to write about, and I thought it was done very intelligently and empathetically. But I'm curious why you wanted to even try to write a book about young people who have cancer, and how that idea got lodged in your head.

“Well many years ago I worked as a student chaplain at a children's hospital, and I think it got lodged in my head then. The kids I met were funny and bright and angry and dark and just as human as anybody else. And I really wanted to try to capture that, I guess, and I felt that the stories that I was reading sort of oversimplified and sometimes even dehumanized them. And I think generally we have a habit of imagining the very sick or the dying as being kind of fundamentally other. I guess I wanted to argue for their humanity, their complete humanity.”

(Source 5)

21

“I now believe that short lives can be good lives — full and rich — and that was the real lesson Esther taught me”

(Source 3)

“THIS IS TITANIC. CANCER IS THE ICEBERG WE’RE GONNA HIT AT THE END OF THE MOVIE, BUT THAT CANT BE WHAT THE MOVIE IS ABOUT”

(Source 4)

From this research I have summarized that there is arguably a few reasons why people watch melodramas involving cancer. I have acknowledged that all my films for research have been books; therefore the adaptations mean that there is already a presold audience to these dramas. When looking into clips, I gathered an idea that all these films reach different audiences due to the genre of the film. I still believe in my first initial thought that these films are made to be a feel good film and I feel this idea is backed strongly when Iooking into John Green’s background. Although JG reasoning of the book was through personal background, some of the audience did not feel this way as I spoke to people who did not see the idea of closure and happiness from watching the film in my primary research. Overall, despite the general out-look of these being somberfilms it is argued that they can be interpreted as feel good.