2. For our short film, we have chosen to produce a romance;
this particularly appeals to our target audience of
females aged 12-24. They particularly communicate
emotion, connection and passion among the main
characters, which young females like to empathise with,
and they typically enjoy the lighthearted nature posed
in this genre. Romance films usually gross very well due
to this, and they are enjoyed among families, friends
and couples; generally a mass audience.
3. Conventions of Romance Films
Typically, the girl is well off, and the male is left to chase her
– he isn’t ‘good enough’ for her, and must prove himself.
In terms of the narrative, romance films often follow a strict
path, depicted by Todorov’s theory, consisting of 5 stages; the
film begins with an Equilibrium, which then meets a
Disruption, which the characters then Recognise, Attempt to
Repair, beginning a New Equilibrium.
The girl is often dressed in feminine clothing, in either bright
or soft colours in order to emphasis her femininity. In
contrast, the male can often be seen in dull/plain/dark
clothing in order to shift the attention to the female, and
possibly connote his inferiority.
Setting is an important factor in romance films; the main
characters are often seen in parks/around nature, at
landmarks with a lot of symbolism, or in fairly
personal/intimate/enclosed spaces, which encourages the
idea of them being alone
4. Popular romance films:
Casablanca
Titanic
Her
The Notebook
10 Things I Hate About You
Sleepless in Seattle
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Love Actually
The Other Woman
The Time Traveler’s Wife
About Time
Friends with Benefits
That Awkward Moment
Twilight
Crazy, Stupid, Love
The Lucky One
