ROMANCE
GENRE CONVENTIONS-CONTENT
An element of the material that characterizes the genre of romance is revolved around the mundane conception that two people meet and fall in love with each other. Romance films typically involve an emotional element such as the characters going through a loss of a family member, heartbreak, mental instability, financial problems, or any other emotional hardship. The setting of these films are important because they typically commence in a urban environment or in a popular location that most viewers could recognize. Some examples of where romance films can be set in is: New York, on the beach, or at school. The main characters tend to to be two alluring young adults, which is mainly to target the adolescent audience.
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| EX: The setting of the movie Dear John is located on the beach. |
Another feature of the romance genre can be the theme of the love story and whether or not it has a happy or sad ending. Many tim
es the plot may be based on a true story which adds a sense or realness and authenticity to the film. For the audience, romantic films serve as a great escape, particularly if the two people finally resolve their challenges, declare their love, and experience a "happily ever after" which can be implied by a reconciliation and final kiss.
GENRE CONVENTIONS- PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES
The mis-en-scene techniques help create a better representation of the passion between two characters. This helps achieve the overall aim of romance productions. Sound is a focal characteristic of the romance genre. The mood of the scene or how the characters are feeling can depend on the instrumentals or other musical effects that are integrated to it. These sounds can be either diegetic or non diegetic, and they both can add more emotion to a scene. The narrative of a love story with sounds that correlate to the mood of the scene can engender more intimacy between the characters, which is a consequential aspect of romance. Costume design is also another important element. The audience can learn a lot about the main character's personality based on their style relative to that time period. If there is a character wearing a dress with warm hues it may signify a sense of passion, excitement, and it may add a more loving connection in the plot. Red color clothing may add a more powerful, sexy connotation to the narrative. Whereas, white may add a sense of purity and innocence, both of them can show a lot about the character's inner self or how they are feeling about something or someone. Lighting is important in romance because it can also alter the mood of the scene. A more intimate scene would most likely include lighting that is far more dim to set a more romantic feel to the scene. Brighter lighting can be used when the two subjects meet or engage in a less intimate activity. Props can be incorporated to add a sense of symbolism to the story or to create a romantic connection between the characters.
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| EX: This scene from Titanic has non diegetic sound which helped develop the characters feelings. |
INSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS-HOW IS GENRE MARKETED
The romance genre is marketed to the public in various ways. Typically this film genre is aimed at women ages 13-18 and sometimes older. Romance films are conventionally revolved around the girl, so it magnetizes a female audience. Plenty of times the film poster will include a picture of the two main characters to draw the attention of the target audience. The main goal is to express the idea that the film will include the love story of two people that come together and establish a beautiful, romantic relationship. The movie poster can attract the audience by displaying the characters to be posing close together or in a romantically connected fashion. Another way romance's are marketed is by the film trailer. These trailers will include the highlights of the movie that may persuade potential viewers to watch the whole thing. Depending on the sub genre, it may either include a humorous or sexual scene that may convince people to see it in theaters. Another method that always helps market the romance is including well known actors, this is because fans will go out of their way to watch the film just because it includes the actors they enjoy watching.
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| EX: These are examples of romance movie posters that include elements to attract their target audience. |
FILM SAMPLE #1
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| EX: Me Before You (2016) directed by Thea Sharrock |
The movie Me Before You is a great example of the ideal romance film in many different ways. This movie is about a small town girl that crosses paths with a man that recently became paralyzed, and she ends up taking care of him. The storyline revolves around the idea that something traumatic has happened to one of the characters. In result of this it helps bring the two characters closer together, creating a more loving connection. This demonstrates one of the main content characteristics of romances. The setting of the film takes place in the United Kingdom which most people would be able to recognize which is another aspect of romance films. One of the mis-en-scene elements that was important was the
soundtrack. The soundtrack of this movie was nominated for Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Soundtrack and featured well known artists. The music played an important role in creating the beautiful connection between Louisa and William, the two main characters, by including upbeat or mellow music depending on the mood of the scene. The costume design of the scene helped with character development. Louisa's personality was very optimistic, bubbly, and outgoing, and her sense of style was very colorful and unique which helped display that. William was a laid back and sophisticated man and his simple style demonstrated that aspect of him. Props were used to create a connection between the lovers and establish a sense of symbolism. In the film William bought Louisa black and yellow striped leggings for her birthday. This was something that was sentimental to her childhood and it displayed the idea that it was the little things in life that mattered the most. In the end even though William dealt with a traumatic life experience it didn't stop him from falling in love and having a romantic connection. Even though the film didn't embrace the 'happily ever after' cliché it ended with a loving and emotional scene which displayed the reality of love.
FILM SAMPLE #2
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| 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), directed by Jill Junger |
Another example is
10 Things I Hate About You. This film is about a beautiful, intelligent, yet abrasive teenage girl named Kat that has a younger sister that isn't allowed to date until she does. Kat ends up meeting a guy named Patrick and she changes her ways of not wanting anything to do with having a boyfriend. The plot of the movie embodies the romance genre because it includes a problematic situation of Kat not wanting anything to do with boys. This creates emotional tension with her sister and creates a more interesting romantic connection when she meets Patrick. The plot is about two high school teenagers that unexpectedly fell in love.There are various props used in the production design that help establish the character's personality and it helps build a more romantic connection between the two. One example is the electric guitar she was playing when Patrick saw her in the shop. Later on in the film he surprised her with it, this helped display their connection and symbolize their loving relationship. Another important element of this film is sound. There was a scene in the movie where Patrick took over the speaker in the soccer stadium and got the band involved so he could sing to Kat and express his feelings for her. The song represented how he felt about her and the fact that he sang it out loud showed his rebellious, outgoing, and loving personality. This romance content is something that the target audience could possible relate to or wish for, which is a perfect example of targeting their audience.
ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES
The Notebook (2004)
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