Genre - Romance

Romance
Romance films are a genre of film in which the underlying theme conveyed is love and romance. They feature love stories that focus on the journey between two characters and their relationship during a period of dating, courtship or marriage. It is common to see the characters' relationship struggle or them separate and the plot (or a portion of the plot) focuses on them rebuilding their relationship. Many struggles in their relationship are caused by obstacles, including finance, physical illness, discrimination and more. The emotions invoked in the audience heavily depends on the sub-genre of the film. I have found that there are two main sub-genres of romance: romantic drama and romantic comedy. These sub-genres can dramatically change the entire mood and tone of the film.

Conventions of the Romance Genre
Conventions of the romance genre often rely heavily on the sub-genre of the film, for example, conventions in a romance drama may have more heavy themes as opposed to a romantic comedy, in which there would be more lighthearted elements.

• Setting - In stereotypical romance films, the environments used are places where a realistic chance encounter can occur. These are usually urban environments, but areas considered beautiful or peaceful are commonly used. This can include rural areas, sleepy towns, beaches, the countryside and so on. The setting can help the audience guess what will happen and even set the mood for a film. For example, if one setting featured at the beginning of the film is something that denotes loss eg. a war or battlefield, then the audience will anticipate heartbreak for the characters, therefore setting a heavy, dramatic mood for the rest of the film. On the other hand, if it is set in a Las Vegas casino or bar, then it will suggest that the characters may meet under terrible circumstances, involving a lot of drinking and mistakes - this sets a more lighthearted mood for the film. As for the time period, this may allow the audience to guess the narrative features based on the historical context. For example, if it was set quite far in the past then the audience would expect the conflict between the couple to be based around discrimination (probably from third parties), as this was a common issue in this era. Well-populated areas like large cities are the common setting for romantic comedies to take place, particularly social areas like bars etc. Romanticised, iconic areas are often featured too. For example, New York City or Paris. On the other hand, I don't think the setting has to be specific as people absolutely anywhere can fall in love - it isn't location or timeline specific. 

• Technical Codes - Camerawork in romance films is quite important to allow the audience to interpret the film in a certain way, particularly regarding the relationship between the characters. For example, two shots are useful in romance films because they contain both the subjects in the frame. This can, therefore depict their interactions etc. to the audience without constantly swapping between over-the-shoulder shots of the two. Depending on the composition in the two shot frame and the angle in which it is captured, the two shot can be used to alter the audience's reading of the film. For example, if a character is placed in front of another than the imbalance may be interpreted as the importance of a character etc. Slow camera movements can be used to set a calm, romantic tone for the film. Mid shots used to introduce characters are useful because romantic films use characters and acting as the focal driving force - so establishing characters is, therefore, important. The mood of a romance will generally be less chaotic and more calm and romantic, therefore editing won't include fast paced shot cutting and angles that convey chaos eg. canted angle. The colour grading of the footage will generally be quite neutral, however, during warmhearted scenes, the colour grading may be warm. Cooler tones may be used when a heartbreaking moment is occurring. 

• Characters - It is very common to see two very contrasting characters featured in a romance film. This convention plays on the concept that 'opposites attract'. Not only this, but it also allows more room for empathy, connection and relatability between the audience and the characters. This is because having two very opposite characters means there's a lot of personalities to be able to connect with - there's more of a chance someone will relate to at least one character as there's more diversity and is, therefore, more representative of larger, more diverse groups of people. These personalities are sometimes represented through stereotypes. This connects with the narrative theory involving binary opposites eg. boy vs girl, pessimistic vs optimistic etc. Romance films often follow a 'conventional' couple eg. male and female. Romance films do occasionally feature an antagonist - a person who attempts to break the couple up one way or another. Sometimes the antagonist gets between the couple without intending, for example, Lon from The Notebook.  There are so many different types of antagonists that could be involved in romances, however, an example of a stereotypical antagonist in a romance may be the parent of one of the characters, who doesn't like their child's love interest so they get between them. Another example of an antagonist could be a jealous or even discriminative third party etc. In romantic comedies, it is extremely common to features token characters. For example, token black characters that are friends with the male protagonist. This may feature in romance dramas too but it most prominent in comedies. Promiscuous characters, both male and female, may be involved who are generally best friends with the protagonists. These people also often help the protagonists meet. It is common for the protagonists to be quite young characters, however, this may not always be the case. The film will sometimes watch the protagonists age too as they journey through life together (or apart). 

• Lighting - Lighting in romance films is often quite natural, as it conveys innocence and perhaps even happiness. Warmer lighting may be used when a heartfelt moment is occurring, as the orange/red tones of the sun connotes peace and warmth because of its beauty. Back-lighting may be used as well, to highlight their silhouettes and create an artistic, aesthetically pleasing effect which may be deemed as romantic because of its beauty. Any artificial lighting will be quite stark however fluorescent, for example, fairy lights or lights in an out-of-focus background to create a pretty bokeh effect. 

• Sound - Diegetic sound is important to hear the dialogue between characters, which needs to be clear. This is important to allow the audience to interpret the character's relationship based on their dialogue and chemistry on screen. Non-diegetic sound, like music, is important because it helps set the mood and tone for the film. The music used for romance films is often an atmospheric, orchestral score - these are often used for significant, moving moments. However, it is common to use popular, generally upbeat soundtrack music in romantic comedies, particularly in montages of the characters. The music during touching moments is often loud to overwhelm the audience with emotion, however, the music is often made quiet to make sure diegetic sound such as dialogue is coherent. 

• Props - Props are most commonly used to develop a sense of character, as characters are the most significant aspect of romance films. Certain props will allow the audience to infer things about the characters, for example, if they're reading a book then it suggests that they're intellectual and enjoy reading. Props may be used to develop the plot, for example, letters addressed to each other etc. Or the prop is used to bring two characters together. Props that are associated with beauty, love, romance or sex may be common, for example, flowers, wedding bells etc. 

Target Audience 

Romance films are generally aimed at adult (due to any sexual nature, or children are typically not interested in love and romance) females, as it's a common notion that females are more emotional than men and therefore enjoy watching these kinds of emotional films. The films promote the conception that females are more empathetic than males. On the other hand, these movies are also aimed at couples, as couples are able to relate to these kinds of films. On the contrary, it can be argued that romance films are aimed at everyone because a romantic sub-plot is involved in almost every Hollywood film. 

What do Film Companies Do to Attract These Audiences in Terms of Marketing? 

Film companies address the audience directly by carefully placing an advertisement in areas they know the target audience will be situated. For example, a poster placed in an area a female orientated event regularly takes place, or a pop-up advert on a female-oriented social media website.

• Posters - Romance films posters almost always focus on the characters - it is very common for it to just contain the two protagonists of the film. Sometimes, the poster will contain a frame from an iconic part of the film (most common in romance drama posters), for example, the kiss-in-the-rain scene from The Notebook. The reason the posters contain the characters is because romance's use the characters and the character's relationships as the sole focus and driving force of the film, the poster is just representing the most important part of the film. Moreover, romance posters often show the characters kissing or hugging etc. which helps the viewers realise it is a romance film being advertised, which therefore draws in the target audience of the romance genre. The characters often have a slight white glow around them - this is to make them the sole focus of the image and drown out any background that may catch attention. A common style for romantic comedies is to use 'windows' with character's faces in. This is a good method to use when there's multiple main characters, which is often the case for romantic comedies, or the film company wants to advertise it based on the cast as the cast consists of famous faces. Romantic comedies often use studio photography as the poster, which puts the actors in flattering lighting and gives it a simple, professional appeal. When they show two characters together, the characters will generally be quite separated, and focuses on playful facial expressions as opposed to the two embracing each other. Whereas, romantic dramas often use a shot from the actual film where the characters are against a natural environment - this creates a sense of realism which associates with the drama genre. Romance posters can occasionally contain the two characters as well as a separate photo of something significant to the film that gives the audience context. This can be seen on the posters for 'Australia' and 'Titanic'. The colour scheme for romance films will often be colours that convey romance, lust or love. This mainly includes red or pink. Using sunlit pictures helps convey romance too. The posters below are good examples of romantic posters, the one on the left is for a romantic drama, and depicts the generic conventions of the romantic drama poster stated previously. The poster on the right is for a romantic comedy, and shows the actors against a plain white background - the most common style for romantic comedy posters. They're both aesthetically pleasing which draws attention to them. 

• Trailers - Romance dramas tend to invoke emotion in the audience - particularly sadness, awe, empathy or wonder. This is because trailers tend to give an indication into the climax and therefore show the character's suffering, triggering empathy in the audience. On the contrary, the trailers don't give too much away and therefore leave the audience intrigued. They also invoke desire or envy in the audience - this is because they play on the audience's loneliness or basic desire for a relationship. This is done by including romantic footage of the couple in the film. Romantic comedies ensure that humour is included in the trailer, the more humour involved the wider the audience will be as it will attract the target audience associated with some comedy too. Trailers will be aired before showings of other romance films, which will therefore directly address the target audience associated with romance.

Example of a Romance Film Opening Sequence

Dear John (2010, Lassie Hallström)

This film opening sequence introduces a character straight away. Because of his costume (US military) and the acting the audience doesn't need a long shot to establish the setting, as we know that they are in a war-zone. The character is clearly wounded, and is looking up with a dazed expression while another soldier tends to him. This disastrous situation contradicts the romantic feel a romance would create. This scene creates a sense of inevitability and doom, as it sets a sombre tone for the film and makes the audience anticipate heartbreak. The lighting in this scene is quite flat or neutral, which correlates well with the serious nature of the scene. The colour grading is very cool and dark, and more blue and green than it is red. These cool tones are appropriate for the sad content of the footage as cooler tones often connote loss and sadness. The sound mainly consists of non-diegetic. Narration can be heard - it can be assumed that the person talking is the same person on camera, as they talk about getting shot and being in the U.S Army. The narration is paired with subtle score music, which is very atmospheric. There is a very faint, warped sound of gunfire (the only example of possible diegetic sound), which adds to the scene setting, moreover, the warped and quiet effect may resemble what the character is actually hearing as they are very spaced out, this helps the audience empathise with them. The scene then briefly cuts to a collection of coins being made - a memory of the characters. This scene is quite mesmerising to watch and therefore sets a more relaxed, beautiful mood that correlates more with the romance genre than the previous scene. This tone is short lived when it throws the audience back into the previous scene. The camera slowly zooms in on the character's dazed face before very slowly transitioning to the next scene. The new scene strongly contrasts with the previous as its set on a beach. It shows a montage of clips depicting the same character from before, only this time he's surfing. The audience doesn't know if the past scene was a flashback or flash forward etc. - This will make them intrigued. The happy images of the character surfing pair well with the high key natural lighting - there's plenty of sunshine and the footage connotes an overall tone of happiness. Not only that but the sunset is very beautiful and romantic, setting a romantic theme that correlates well with the genre. The music now is a very upbeat, acoustic score and the only other sound heard is of the waves crashing, creating a happy mood. The character is now watching the horizon from a pier when a group of young people walk behind them and he continuously looks at them. The camera constantly focusing on them highlights to the audience that they (or one of them) is significant to the film. A prop (the bag of one of the female characters) is knocked into the ocean and another character runs to collect it. The first character then jumps into the ocean and retrieves it. The characters run to meet him on the beach and he goes to hand the bag to her. This shows that the prop is used to bring these characters together and also, again, creates a sense of inevitability because the audience can tell that these characters are going to develop a relationship after this encounter. The setting is a typical beautiful or 'romantic' location - a beach. The dialogue can be heard however not much is really said.